Significant archaeological remains may be found at the site of the demolished house in Old Quebec, and the owner is required to take them into account during next cleaning and construction work, sources said The newspaper.
• Also read: House razed to the ground in Old Quebec: The opposition demands an investigation by the minister
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The owner of the house at 45 Avenue Sainte-Geneviève received approval last week to collect rubble left on the site after the May 19 emergency demolition.
However, the Commission d’urbanisme et de conservation de Québec (CUCQ), acting on behalf of the culture minister, has imposed a series of conditions on him, according to the report Le Journal obtained thanks to access to the “information”.
“The area affected by the cleanup has archaeological potential of interest as the foundations of the house that stood on the site are more than 200 years old,” writes the city’s monuments office in its CUCQ analysis. Accordingly, the owner is advised that “no excavation should be undertaken in the grounds of the site” during the rehabilitation work.
The Heritage Department is identifying potential treasures to be found on the site of this home, built by Captain William Stott circa 1830.
old fortifications
The site is in line with the first two lines of French fortifications built by de Beaucours and Levasseur de Néré, the city notes. Foundations of Beaucours have already been found at a nearby site, a significant discovery in 2018.
In addition, the site is believed to be where the glacis of the left flank of the first Saint-Louis bastion (1693) extended, and subsequently that of the second line of fortifications, which from 1712 was only the first.
Not to mention the valuable information that has been collected on the construction and lifestyle of the time, as well as the remains of other dwellings or outbuildings, mentions the Heritage Department.
Archaeological surveillance required
However, when excavating for a future structure that requires a new permit application, archaeological supervision is required. The organizer must hire a professional archaeologist with a permit from the Ministère.
The other requirements imposed by the CUCQ are to act quickly in the cleaning, to ensure the preservation of the adjacent buildings, to remove the materials beforehand, to level the ground and to fence the site.
The owner did not respond to our interview request.
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