THE HISTORIC ESTATES OF SENNEVILLE
From 1865 to 1930, politicians, bankers and merchants from Montréal joined forces with eminent architects and landscape architects to transform the old Senneville farms into sumptuous estates, drawing inspiration from the majestic panorama of Lac des Deux Montagnes. A future prime minister of Canada, Sir John Abbott, led this development by purchasing a Gothic revival house that became his secondary residence. Others followed his example and established vast properties on both sides of Senneville Road, turning the west end of the island into one of the preferred vacation spots of Canada's elite. In their designs, architects William S. and Edward Maxwell, Frederick G. Todd, Robert Findlay, Percy Erskine Nobbs and George T. Hyde all left their signatures on the picturesque landscape, which is punctuated with vernacular buildings. Collectively, their work bears witness to the lifestyle of the wealthy in a dynamic period in the history of Canadian country estates.
Français
LES DOMAINES HISTORIQUES DE SENNEVILLE
De 1865 à 1930, des politiciens, banquiers et commerçants montréalais font appel à d'éminents architectes et architectes-paysagistes et, s'inspirant du majestueux panorama offert par le lac des Deux Montagnes, transforment les anciennes fermes de Senneville en de somptueux domaines. C'est sir John Abbott, futur premier ministre du Canada, qui inaugure ce mouvement en faisant l'acquisition d'une demeure néo-gothique comme résidence secondaire. Son initiative entraîna l'aménagement, de part et d'autre du chemin Senneville, de vastes propriétés qui firent de la pointe ouest de l'île de Montréal l'un des principaux lieux de villégiature de l'élite canadienne. Les professionnels Edward et William S. Maxwell, Frederick G. Todd, Robert Findlay, Percy Erskine Nobbs et George T. Hyde ont marqué de leur talent le développement de ces paysages pittoresques, ponctués de bâtiments d'architecture vernaculaire. Leur œuvre collective constitue un témoin privilégié du mode de vie de la grande bourgeoisie lors de cette période effervescente de l'histoire de la villégiature au Canada.
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This plaque text is recorded in the Directory of Federal Heritage Designations, published by Parks Canada for the Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada. Plaque texts come from the Directory’s open dataset in the languages the Directory publishes them in; the pin on this page is ours, worked out from the Directory’s street address or local area and marked approximate. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Canada. TreeAlive is an independent project and is not affiliated with, sponsored by, or endorsed by Parks Canada or the Government of Canada. Open Government Licence – Canada