Palais de Justice et prison du comté de L'Acadie
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Acadie County Court House and Goal

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Excerpt (English translation):  The Napierville courthouse was built in 1834, after the subdivision of Huntingdon County

Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, May 19, 2024

2. Palais de Justice et prison du comté de L'Acadie / Acadie County Court House and Goal Marker

The marker is on the left side of the front entrance.

(1829), to house the court of L'Acadie County, for which Napierville became the county seat. Only two county courthouses were built for this purpose in Lower Canada before 1857, those of Napierville and Saint-Hyacinthe. The heritage value of the Napierville courthouse also lies in its rarity and age. It is the only surviving county courthouse from the first half of the 19th century and is also the oldest preserved county courthouse in Quebec.

The heritage value of the Napierville courthouse also comes from its architectural interest. The Montreal architects Thompson and Parry designed the plans. They drew inspiration from the Palladian style, which originated in Great Britain in the first half of the 18th century and was popular in Quebec at the turn of the 19th century. The old courthouse is a striking example of how this style was used in public buildings, as the government wanted to assert a British presence in the colony and project an image of lasting power and authority. Modest in size, it recalls English bourgeois homes with its dressed stone facade and simple layout, its low-pitched hipped roof, chimneys symmetrically placed

Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, May 19, 2024

3. Palais de Justice et prison du comté de L'Acadie / Acadie County Court House and Goal

on either side of the ridge, and classic decoration, mainly made up of a porch with a pediment topped by a large central window.

The heritage value of the Napierville courthouse also lies in the interest of its layout. Indeed, it still reflects its original functions with its two floors: the ground floor housed the prison and the jailer's residence, while the upper floor was the courthouse. The main front entrance gave access to the courtroom, and the side entrance led to the prison. In the entrance hall, the grand staircase leads to the old courtroom, which still retains some elements of its interior decor, notably its plaster vaulted ceiling and some woodwork.

The heritage value of the Napierville courthouse also rests on the continuity of its institutional function. The building, which was long used as a town hall, now houses the offices of the Les Jardins-de-Napierville RCM. It has therefore maintained its public character since it was built in 1834.

Excerpt (English translation):  

Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, May 19, 2024

4. Palais de Justice et prison du comté de L'Acadie / Acadie County Court House and Goal

The Napierville courthouse, formally recognized: 1961/06/21, is an institutional building with Palladian inspiration built in 1834. The two-story stone building has a hipped roof pierced by two stone chimneys symmetrically placed on either side of the ridge. The courthouse is highlighted by a large, landscaped area in front.

The key elements related to the architectural interest of the Napierville courthouse include:
• its Palladian-influenced features, such as the rectangular layout, raised foundation, low-pitched hipped roof forming a cornice, stone façade, corner quoins, small-pane sash windows, two symmetrically placed chimneys on either side of the ridge, the pedimented porch, and the wooden door with pilasters and entablature framing the central front window;
• its materials, including the sheet metal roof with battens, masonry, window sills, door and window frames, as well as the two stone chimneys; and
• its openings, including the front door with side panels and transom, the door with transom on the side, the large central window, and the paneled shutters on the front and on the ground floor sides.