Vision and Scenarios

In 2019, following citizen and community consultation exercises, a vision for the development of the Fort-Lorette site was drafted, an outline of which is reproduced here:

The Fort-Lorette site is a national historical destination while being a quality environment for residents and visitors by showcasing:

• The millennial occupation of the area by First Nations;
• The archaeological remains of the Fort-Lorette mission;
• The meeting place between Indigenous and European communities;
• The contribution of successive religious institutions;
• Its belonging to the cultural and historical landscape of the Ancien-Village-du-Sault-au-Récollet;
• Its landscaping qualities, particularly its large trees and its location on the banks of the Rivière des Prairies, in connection with the nature park network;
• The attachment and mobilization of the community to make it a meaningful public space.

The development scenarios for the Fort-Lorette site unveiled here were created in response to this vision and the orientations expressed in 2019. The presentation of three scenarios allows us to assess different ways of approaching the development of this exceptional site. Please take the time to familiarize yourself with the three scenarios.

A background to the design exercise and a more detailed presentation of the scenarios is available in Scenarios for the redevelopment of the Fort Lorette site, september 30 2020.

Once you have read the scenarios, go on to the Survey and Life Story sections.

Scenario 1: The Window

This option proposes a one-off, cross-site option in the form of a linear trench from the church parking lot to the riverbank. This trench or window cuts across the site of the fort’s archaeological remains and the foundations of the old nursery and delimits a space or garden that interprets the rich history of the place. The garden is bordered with facing steps and opens onto a cantilevered belvedere over the river. Expressing the figure of a sacred circle or medicine wheel, this public terrace offers a canvas for the expression of the First Nations’ millennial culture and a place of dialogue. The heritage interpretive garden and the sacred circle are juxtaposed in an effort of mutual enrichment.

Scenario 2: The Waterside Gateways

This option intervenes at the perimeter of the archaeological site, leaving it to continue its transformation into an area of biodiversity. The geometric contour of the old fort is recalled through a series of openings repeating and translating its broken facade. These gateways delimit a series of on-site interventions facing the river: promenade, interpretive furniture, water feature and gardens. The furniture supports a didactic and sensitive communication of the site’s history; the water feature recalls the river, but also challenges memory; the garden celebrates the animist spirits characteristic of First Nations cultures. This is a healing garden. The trunks of two dead trees are recovered as trees of life.

Scenario 3: The Intimate Stations

This option is defined by a series of more intimate interventions scattered around the site and its natural setting. In the shape of small lounges, the stations reinterpret the recognizable geometry of the old fort’s corner bastions. Two more important installations formalize the entrance to the site from the church side – over the footprint of the first chapel– and provide a terrace over the river in the extension of Rue du Fort-Lorette. Two other stations mark the wider limits of the site, with their access from Boulevard Gouin and from the Simon-Sicard dike. The three stations positioned above the trace of the old fort create distinctive spaces for meditation on the history and the relations between nations and community. They have the scale and function of an Elders’ Lounge.