A Methodology for the Preservation of the Architectural Heritage of Senneville, Quebec, Canada

Abstract

The town of Senneville, located at the western edge of the Island of Montreal, has thrived as a small community surrounded by large urban neighbourhoods. Once a popular location for the summer homes of wealthy Montrealers, Senneville is characterized by a series of architecturally and historically unique estates. As suburban growth continues to alter the character of the Island of Montreal, residents of Senneville have begun to fear that their community is in danger of losing its distinctiveness. The town's current bylaws inadequately prepare it for sustainable growth. As a result, the author was engaged by the municipality to survey the community and prepare architectural guidelines for its preservation. The process began by visiting, documenting and photographing each of Senneville's 350 homes. Survey sheets were created, through which criteria deemed essential to an architectural inventory were formulated. Town character, civic buildings and its public spaces were studied. Six character zones were designated for the appraisal of different architectural areas. The observation, synthesis and analysis resulted in the creation of design guidelines for preservation and development. This paper describes the process of conceiving those guidelines. It details the guidelines created for one of Senneville's character zones, the Urban, and offers a broad overall of how they might be useful in other areas.

Acknowledgements

The author would like to thank the Mayor and Town Council of Senneville for undertaking this study, in particular, Councillors Jeremy Guth and Michael George for their advice throughout the project. The author would also like to acknowledge the team of researchers who meticulously compiled the data that led to the profile of the community: Kim Albright, Stephanie Coleridge, Karen Hui, David Krawitz, Carmen Lee and Thiago Valente. Max Ritts aided the author in the creation of the guideline recommendations and the editing of the paper.