René-Arthur Fréchet

René-Arthur Fréchet (June 6, 1879[1] – May 28, 1950) was a Canadian architect who was active in New Brunswick and Nova Scotia, modern day Acadia. He designed many churches and public buildings, a number of which are now protected for their architectural significance.

René-Arthur Fréchet
Memorial Church in Grand Pré (1910)
Born(1879-06-06)June 6, 1879
Montreal, Quebec
DiedMay 28, 1950(1950-05-28) (aged 70)
Moncton, New Brunswick
NationalityCanadian
Alma materLaval University
OccupationArchitect
PracticeReligious and domestic
BuildingsMemorial Church in Grand Pré (1910)
ProjectsNumerous churches in New Brunswick and Nova Scotia, Capitol Theatre, Moncton

Life

Born in Montreal, Quebec, Fréchet obtained a degree in architecture from Laval University in 1898 and the same year he obtained a job with the Intercolonial Railway as an architect. Two years later, in 1900, he moved to Moncton, New Brunswick, for the railway, and resided at the Minto Hotel. In 1905, he opened his own architecture firm, developing a specialty in religious and domestic architecture.[2] However, he was not limited to these architectural fields. Notably, he designed the Capitol Theater in Moncton in the mid-1920s.[3]

St. Bernard Church (1910)
Paquetville Church (1914)
Capitol Theatre, Moncton (1926)

Fréchet became involved in the Acadian community. In 1903, he married Elvina Cormier, daughter of local merchant Simon Cormier. Fréchet was a member of the provisional management team for the French-language Acadian newspaper L'Évangéline, a founding member of the revitalized newspaper (1920s, see Valentin Landry), a city councillor for Moncton City Council for several years, and a member of Société Nationale l'Assomption.[2]

René-Arthur Fréchet died on May 28, 1950 in Moncton. Two days later, Émery Leblanc published a letter in L'Évangéline in memory of Frechet, highlighting his accomplishments.[4]

Works

In Moncton:[5]

  • Mary's Home
  • Provincial Bank of Canada
  • Brunswick Hotel (now Crowne Plaza significantly altered)
  • Capitol Theatre
  • Academy of the Sacred Heart
  • St. Bernard's Roman Catholic Church
  • Hôtel-Dieu and nurses residence
  • Good Shepherd Sisters Building (now the Léopold-Taillon Building, University of Moncton)

Elsewhere in New Brunswick:

In Nova Scotia

Legacy

In 2012, a park in the Sunny Brae neighbourhood of Moncton was named to recognize the legacy of René-Arthur-Fréchet. Fréchet had been virtually forgotten at the time of the park's naming, and in 2016 residents petitioned to have it given another name.[15][16] The publicity revitalized his memory.[1]

References
  1. "Qui était René-Arthur Fréchet?" [Who was René-Arthur Fréchet?]. L'Acadie Nouvelle (in French). January 19, 2017. Archived from the original on March 8, 2017. Retrieved March 7, 2017.
  2. Regis Brun, The Acadians in Moncton, a century and a half of French presence at the Coude, Moncton, 1999, p. 83.
  3. Mattie, Joan (7 February 2006). "Theater Design to 1950". The Canadian Encyclopedia. Archived from the original on 8 March 2017. Retrieved 7 February 2017.
  4. LeBlanc, Emery (May 30, 1950). "M. René Arthur Fréchet". L'Évangéline (in French). Moncton, New Brunswick. p. 3.
  5. Hill, Robert G. "Fréchet, René-Arthur". Biographical Dictionary of Architects in Canada, 1800–1950. Toronto, Ontario. Archived from the original on 2017-03-08. Retrieved 2017-03-08.
  6. "Saint-Antoine l'Ermite Church". Canada's Historic Places. Parks Canada. Archived from the original on 2016-03-09. Retrieved 2019-08-20.
  7. "Léger Pharmacy". Canada's Historic Places. Parks Canada. Archived from the original on 2016-03-08. Retrieved 2019-08-20.
  8. "21 Gray Street". Canada's Historic Places. Parks Canada. Archived from the original on 2016-03-07. Retrieved 2019-08-20.
  9. "John Peck House". Canada's Historic Places. Parks Canada. Archived from the original on 2016-03-10. Retrieved 2019-08-20.
  10. "Creaghan Block". Canada's Historic Places. Parks Canada. Archived from the original on 2016-03-05. Retrieved 2019-08-20.
  11. "Church of St. John the Baptist and St. Joseph". Canada's Historic Places. Parks Canada. Archived from the original on 2016-03-09. Retrieved 2019-08-20.
  12. "Dr. Bourgeois House". Canada's Historic Places. Parks Canada. Archived from the original on 2016-03-05. Retrieved 2019-08-20.
  13. "Government of Canada Building". Canada's Historic Places. Parks Canada. Archived from the original on 2016-06-06. Retrieved 2019-08-20.
  14. "North Head, New Brunswick, Government of Canada Building" (PDF). Historicplaces.ca.
  15. Fida, Kashmala (March 21, 2016). "Moncton's Sunny Brae area choosing new name for park: People complained the current name didn't reflect the local history of the former town". CBC news. Archived from the original on March 8, 2017. Retrieved March 7, 2017.
  16. "René-Arthur Fréchet Park". City of Moncton. Archived from the original on March 8, 2017. Retrieved March 7, 2017.
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