Louis Jolliet House (Maison Louis Jolliet), Quebec City

The historic Louis Jolliet House, at 16 Petit-Champlain Street, today serves as the main entrance to the Old Quebec funicular. Designed by architect Claude Baillif, this was one of the earliest residences in Old Quebec built a year after the great fire of 1682.

The fire, which had almost completely razed the Lower Town, eventually prompted the authorities to require that all buildings be made of stone and fitted with firewalls. Among other things, this decision resulted in the spread of the first suburbs outside the city walls since poorer settlers could not meet the new costly requirements and were thus forced to move out.

The owner of the house, Louis Jolliet, an explorer, cartographer and hydrographer, lived here until his death in 1700. He was the first Quebec-born Canadian to make history. During one of his expeditions, Jolliet discovered and mapped the Mississippi River, being the first person of European parentage to accomplish such a feat.

Heavily damaged during the British Conquest and by a number of fires that happened later on, the house underwent several transformations that have reduced its state of authenticity. Nonetheless, some of its original features, attributing to the urban architecture of the French Colonial period, have survived.

The commanding location – at the top of Sous-le-Fort street – gives this property a privileged place in the urban landscape and, together with the access to the funicular, adds more value to it in the eyes of multiple visitors. As of 1985, the building has been an integral part of the Old Quebec UNESCO World Heritage Site.