Château Dufresne Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids Château Dufresne

General information
Type	Historic house museum
Architectural style	Beaux-Arts
Location	4040 Sherbrooke Street east Montreal, Quebec H1W 3W2
Country	Canada
Coordinates	45°33′14″N 73°33′14″W / 45.553885°N 73.553818°W / 45.553885; -73.553818
Current tenants	Dufresne-Nincheri Museum
Construction started	1915
Completed	1918
Client	Marius and Oscar Dufresne
Dimensions
Other dimensions	Grounds: 7,134 m²
Technical details
Floor count	3 floors, 40 rooms
Floor area	1,809 m²
Design and construction
Architect	Marius Dufresne and Jules Renard

Patrimoine culturel du Québec
Designated:	1976
Type:	Immeuble patrimonial classé

The Château Dufresne, also known as the Dufresne House, is a beautiful old building in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It's located in the Mercier–Hochelaga-Maisonneuve part of the city. Today, it works as a historic house museum. This means you can visit it to see what life was like in the past.

Building a Grand Home
Who Lived Here?
Where to Find Château Dufresne
Museum Connections
Gallery
See also

Building a Grand Home

When Was Château Dufresne Built?

The Château Dufresne was built between 1915 and 1918. It was designed by Marius Dufresne and a French architect named Jules Renard. They used a fancy style called Beaux-Arts.

What Inspired the Design?

The architects got their ideas from the Petit Trianon. This is a small palace on the grounds of the famous Palace of Versailles in France. The Château Dufresne is quite large, with 40 rooms and about 20,000 square feet of space.

Art Inside the Château

The inside of the house was decorated with amazing paintings. An artist named Guido Nincheri created many murals and ceiling paintings. He worked on these in the 1920s and 1930s. Nincheri was known for his religious art, but the paintings in the Château Dufresne are about everyday life. Another artist, Alfred Faniel, also helped decorate the house.

Who Lived Here?

The Dufresne Brothers

The mansion was built for two rich brothers, Marius Dufresne [fr] and Oscar Dufresne [fr]. They were important French Canadian businessmen. They played a big part in the history of a city called Maisonneuve. This city is now part of Montreal.

Two Homes in One

The Château Dufresne was special because it was originally split into two separate homes. Each brother had his own side of the mansion.

Changing Owners Over Time

In 1948, the Dufresne family sold the house. A religious group called the Congregation of the Holy Cross bought it. They used it as part of Holy Cross College.

Later, in 1957, the City of Montreal became the new owner. The college stayed as a renter until 1961. The mansion then became home to different museums. It housed the Montreal Museum of Contemporary Art from 1965 to 1968. Then, it was the Montreal Museum of Decorative Arts from 1976 to 1997.

A Historic Landmark

In 1976, the Quebec government officially called the Château Dufresne a historic monument. Since 1999, the building has been the Château Dufresne Museum. In 2014, its name changed to the Dufresne-Nincheri Museum [fr].

Where to Find Château Dufresne

The Château Dufresne is located at 4040, rue Sherbrooke Est. This is 4040, Sherbrooke Street East. It's right next to the Olympic Stadium and the Montreal Botanical Garden. You can easily get there by taking the metro to the Pie-IX station. The building is about 35 meters above sea level.

Museum Connections

The Dufresne-Nincheri Museum is connected to several important groups. These include the CMA, the CHIN, and the Virtual Museum of Canada. These connections help the museum share its history and collections.