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 is a special old building in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. People also call it the Dufresne House. Today, it's a historic house museum, which means you can visit it to learn about history. It is located in the Mercier–Hochelaga-Maisonneuve area of Montreal.

Discovering Château Dufresne's Past

Building a Grand Home

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. The architects were inspired by the Petit Trianon, a smaller palace at Versailles in France. This large house has 40 rooms and covers about 1,809 square meters (20,000 square feet).

Art Inside the Château

The inside of the Château Dufresne is very artistic. In the 1920s and 1930s, an artist named Guido Nincheri painted many murals and ceilings. He was known for his religious art, but the paintings in the Château Dufresne are about everyday life. Another artist from Belgium, Alfred Faniel, also helped decorate the house during that time.

The Dufresne Brothers' Home

The mansion was built for two rich brothers, Marius and Oscar Dufresne. They were important business people in the city of Maisonneuve, which is now part of Montreal. The Château Dufresne was actually two separate homes under one roof, one for each brother.

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

New Owners and Museums

In 1957, the City of Montreal became the new owner of the Château. The Holy Cross College stayed there until 1961. After that, the building became home to different museums.

• From 1965 to 1968, it housed the Montreal Museum of Contemporary Art.
• From 1976 to 1997, it was the Montreal Museum of Decorative Arts.

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.

Where to Find the Château

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

Museum Connections

The Dufresne-Nincheri Museum works with other important groups. These include the CMA, the CHIN, and the Virtual Museum of Canada.

Images for kids

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  Château Dufresne in the 1910s

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  Château Dufresne from Pie-IX Boulevard, 1936

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  Replica of the Table of Austerlitz (Hall)

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  Hall, Marius Dufresne's House

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  Drawing room, Marius Dufresne's House

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  Empire style desk and two Restauration style fauteuils (Library)

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  Turkish room, Marius Dufresne's House

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  Ladies' sitting room, Marius Dufresne's House

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  Dining room, Marius Dufresne's House

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  Oscar's Hall

• Château Dufresne - Hall.JPG

  Replica of The Rape of the Sabine Women by Jean Boulogne

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  Oscar's Drawing room

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  Oscar's Solarium

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  Oscar's Dining room

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  French Garden