MORISSET, Gerard (1898-1970) holds a unique place in the development and understanding of architecture in the province of Quebec. Born in Cap Sante, Quebec in 1898, he graduated from Laval University in 1922 and after joining the Province of Quebec Assoc. of Architects he worked briefly in collaboration with Jean Thomas Nadeau. In 1929 he moved to France, assisting in the Lyon office of Tony Garnier, one of the important early modernist architects in Europe in the 20th C. He enrolled at the Ecole du Louvre in Paris in 1934, and obtained his diploma that same year. After returning to Canada in 1935 he was named Director of the Province of Quebec Inventory of Works of Art, a vast survey of the work of artisans, painters, decorators, architects, sculptors and craftsmen active in Quebec from the 17th Century onward.
This led to a project lasting more than 25 years, yet an examination of his prodigious research notes reveals that he worked almost exclusively with French language documents, and appears to have had little or no interest in examining the British or American influences on architecture in Quebec. Indeed it appears that Morisset either could not, or did not wish to, read or write in English, severely limiting the scope of his studies, and ignoring the rich and varied sources of information on architects and architecture recorded in hundreds of English language newspapers and books published in Quebec, particularly in the Montreal and Eastern Townships regions. In 1949 Morisset published his important reference book on historic and contemporary architecture in the province of Quebec. Entitled L'Architecture en Nouvelle-France, it contained illustrations of domestic, ecclesiastical and institutional buildings from the late 17th C. up to 1950, and also included valuable biographies but often too-brief lists of works by nearly one hundred architects active in Quebec in the 18th, 19th and 20th centuries (pp. 126-39).
In 1953 he was appointed Director of the Musee du Quebec, and held that post until 1965. He received the Chaveau Medal from the Royal Society in 1954, and was awarded an honorary doctorate from Laval University in 1967. Morisset died in Quebec City after a long illness on 28 December 1970 (obituary, L'Action Catholique [Quebec City], 31 Dec. 1970, 3; Le Soleil [Quebec City], 4 Jan. 1971, 34). The Archives Nationales du Quebec on the campus of Laval University in Quebec City holds a small collection of architectural drawings by Morisset, as well as the extensive collection of notes documenting the art and architectural history of the province of Quebec. A lengthy exhibition catalogue on the career and work of Morisset entitled: A la Decouverte de Patrimoine avec Gerard Morisset was published in 1981, and contains illustrations of his work as an architect (pp. 57-75)
(with Jean Thomas Nadeau) QUEBEC CITY, QUE., St. Pascal Baylon Roman Catholic Church, 1924; demol. 1949 (A la Decouverte du Patrimoine avec Gerard Morisset, 1981, 71, illus.; Jacques Robert, "Jean-Thomas Nadeau - Le Rationalisme au Service du Renouveau De l'Architecture Religieuse a Quebec au Debut du XXe Siecle", in Lucie Morisset, The Architecture of Identity, 2020, 251-52, illus. & descrip.)
(with Jean Thomas Nadeau) QUEBEC CITY, QUE., Notre Dame de Grace Roman Catholic Church, Arago Street, 1925-26 (L. Noppen et al, Quebec: Trois siecles d'architecture, 1979, 191, illus.; A la Decouverte du Patrimoine avec Gerard Morisset, 1981, 71-2, illus.; Luc Noppen et al, Quebec Monumental 1890-1990, 39, illus. & descrip.; Jacques Robert, "Jean-Thomas Nadeau - Le Rationalisme au Service du Renouveau De l'Architecture Religieuse a Quebec au Debut du XXe Siecle", in Lucie Morisset, The Architecture of Identity, 2020, 251, 253, illus. & descrip.)
RIVIERE-A-PIERRE, QUE., interior decoration of St. Bernardin-de-Sienne Roman Catholic Church, 1927 (A la Decouverte du Patrimoine avec Gerard Morisset, 1981, 72, illus.; Continuite [Quebec City], No. 50, Summer 1991, 45)
BEAUPORT, QUE., Chapel of the Martyrs, in the parish cemetery at St. Ignace de Loyola Church, 1927 (A la Decouverte du Patrimoine avec Gerard Morisset, 1981, 71, illus.)
ST. LEONARD, QUE., chapel at the Notre Dame oasis, Lake Simon, 1929 (Continuite [Quebec City], No. 50, Summer 1991, 47)