DEROME, Jean Baptiste (1837-1910) held the post of Inspector and Architect of the provincial Dept. of Public Works in Quebec between 1883 and 1887 and was directly responsible for the design of several major provincial government buildings during this period. Born in Quebec City on 29 May 1837 he received his education and training there and brought early attention to his talent when he received a Diploma and First Prize of $8 for his 'Design of a Cottage Residence' at the Lower Canada Provincial Exhibition in Montreal in 1858 (Pilot [Montreal], 30 Sept. 1858, 2). At the time of his marriage in 1864 he was already an employee of the Dept. of Public Works, then under the supervision of Pierre Gauvreau. In 1875 he commenced planning the new Quebec Parliament Building in collaboration with Eugene E. Tache, to whom much of the design can credited, and assisted him through the construction of the project from 1877 to 1886 (L. Noppen & G. Deschenes, Quebec's Parliament Building, 1986, 50-1, illus.). Derome also collaborated with Tache on the Palais de Justice, St. Louis Street, QUEBEC CITY, QUE. 1883-89, but the concept of the plan and layout can be credited to Derome, while Tache was restricted to contributing ideas for the elevational treatment of the building (M. Carter, Early Canadian Court Houses, 1983, 94, 212, illus.). The final project which Derome planned was the Court House at KAMOURASKA, QUE., designed in the Second Empire style in 1887 and modified in a picturesque Gothic Revival style by Paul Cousin during the construction in 1888-89 (M. Carter, Early Canadian Court Houses, 1983, 210, illus.). Derome retired from the Department in late 1888 and died in Quebec City on 13 March 1910 (obit. l'Evenement [Quebec City], 14 March 1911, 1; Le Soleil [Quebec City], 16 March 1910, 8; inf. Suzanne D. Cossette, Quebec City).
QUEBEC CITY, QUE., Provincial Court House, Place d'Armes at St. Louis Street, 1883-89 (Gazette [Montreal], 31 July 1883, 3, descrip. of the design as prepared by J.B. Derome)