Château Dufresne

The Château Dufresne, a museum and historic heritage site, is administered by the Société du Château Dufresne, a non-profit organization founded on November 6, 1998, and created to promote and manage the museum vocation of the historic monument and to make it a major attraction in the Montreal recreational and tourist offer.

Behind its elegant Beaux-Arts-inspired façade, this century-old building conceals the twin residences of its first occupants, brothers Oscar and Marius Dufresne, two important figures of the French-speaking bourgeoisie in Montreal at the beginning of the last century.

In 1948, the Dufresne family estate sold the property to the Holy Cross Fathers. They established the Dufresne Pavilion, an annex attached to the College of the Holy Cross. In 1957, the City of Montreal acquired this building of exceptional heritage value and became responsible for its maintenance. Between 1965 and 1968, the City leased the building to the Ministère des Affaires Culturelles of the Government of Quebec to house the first Musée national d'art contemporain. In 1976, a protective measure was required. The Château Dufresne was classified as a historic monument by the Government of Quebec and, with the generous support of the MacDonald Stewart Foundation, a large part of the Château Dufresne's interior was restored to house the first Montreal Museum of Decorative Arts from 1979 to 1997, before becoming the Château Dufresne Museum in 1999.

Today, the historical importance of the site is recognized, as it is part of a period that goes far beyond that of the Dufresne family. Because of the cultural events that took place there, the Château Dufresne became the scene of the Quiet Revolution in terms of culture and museology, which marked Quebec's transition to modernity.