History of the Manoir

Le Manoir d'Auteuil was built first as a single family home on land purchased in 1835 by the Sheriff William Smith Sewell (1798-1866). The sheriff had an illustrious family history. His grandfather was Jonathan Sewell II (1729-1796) the last attorney general of the state of Massachusetts before fleeing the American Revolution of 1776. His grandfather was a loyalist living in Cambridge Mass. and attorney general for the crown. One evening while he was away on business 50 patriots of the American Revolution attacked his home with only his wife Esther and their son Jonathan Jr. present. His wife appeased them by giving them the contents of their wine cellar. Jonathan, Esther and their children Jonathan, Jr., Elizabeth and Stephen moved to Boston within a week of the sacking of their Cambridge home; and were forced to flee what was to become the United States in 1775, never to return.

He wrote in a letter to David Sewell in 1777: "The Artifices of a fewDemagogues have insensibly led a once happy innocent People to the Summit of Madness and Rebellion, and involved them in Distress, Poverty and ruin." He and the family remained in England until Jonathan junior moved to New Brunswick in 1785 to study law with a family friend, Ward Chipman. After admission to the bar one year later he moved to Québec. Jonathan Sewell was a lawyer, judge, musician, office holder, politician, author and judge. He served as the Chief Justice of Lower Canada from 1808 to 1838. He is cited numerous times in Canadian History for his influence on civil codes of Canada. He raised his family in Quebec City just within the St-Louis Gate, with Sheriff William Smith Sewell being one of his 13 children.

Sheriff Smith Sewell commissioned in 1835 the architect Frederick Hacker to design a house of stone four stories tall in a "London style" that we know now as Le Manoir D'Auteuil. He contracted the mason Pierre Bélanger to build the walls with stone from Cap-Rouge, with an arched stone entrance that still exists today. Sheriff Smith Sewell built Le Manoir at a cost of 565 English pounds!

In 1853 only 20 years after its construction, there was a fire at Le Manoir but the original stonewalls and archway remained. The sheriff then rebuilt the home and kept it in the family until 1871.

In 1912 a well-known businessman, Georges-Élie Amyot, purchased the home. Mr. Amyot founded the Dominion Corset Company, Quebec Paper Box Company, Canada Corset Steel Co and served as president of the Banque Nationale. He was made a knight of the order of St John of Jerusalem in 1914 for his many philanthropic deeds.

He employed the architects Tanguay and Lebon to remodel the portico of the home.

In 1913 Mr. Amyot gave the house to his daughter Alice and her husband Dr.Jos.-A. Paquet. Dr.Paquet was the chief surgeon of both the hospitals L'Enfant -Jésus and Sainte François d'Assie from their inception in 1923 and 1914. He served at both hospitals in that position for over 26 years. Major interior renovations started in 1933 when Dr. Paquet added his own touch in an Art Deco Style. These renovations were on the first floor and the bedrooms of the second floor. Dr. Paquet spared no expense and employed the premiere Beaux -Arts architect of Canada- J. Omers Marchand. A graduate of L'École des Beaux-Arts de Paris (1893) Marchand is remembered for his
principle work -the reconstruction of the Canadian Parliament building in Ottowa (1919-1927) after it had burned in 1916. He and John Pearson incorporated a new Gothic revival peace tower with clock face and carillon bells for the new Parliament Building.

At Le Manoir d'Auteuil an entertainment area and bar in the basement (presently the hotel conference room) , the library and dining area ( present reception) and the living area (Guestrooms ). An art deco style was put into place by Marchand using ironwork doors and stairway railings, marble fireplaces and bathrooms, intricate wood flooring and light fixtures. The woodwork in the reception, entry and the doors are a beautiful hand crafted walnut. On the second floor several bedrooms were also remodeled in the art deco style featuring suites with immense tile bathrooms and ornate showers that exist to this day. These suites have come to be known as the Marchand suite after their creator and the Edith Piaf Suite named after the French singer who chose the room with the "bathroom in blue" when singing in Quebec City.

Hotel vocation
In 1953, the Manoir d'Auteuil opened its doors as a hotel. Over the years, many upgrades have been completed to keep the hotel in style with modern amenities but the original designs have always been preserved. The effect is a combination of the original London Style and stone of 1835 with an interior remodeled in the Beaux-Arts style of Omer Marchand. Originally a unique single family home, the Manoir d'Auteuil has preserved its heritage and history while serving as a modern day hotel that has become the most referred small hotel in Old Quebec.