Maison Louis-Hippolyte-La Fontaine, building in Quebec, Canada

The Maison Louis-Hippolyte-La Fontaine is a neoclassical stone residence on the Overdale block in Ville-Marie. Its facade was reworked when the house was divided into flats: the main entrance was moved, the monumental stair removed and a metal balcony added before the second-floor windows. The original hipped roof was replaced early in the 20th century by a flat roof with a false Second Empire mansard in slate, pierced by five dormers aligned with the facade windows.

Built around the mid-1840s, the house was bought on 23 January 1844 by brewer George Bourne of La Prairie, then sold on 3 February 1849 to Louis-Hippolyte La Fontaine, who lived there until his death in 1864. His widow sold it that same year, and about a decade later owner James Sheridan divided the lot to open Overdale Avenue and split the house into apartments. In 1987 a development project threatened demolition; Héritage Montréal intervened and the house was designated a historic monument in 1988.

The house is named after Louis-Hippolyte La Fontaine, who lived there from 1849 until his death in 1864. Author John Ralston Saul noted that much of the planning of Canada's path to democracy took place in this house, and that it is the only surviving building among those important to that path. Heritage advocates hope it will become a public museum or interpretation centre on the beginnings of the United Province of Canada.

The house stands on Overdale Avenue in the Overdale block of Ville-Marie; the surrounding Victorian houses were demolished in the 1980s for high-rise condos, leaving it the last of its row. It is a cited heritage building, not a museum: the zoning was changed to allow a museum or commemorative space, but no public opening is confirmed. View the facade from the street.

The original neoclassical facade was modified numerous times over the years, with roof changes and relocated doors and stairs reflecting different owners and uses. A complete restoration from 2011 to 2020 aimed to recover some of these original features.