Canada's first Prime Minister, Sir John A. Macdonald, and his family made Bellevue House their home from 1848 to 1849. It is the only Parks Canada administered location solely dedicated to telling the story of Sir John A. Macdonald and his lasting influence on Canada. Visitors are invited to experience history, engage with many voices, and reflect on Macdonald's complex legacy. The historic house reopened on May 18, 2024, having been closed since 2018 for an extensive restoration and the renewal of exhibits and programming.
Built Heritage Restoration
Restoration work at Bellevue House began in 2016, with the installation of a new HVAC system for the historic site. When the house was being assessed for a new roof in early 2018, weakness in ceiling plaster was detected. To maintain the integrity of the plaster and ensure the completion of the work, it was necessary to close the house to visitors and remove all furnishings and exhibit content. Because of this, Parks Canada decided to advance several long-term repair items and expand the scope of work into a comprehensive restoration to take advantage of the house being empty.
In addition to repairing the original plaster walls and ceilings, Parks Canada has completed the installation of a new cedar shingle roof and chimney repairs. New eavestroughs that are designed to be responsive to current and predicted precipitation events as the climate changes were also installed. Flooring and walls have been repaired. The house's outdated electrical system from the 1960s was replaced, including panels and wiring. Exterior closures have been restored, including windows, doors and the front entry porch. Many interior finishes were replaced and updated, including carpeting, wallpaper and paint. Original faux finishes (pine finishes originally feather painted to look like oak) were restored using traditional techniques.
Visitor Experience Renewal
The extensive conservation efforts at Bellevue House presented an opportunity to thoroughly update the presentation of Sir John A. Macdonald's story within Bellevue House. The renewal of the visitor experience encompassed various elements, including the conservation of antique furnishings, the acquisition of new reproduction furniture for visitor use, the incorporation of new audio and video elements, and the updating of themes surrounding Macdonald's legacy to include references to contemporary sources.
Parks Canada undertook the visitor experience renewal through extensive engagement with rights holders, partners and stakeholders. This included input from local Kingston Indigenous community members, the Mohawks of the Bay of Quinte, racialized people, the tourism sector, historians, and other experts. A lasting outcome of the renewal process has been the creation of a Community Advisory Committee for Bellevue House, who will continue to advise site management on best practices and approaches into the future.
The presentations on the main floor of the house immerse visitors in life in Kingston in the 1840s with a focus on Macdonald, his family, and the connections of home, status, and privilege in Victorian society. The grandeur of what Bellevue House was, when built, is on full display.
As visitors transition to the upper levels, the focus shifts to Sir John A. Macdonald's place in Canada's colonial history as broader themes of society, politics, power, and consequences are explored. As the leader of his party and the country, Sir John A. Macdonald played a major role in forming the Dominion of Canada, and authored and endorsed many regulations, acts, and policies. Indigenous Peoples, women, and racialized Canadians had almost no opportunity to be part of governance actions, and no way of broadcasting their voices to broad audiences.
New content recognizes that colonial values are embedded in laws and political practices. Visitors are invited to interact with objects, recordings, oral histories, written documents, and photographs that illustrate Macdonald's political actions and personal life. They present different viewpoints of the past as some exhibit content includes Indigenous and racialized community members speaking about Macdonald's history, politics, and policies, and the impacts felt by their communities.
Since 1919, the Government of Canada has been commemorating persons, places, and events of national historic significance on the recommendation of the HSMBC. The HSMBC recognizes that historical interpretations of the past are constantly evolving and that it needs to be attentive and responsive to these shifts.
As part of the Framework for History and Commemoration: National Historic Sites System Plan 2019, Parks Canada is reviewing existing designations and their plaque texts. National historic designations can be reviewed for one or more of the following reasons: outdated language or terminology, absence of a significant layer of history, factual errors, or significant new knowledge or scholarship. These reviews can result in changing the reasons for designation, the name of a designation, and/or a plaque text.
Parks Canada collaborates with Indigenous groups, heritage experts, and stakeholders to ensure historical designations, as well as the wording on plaques, appropriately convey the significance of the person, event, or site.
