National historic site designations

Hamilton Waterworks

This dignified building, reminiscent of the style of a Roman aqueduct, houses one of Canada's greatest surviving engineering achievements of the mid-19th century, the Hamilton Waterworks.

Image copyright : © Parks Canada

George Brown House

This elegant house was built from 1874 to 1876 for George Brown, eminent journalist, politician, and Father of Confederation.

Image copyright : © Parks Canada

Nazrey African Methodist Episcopal Church

In 1848, refugees from American slavery built this church by hand to serve Amherstburg's growing Black community.

Image copyright : © Yoho2001, Creative Commons

Brookside Cemetery

Brookside Cemetery in Winnipeg is among the oldest and largest examples of the garden cemetery tradition in Western Canada.

Image copyright : © Parks Canada / Jeffrey Thorsteinson

National Arts Centre

Designed by Fred Lebensold, the National Arts Centre (NAC) opened in 1969, offering state-of-the-art performing spaces and technology in its main venues, especially Southam Hall.

Image copyright : © Parks Canada / Zaid Al Atiyat

CCGS Alexander Henry

The former Canadian Coast Guard Ship (CCGS) Alexander Henry is a retired light icebreaker, buoy tender, and navigational aid ship that served on the Great Lakes from 1959 to 1985.

Image copyright: © Transportation Museum of Thunder Bay

Château Laurier

The Château Laurier National Historic Site of Canada is an early-20th-century hotel located across from the Former Union Railway station in downtown Ottawa, Ontario.

Image copyright: © Parks Canada

Skmaqn–Port-la-Joye–Fort Amherst

At this site, the Mi’kmaq met the French in the 18th century to renew their friendship and military alliance at a time when the French and British empires were fighting for supremacy in North America.

Image copyright: © Parks Canada

de Gannes-Cosby House

This house is a rare example of a pre-Deportation residence in Acadie.

Image copyright: © Parks Canada / Kate MacFarlane

T'äw Tà'är (Winter Crossing / Teslin Crossing)

The history of this meeting place and village, also known as Winter Crossing, illustrates how the Ta’an Kwäch’än have lived on, valued, and shaped their land in cooperation with their neighbours.

Image copyright: © Parks Canada / D. Neufeld

Claverleigh

Built in 1871 as a parish rectory, this charming house is a significant example of a Gothic Revival villa in Victorian Canada.

Image copyright: © Parks Canada / Chris Johnstone

Tr'ochëk

Tr'ochëk lies at the heart of Tr'ondëk Hwëch'in territory and is a gathering place that is valued for its rich natural resources and its significance to the community in sustaining and transmitting its heritage.

Image copyright: © David Neufeld, Parks Canada

Battle of Cut Knife Hill

On May 2, 1885, after the relief of Battleford, Col. W.D. Otter and a flying column of 305 men advanced on Poundmaker's reserve at Cut Knife where the Cree and Assiniboine bands of Battleford Agency were gathered.

Image copyright: © Photo courtesy of the Saskatchewan History & Folklore Society

Discovery Claim (Claim 37903)

Discovery Claim is the place where the Klondike gold rush began, on Bonanza Creek, a tributary of the Klondike River near the town of Dawson, Yukon Territory.

Image copyright: © Parks Canada/John Gould

Grosse Île and the Irish Memorial

Grosse Île and the Irish Memorial National Historic Site commemorates the significant waves of immigration welcomed to Canada between the opening of the 19th century and the First World War.

Image copyright: © Parks Canada

L'Anse aux Meadows

Discovered in 1960, this is the first authenticated Norse site found in North America and could be Leif Ericsson's short-lived Vinland camp.

Image copyright: © Dale Wilson/Parks Canada

Fortress of Louisbourg

Fortress of Louisbourg is the largest reconstructed 18th-century French fortified town in North America.

Image copyright: © Parks Canada

Mehtawtik (Meductic) Village

Mehtawtik (Meductic) Village overlooks the former location of Mehtawtik, principal village of the Wəlastəkokewiyik (Maliseets) on the banks of the Wəlastəkw (Saint John River), standing at the end of a portage that provided an important link to an inland waterway.

Image copyright: © Parks Canada

St. Patrick's Basilica

A fine early example of Gothic Revival architecture, Saint Patrick's Basilica was erected between 1843 and 1847 for the city's Irish community.

Image copyright: © Luc Brunelle/Ministère de la Culture et des Communications

Royal Manitoba Theatre Centre

In 1970, this structure was built to house the Manitoba Theatre Centre, a group founded in 1958 that has made a significant and lasting contribution to the development of regional theatre.

Image copyright: © Jerry Grajewski / 2023

Griffin House

Built in 1827, this home is associated with Black settlement in British North America during the first half of the 19th century.

Image copyright: © Parks Canada, M D'Abramo, 2006

Sandwich First Baptist Church

Erected in 1851 on land donated by the Crown, the Sandwich First Baptist Church represents the once numerous Black border-town churches which were built to serve the rapidly increasing numbers of Underground Railroad settlers.

Image copyright: Public Domain from Flickr / jodelli / 2008

Salem Chapel British Methodist Episcopal Church

Built in 1855, it was an important centre of 19th-century abolitionist and civil rights activity in Canada.

Image copyright: © Wayne Adam, 2011

Crow's Nest Officers' Club

This private social club brought together Allied naval officers and their Merchant Navy counterparts in order to bolster their effectiveness on the high seas.

Image copyright: © Nicolas Miquelon/Parks Canada, 2010

Kiix̣in Village and Fortress

Kiix̣in was the traditional capital of the Huu-ay-aht, one of the Nuu-chah- nulth peoples.

Image copyright: © Huu-ay-aht First Nations

Shoal Tower

British military engineers designed Shoal Tower and three other Martello towers built between 1846 and 1848 to strengthen the Kingston fortifications

Image copyright: © Parks Canada / Cobi Sharpe / 2017

Africville

For over a century African Canadians settled here, developing an independent community centred around church and family.

Image copyright: © Nathalie Ouellette / Parks Canada / 2021

Gooderham and Worts Distillery

The seeds of Canada's largest 19th-century distilling firm were sown in 1837 when a still was set up on this site to convert surplus grain from an 1832 grist mill into whisky.

Image copyright: © Erika Sampson / Parks Canada / 2022

Gulf of Georgia Cannery

For thousands of years the fishery has been vitally important to people on Canada's west coast.

Image copyright: © Giovanni Martorella / 2012

Amherstburg First Baptist Church

Constructed by 1848–1849, at a terminus of the Underground Railroad near the United States border, this church offered sanctuary to African Americans fleeing slavery and helped foster a distinctive Black Baptist tradition in Ontario.

Apothecaries Hall

Apothecaries Hall was designated a national historic site because from 1810 to 1986 an apothecary shop was operated on this site, making it one of the oldest continually operated pharmacies in Canada.

Image copyright: © J. Butterill / Parks Canada / 1995

Buxton Settlement

This cultural landscape, through the retention of land-use patterns and built resources, speaks to the successful realization of the block or planned refugee settlement in Canada; the cultural landscape continues as a living memorial to its founders and to the courage of every Underground Railroad refugee who took their life in their hands and chose Canada as their home.

R. Nathaniel Dett British Methodist Episcopal Church

An important community icon, this chapel bares witness to the early black settlement of the Niagara region and marks the role of the church in assisting newly arrived Underground Railroad refugees.

Image copyright: © S. Ricketts / Parks Canada / 1998

Massey Hall

Since its opening in 1894, massey Hall has served as one of Canada's most important cultural institutions. A gift to Toronto from wealthy industrialist Hart Massey, it provided the city with professional concert facilities.

Image copyright: © Jim Molnar / Parks Canada Agency / 2005

Pier 21

This site witnessed the arrival of approximately one million immigrants, who have enriched the cultural mosaic of Canada.

Image copyright: © Ian Doull / Parks Canada / 1996

Rideau Canal

Built between 1826 and 1832, the Rideau Canal is the best-preserved, fully operational example from North America’s great canal-building era.

Signal Hill

Signal Hill was designated a national historic site because it is importantly associated with Canada’s defence and communications history.

Image copyright: © F. Bergeson / Parks Canada / NFPO Collection, 011

Former Muscowequan Indian Residential School

The large, three-storey former school building was built in 1930-31 to replace residential school buildings dating to the late-19th century, and remained open until 1997.

Image copyright: © Allison Sarkar / Parks Canada / 2020

Former Shingwauk Indian Residential School

Opened in 1875 by the Anglican Church, Shingwauk IRS was part of the system of residential schools in Canada. This system was imposed on Indigenous Peoples by the federal government and certain churches and religious organizations, who worked together in a deliberate effort to assimilate Indigenous children and convert them to Christianity by separating them from their families, cultures, languages, and traditions.

Image copyright: © Nathalie Ouellette / Parks Canada

Magog Textile Mill

Only 19th century mill where the entire process of spinning, weaving, bleaching and printing was carried on at one site; built in 1883.

Image copyright: © Historical Society of Magog / Fonds Studio RC

Newfoundland National War Memorial

Unveiled in 1924 to commemorate the Dominion of Newfoundland’s contributions to the First World War, the Newfoundland National War Memorial is an imposing monument featuring a rare combination of allegorical and realistic bronze sculptures designed by British artists Gilbert Bayes and Ferdinand Victor Blundstone.

Image copyright: © Sean Graham / Parks Canada / 2019

Adelaide Hunter Hoodless Homestead

Born in Ontario, Adelaide Hoodless sought to release the full potential of women for social action.

Chapais House

Chapais House was built in 1833 for the merchant Jean-Charles Chapais Sr. (1811–1885), one of the Fathers of Confederation.

Image copyright: © Frédéric Roy 2016, © Ministère de la Culture et des Communications

Chiefswood

Completed in 1856, Chiefswood owes its importance to its architecture and the prominence of the people who lived here.

Erland Lee (Museum) Home

This 19th-century farmhouse is the birthplace of Women's Institutes (WI), an organization that played a vital role in thousands of small communities.

Image copyright: © Dianne Dodd / Parks Canada / 2002.

John and Olive Diefenbaker Museum

Built circa 1912, the John and Olive Diefenbaker Museum in Prince Albert, Saskatchewan, was John Diefenbaker’s home from 1947 to 1957.

Louis-Joseph Papineau National Historic Site

Built in 1785, this stone house has the rectangular shape and gable roof typical of contemporary urban architecture in Quebec.

Central Memorial Library and Park

Central Memorial Library and Park, located just south of Calgary’s downtown, opened to the public in 1912 and reflect official efforts to create an attractive and cultured new city in the west.

Reader Rock Garden

Established in 1913 and developed until 1942, this garden is a showcase for the horticultural, ecological, and aesthetic possibilities of gardening in the harsh climate of Calgary.

Image copyright: © J. Cousineau / Parks Canada

Miners’ Union Hall

Located at 1765 Columbia Avenue in Rossland, British Columbia, the Miners' Union Hall was built in 1898 to serve as a meeting place for Local 38 of the Western Federation of Miners.

Image copyright: © Christine Boucher / Parks Canada / 2018

Tse’K’wa

Tse’k’wa is an exceptional archaeological site in northeastern British Columbia that has contributed to the understanding of environmental changes and human settlement from the end of the last glacial period (12,500 years ago) to 1,000 years ago.

Image copyright: © M. Stopp / Parks Canada

Uplands

Uplands is a residential subdivision of 188 hectares located in the northeastern section of Oak Bay, the oldest suburban municipality in Greater Victoria.

Image copyright: © Dr. Larry McCann

Vancouver Japanese Language School

The Vancouver Japanese Language School, located at 487 Alexander Street, was the first and largest Japanese language school in Canada and one of 50 such schools in use before 1941.

Image copyright: © Jennifer A. Cousineau / Parks Canada / 2018

The former Portage La Prairie Indian Residential School

Built in 1914-1915, the former Portage La Prairie Indian Residential School is located on Keeshkeemaquah Reserve, part of the reserve lands of Long Plain First Nation.

Image copyright: © Parks Canada / Allison Sarkar

Our Lady of the Assumption Cathedral

Designed and built in 1939-1940, Our Lady of the Assumption Cathedral speaks to the history of the Acadian people. Decorative elements related to their religious and secular history are found throughout the cathedral; these include an exterior sculpture of the Virgin Mary, patron saint of the Acadians, and stained glass windows depicting significant religious and historical events.

Image copyright: © Radio Canada

Beinn Bhreagh Hall

Built in 1892-93, Beinn Bhreagh Hall (BBH) was the summer residence, estate, and laboratory of inventor and scientist Alexander Graham Bell and his wife, Mabel Bell.

The former Shubenacadie Indian Residential School

The former Shubenacadie Indian Residential School was built in 1928-29 in the Sipekni’katik district of Mi’kma’ki, at the top of a small hill between Highway 2 and the Shubenacadie River overlooking the village of Shubenacadie, Nova Scotia, and 7 kilometres from Sipekne’katik First Nation (Indian Brook).

Image copyright: © Sisters of Charity / Halifax / Congregational Archives

Truro Old Normal College

A major landmark in downtown Truro, this impressive, three-storey brick building is an excellent example of Second Empire architecture. Designed by Nova Scotia architect Henry Frederick Busch, it features a mansard roof, a well-proportioned central pavilion, pedimented gable dormers, ornate brackets under its pronounced eaves, and arched windows.

Image copyright: © C. Boucher / Parks Canada / 2017

David Dunlap Observatory

When it opened in 1935 in what was then an isolated setting 20 kilometres north of Toronto in Richmond Hill, Ontario, the David Dunlap Observatory (DDO) featured the world’s second-largest telescope and was central to establishing academic astronomy in Canada.

Image copyright: © Jennifer A. Cousineau / Parks Canada / 2018

Former Paris Town Hall

Built in 1854, according to the plans of architect John Maxwell, this former town hall is a rare Canadian example of a civic building in the Gothic Revival-style.

Image copyright: © County of Brant Public Library

Hart Massey House

The heritage value of Hart Massey is based on its architectural and environmental interests.

Park House

Park House, an 18th-century dwelling located on the commercial main street of Amherstburg, Ontario, is considered one of the oldest houses in the region.

Image copyright: © J. A. Cousineau / Parks Canada / 2017

Spadina

Begun in 1866 for Toronto entrepreneur James Austin and his wife Susan Bright Austin, this Toronto landmark is a rare example of a country estate and villa transformed into an opulent Edwardian residence.

Image copyright: © Jennifer A. Cousineau / Parks Canada / 2018

Cormier House

Located at 1418 Pine Avenue West in Montréal, Cormier House is a spectacular example of an Art Deco residence.

La Petite-Ferme du cap Tourmente

La Petite-Ferme is located in a landscape of remarkable beauty, where the St. Lawrence River meets the great coastal marsh and the tidal plain.

Image copyright: © J. Dufresne / Parks Canada

The Historic Village of Val-Jalbert

Founded in 1901 around a pulp and paper mill, and deserted since 1927, the village of Val-Jalbert is a prime example of an early 20th century pulp and paper industry company town.

Image copyright: © Christine Boucher / Parks Canada / 2018

Roger Gaudry Building, Université de Montréal

Located at the heart of the Université de Montréal campus, the Roger Gaudry Building is a prominent Montréal landmark.

Gillies Grove and House

Gillies Grove is one of the few remaining accessible Ottawa Valley woodlots with significant stands of old growth white pine, long the mainstay of the region’s lumber industry.

Montréal Botanical Garden

Founded in 1931, this garden is the work of renowned botanist Brother Marie-Victorin, who initiated and directed the project, and landscape architect Henry Teuscher, who conceived the design.

Image copyright: © Parks Canada/Nathalie Clerk, 2006

Jardins de Métis

Created by Elsie Reford between 1926 and 1958, these gardens are an inspired example of the English art of the garden.

Royal Botanical Gardens of Canada

The Royal Botanical Gardens National Historic Site is an extensive botanical garden that was developed over the course of the 20th century.

Image copyright: © National Film Board of Canada / Library and Archives Canada / PA-112663

Butchart Gardens

Butchart Gardens National Historic Site is an internationally-known public attraction that has been open to visitors since 1904.

Image copyright: © Parks Canada/M. Trépannier, 2001

Halifax Public Gardens

The Halifax Public Gardens National Historic Site is one of the rare surviving Victorian gardens in Canada.

Image copyright: © Photographer Markjt

Alexander Graham Bell National Historic Site

Alexander Graham Bell National Historic Site consists of a 20th-century museum building containing Bell memorabilia, set on a 10 hectare property overlooking Baddeck Bay, part of Bras d'Or Lake, and Beinn Bhreagh, Alexander Graham Bell's summer home.

Abbotsford Sikh Temple

In 1911, determined Sikh pioneers from India built this temple, or Gurdwara, with lumber carried from the nearby sawmill where many of them worked.

Image copyright: © Parks Canada / Danielle Hamelin, 2002

Tilting

Tilting National Historic Site is an outport landscape created by a coastal fishing community on the east coast of Fogo Island in Notre Dame Bay on Newfoundland’s northeast coast.

Image copyright: © Parks Canada, Rhona Goodspeed, 2001

Vimy Ridge

For Canadians the taking of Vimy Ridge stands as a great feat of arms, an exceptional example of courage and sacrifice, and an important milestone in the development of their nation.

Wasyl Negrych Pioneer Homestead

Wasyl Negrych Homestead National Historic Site is believed to be one of the most complete and best-preserved example of an early Ukrainian farmstead in Canada.

University College

The University College National Historic Site, built between 1856 and 1859, is associated with both the development of the University of Toronto, and with a national system of non-denominational institutions of higher learning supported by government.

Fall caribou crossing

Fall Caribou Crossing National Historic Site spans a section of the lower Kazan River (Harvaqtuuq) between the Kazan Falls and the narrows in Thirty Mile Lake (Quukilruq) in the Territory of Nunavut.

Royal Botanical Gardens

The Royal Botanical Gardens National Historic Site is an extensive botanical garden that was developed over the course of the 20th century.

Image copyright: © Mark Zelinski

Áísínai'pi

Áísínai'pi National Historic Site, also known as Writing-on-Stone Provincial Park, is located on the Milk River in southern Alberta 150 km east of the Rocky Mountains.

Image copyright: © Photo courtesy of Alberta Parks

The Fortifications of Québec

The principal military stronghold in Canada during the colonial period, Québec City was protected by an elaborate defence system developed between 1608 and 1871.

Victoria's Chinatown

The oldest and most intact Chinatown in Canada, this district represents an important chapter in the complex history and heritage of Chinese Canadians.

Image copyright: © Photographed by Barry Swackhamer

S.S. Klondike

The largest vessel ever to ply the Canadian portion of the Yukon River, this sternwheeler was built by the British Yukon Navigation Co. and launched at Whitehorse in 1937 to replace her namesake, which sank the year before.

Mount Pleasant Cemetery

Designed by Henry Adolph Engelhardt and officially opened in 1876, this cemetery is an outstanding example of landscape design inspired by the European and American garden cemeteries of the 19th century.