In 1867, the new Presbyterian Church of St. Andrew and St. Paul, built by the architect Frederic Lawford, was inaugurated. It stood in all its glory on Dorchester Blvd. (now René-Lévesque) at the corner of rue Sainte-Monique. Considered the most beautiful neo-gothic church in the city, it crowned the career of Frederick Lawford, who died before the end of construction.

In 1931, the Church was expropriated to make way for the construction of a train station. It was saved from destruction by the Pères de Sainte-Croix, who bought it for the symbolic amount of $1.00. In sixty days, the church was taken apart stone by stone and moved to the grounds of the Collège Saint-Laurent. There it was rebuilt as an almost exact replica of the original by the architect, Lucien Parent, to ready it for its new vocation as a Catholic chapel. Among the changes, an organ tribune, confessionals, a cross path and new stained glass windows were installed. One storey was also added to accommodate the Sale Emile-Legault, a concert hall and theatre for the renowned Compagnons de Saint-Laurent. However, it was to be transformed once again under the stewardship of Gérard Lavallée when it no longer served as a chapel after the deconfessionalization of the school system. It subsequently reopened its doors in 1979.

To learn more!
 

To see more!

Virtual tour the the facade
stained glass window

The Museum's impressive collection of more than 10 000 objects relating to traditional arts and crafts has given the building a new orientation. In the Fall of 2002, the Museum was also given a new look. The Marc Julien architectural firm redesigned the interior layout and brought out its original beauty while raising it to the standards required for a museum. Meanwhile, a new permanent exhibition called From Masters's Hands opened in March 2003.
 

PRIZES
 

Member of the Ordre des Grands Laurentiens 2006 - Family Award from the borough of Saint-Laurent.

Honourable mention for the Museums and Schools Partnership Award 2005 from the Canadian College of Teachers, Canadian Museum of Nature and the Canadian Museums Association.

Prix d'excellence 2006 de la Société des musées québécois

The Musée des maîtres et artisans du Québec with the Programme de soutien à l'école Montréalaise (PSEM) of the Quebec Education Ministry were awarded the Prix d'excellence 2006 de la Société des musées québécois, for La splendeur de l'écriture à Montréal, capitale mondiale du livre, a school - museum joint program which included the works of 200 children, 8 schools, 8 teachers, 6 librairies, 4 artists, one writer... and one museum.

The museum would like to thank André Bourassa of the PSEM, main conceptor of the project and Lisa Miniaci, the project manager.