A historic scale model of Old Quebec has been installed on Dufferin Terrace for free public access.
The relocation of the Duberger-By model allows residents and tourists to visualize the urban layout of the city center from over two centuries ago. By placing the exhibit near the Château Frontenac, the city provides a direct spatial comparison between the modern skyline and early 19th-century architecture.
The model depicts the city as it appeared in 1804 [1]. It was originally created between 1806 and 1808 [2]. This detailed miniature provides a physical record of the city's infrastructure, and residential patterns during a pivotal era of growth.
City officials moved the installation to its current location at the beginning of the summer [2]. The move ensures that the exhibit is no longer confined to restricted spaces, making the historical data accessible to any passerby on the terrace.
Reports highlighting the installation were broadcast on Aug. 9 [2]. The exhibit serves as an educational tool for those studying the evolution of Quebec City's fortifications, and street grids.
The Duberger-By model remains one of the few surviving detailed representations of the city from that period. Its presence on Dufferin Terrace integrates historical education into the daily flow of tourism in the district.
“The model depicts the city as it appeared in 1804.”
The public installation of the Duberger-By model transforms a museum-grade artifact into a tool for urban storytelling. By placing a 1804 representation of the city in the heart of the modern tourist district, the city of Quebec emphasizes the continuity of its heritage and the physical evolution of its urban center.
