This triplet of houses in Québec City defies the modern logic of “highest and best use” and its inherent rule of being “maximally productive.” It flaunts every last morsel of economic thought except one: It is a keeper of history, and provides a vital and extraordinary point of interest in the city’s viewscape, arguably contributing to the profits realized by the city’s tourism efforts.But these three houses are not “objects” that can be separated out from the whole. Like their other vernacular counterparts, they are meant to be felt and experienced ensemble, not counted like pennies dropped into an empty container. Québec is a living, breathing city and it’s not hard to believe that should they disappear, their presence would sorely be missed.
This triplet should be an eyesore, but it isn’t. It could have been razed, but it wasn’t. It’s the wabi-sabi of an old city, the charm that defies economic modelling and moves far beyond the limitations of imposed regulation. Try as you may, you cannot put an absolute value on le patrimoine of a place. Like nature, it is simply priceless.
