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Maison Alphonse-Desjardins and Desjardins Building

Learn about Maison Alphonse-Desjardins, the Desjardins Building and our free educational activities.

Maison Alphonse-Desjardins

The Maison Alphonse-Desjardins is a museum devoted to promoting the origins of Desjardins Group and the history of its founder and co-founder, Alphonse Desjardins and Dorimène Desjardins.

Visit the permanent exhibit, The Legacy of a Couple, and discover artifacts, photos and recordings depicting the defining events in the couple’s history and that of the caisses populaires.

Useful information for your visit

  • Open year-round
  • Admission is free
  • Guided tours and audio guides are free
  • Reservations required for groups of 8 or more
  • Maison Alphonse-Desjardins is partially accessible for people with reduced mobility

Maison Alphonse-Desjardins visiting hours

  • Monday - Closed
  • Tuesday to Friday - 10:00 AM to 12:00 PM
  • Saturday and Sunday – 12:00 PM to 5:00 PM

Learn more about Maison Alphonse-Desjardins

Description Transcript
Maison Alphonse-Desjardins - A history worth reliving!

0 min minutes 50 s seconds

Travel back to 1906 to the Victorian home where Desjardins Group saw its humble beginnings.

 

 Maison Alphonse-Desjardins - A history worth reliving!

Note: The information in brackets describes the visual and audio content of the video, and the rest of the text corresponds to the dialogue.

[Several images of Maison Alphonse-Desjardins appear.]

[Music]

Narrator: Visit Maison Alphonse-Desjardins in the heart of Old Lévis to learn about the unique and fascinating story of Alphonse and Dorimène Desjardins! Your tour guide will take you back to 1906 when the very first caisse was founded.

Discover some of the couple's treasured belongings on your tour of their Victorian home—now a designated national historic monument. Learn all about their life's work and how it changed the lives of thousands of Quebecers and how Desjardins Group got its start to become North America's leading financial cooperative group. Maison Alphonse-Desjardins, a history worth reliving!

[Animated Desjardins logo on green background]

[Super: Desjardins]

Note: End of transcript

Read Maison Alphonse-Desjardins: Where it all began

Read all about the history of the residence, from its origins to today.

Maison Alphonse-Desjardins: Where it all began (PDF, 8.33 MB) External link.

Take a virtual tour of the Maison Alphonse-Desjardins

Discover the birthplace of cooperation and learn about the origins of the very first cooperative group in North America.

Take a virtual tour of The Maison Alphonse-Desjardins External link.

Desjardins building

The Desjardins building houses Desjardins Group’s historical archives and museum collections.

Its archives and museum storage facilities contain thousands of written documents, 60,000 photographs, 45,000 video recordings and 7,000 artifacts. Some of the archive areas are open to the public by appointment only. Certain artifacts may be borrowed for the collection.

Visitors can explore the 2 exhibit rooms that showcase the rich historical heritage of Desjardins Group and Quebec society.

Useful information for your visit

  • Open on weekdays. Reservation required
  • Admission is free
  • Free guided tours. Reservation required
  • Free audio guide available at all times
  • Desjardins Building is accessible to people with reduced mobility

Learn more about the exhibit

The POP-SAC-À-VIE…in the footsteps of a movement exhibit features over 100 objects and paper and audiovisual archive documents that illustrate the economic and social contributions of Desjardins, its educational role and deep, regional roots.

See the POP-SAC-À-VIE virtual exhibit External link.

Educational activities

We offer free educational activities to preschool, elementary and high school students. These activities take place at Maison Alphonse-Desjardins, the Desjardins buildings and online.

During the visit and tours, students will learn about the history of Quebec at the turn of the 20th century, cooperative values and about the life and work of Alphone and Dorimène Desjardins.

Useful information for your visit

  • English tours on request
  • Option to reserve a room for the students to eat lunch
  • We can help you coordinate a joint activity with one of our cultural partners
  • Transportation costs can be covered by financial assistance for educational cultural workshops

Activities open to the public

The Maison Alphonse-Desjardins and the Desjardins building host a variety of theme-based activities for the whole family year round.

See programming and book ahead (in French only) External link.

Our locations

Maison Alphonse-Desjardins

6, rue du Mont-Marie
Lévis, Québec  G6V 1V9

See map of Maison Alphonse-Desjardins. External link.

Desjardins building

59, avenue Bégin
Lévis, Québec  G6V 4C3

See map of Desjardins building. External link.

Plan your visit

Book your visit with or without a guide and get in touch if you have questions about Maison Alphonse-Desjardins, Desjardins building or our educational activities.