Re-Stitching the Canadas: Great River Station and Prince of Wales Bridge Rehabilitation

This thesis offers an architectural intervention that would reinforce the unification of Upper and Lower Canada. As we know it today, Canada began with the amalgamation of French and English settlers, in alliance with the First Nations. Although our history is replete with tensions between these peoples, trade and travel have been among the threads that bound the peoples of Canada together. Like the canoe in its day, the building of railroads in the 1880s was a key event that helped unite Canada. Today, the Prince of Wales Bridge, a railway bridge that once united Quebec and Ontario, stands abandoned. This thesis offers the design of a unifying station and museum, and rehabilitation of the bridge. It integrates pedestrian and cycling routes, while honouring the heritage of the canoe and railroad. This architectural strategy addresses social desires and transportation needs of the people in the local and broader region.