Eugène-Étienne Taché,

ISO ISO is the most common abbreviation for the International Organization for Standardization. ISO or Iso may also refer to: Business and finance * Iso (supermarket), a chain of Danish supermarkets incorporated into the SuperBest chain in 2007 * Iso ...

(October 25, 1836 – March 13, 1912) was a

French Canadian French Canadians (referred to as Canadiens mainly before the twentieth century; french: Canadiens français, ; feminine form: , ), or Franco-Canadians (french: Franco-Canadiens), refers to either an ethnic group who trace their ancestry to Fren ...

surveyor Surveying or land surveying is the technique, profession, art, and science of determining the terrestrial two-dimensional or three-dimensional positions of points and the distances and angles between them. A land surveying professional is ca ...

civil engineer A civil engineer is a person who practices civil engineering – the application of planning, designing, constructing, maintaining, and operating infrastructure while protecting the public and environmental health, as well as improving existing ...

illustrator An illustrator is an artist who specializes in enhancing writing or elucidating concepts by providing a visual representation that corresponds to the content of the associated text or idea. The illustration may be intended to clarify complicat ...

and

architect An architect is a person who plans, designs and oversees the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to provide services in connection with the design of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the buildings that h ...

. He devised Quebec's provincial

coat-of-arms A coat of arms is a heraldic visual design on an escutcheon (i.e., shield), surcoat, or tabard (the latter two being outer garments). The coat of arms on an escutcheon forms the central element of the full heraldic achievement, which in its w ...

and motto ''

Je me souviens () is the official motto of Quebec, and translated literally into English means: "I remember." The exact meaning of this short sentence is subject to several interpretations, though all relate to the History of Quebec, history of the Quebec peo ...

''. As the son of

cabinet minister A minister is a politician who heads a ministry, making and implementing decisions on policies in conjunction with the other ministers. In some jurisdictions the head of government is also a minister and is designated the ‘prime minister’, � ...

(and future premier)

Étienne-Paschal Taché Sir Étienne-Paschal Taché (5 September 1795 – 30 July 1865) was a Canadian doctor, politician, and Father of Confederation. Life Born in St. Thomas, Lower Canada, in 1795, the third son of Charles Taché and Geneviève Michon, Tach� ...

, Eugène-Étienne Taché's early education was quite extensive, but also took place in various locations because of movements to the government. Thus he studied in both the

Petit Séminaire de Québec Petite or petite may refer to: *Petit (crater), a small, bowl-shaped lunar crater on Mare Spumans * ''Petit'' (EP), a 1995 EP by Japanese singer-songwriter Ua * Petit (typography), another name for brevier-size type *Petit four * Petit Gâteau *P ...

and at

Upper Canada College Upper Canada College (UCC) is an elite, all-boys, private school in Toronto, Ontario, operating under the International Baccalaureate program. The college is widely described as the country's most prestigious preparatory school, and has produce ...

Toronto, Ontario Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...

. In 1856, Taché took a three-year course in surveying, and in the course of his education successively studied under

Frederick Preston Rubidge Frederick Preston Rubidge, (10 March 1806 – 16 August 1897), was a surveyor and an architect. He was born in England and emigrated to Upper Canada around 1825 where he took his training. Rubidge first qualified as a provincial surveyor in 1 ...

, Walter Shanly, and finally

Charles Baillairgé Charles Baillairgé (29 September 1826 – 10 May 1906) was an architect, land surveyor, civil engineer, and an author. He was from a long line of sculptors, painters, and architects that began with his great grandfather, Jean Baillairgé. He wa ...

. In 1861 he began working for the Department of Crown Lands, and in 1869 he became the assistant commissioner of

Crown land Crown land (sometimes spelled crownland), also known as royal domain, is a territorial area belonging to the monarch, who personifies the Crown. It is the equivalent of an entailed estate and passes with the monarchy, being inseparable from it. ...

s for

Quebec Quebec ( ; )According to the Canadian government, ''Québec'' (with the acute accent) is the official name in Canadian French and ''Quebec'' (without the accent) is the province's official name in Canadian English is one of the thirtee ...

, a position in which he was subordinate only to the elected minister of Crown Lands. He held this post until his death. During his time as assistant commissioner, Taché also did extensive architectural work. Although he hadn't studied it formally, Taché learned a great deal from books and journals that he read. He designed the second-Empire style

Parliament Building (Quebec) The Parliament Building of Quebec (french: Hôtel du Parlement du Québec, links=no) is an eight-floor structure and is home to the National Assembly of Quebec (french: Assemblée Nationale du Québec, links=no), located in Quebec City, Quebec, Ca ...

with three towers in

Quebec City Quebec City ( or ; french: Ville de Québec), officially Québec (), is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Quebec. As of July 2021, the city had a population of 549,459, and the Communauté métrop ...

from spring 1876-1887. He designed the new court house, and various other buildings, including a monastery. He devised the province's

and motto, ''

'' ("I remember"). Taché died in Quebec City. In 1903, he was made a Companion of the Imperial Service Order.

Works

*monastery of the Franciscan Missionaries of Mary at Quebec (1895) *porter’s lodge at Spencer Wood in Sillery (1890) *Quebec’s pavilion at an exhibition in Jamaica (1891). File:Québec - Hôtel du Parlement 3.jpg,

1876-1887 File:Manege militaire quebec.jpg,

Quebec City Armoury The Voltigeurs de Québec Armoury, formerly ''Grande-Allée Armoury'' (french: Manège militaire Grande-Allée, or simply ''Manège militaire''), was built as a Gothic Revival drill hall for the infantry regiment ''Les Voltigeurs de Québec'' in ...

References

Biography at the ''Dictionary of Canadian Biography Online''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Tache, Eugene-Etienne Canadian architects Canadian surveyors Canadian Companions of the Imperial Service Order Pre-Confederation Quebec people People from Chaudière-Appalaches French Quebecers 1836 births 1912 deaths Upper Canada College alumni Members of the Royal Canadian Academy of Arts