Maison Saint-Gabriel, Musée et site historique

What Maison Saint-Gabriel, Musée et site historique does

Maison Saint-Gabriel, Musée et site historique is a non-profit museum and historic site in the Pointe-Saint-Charles neighborhood of Montreal, owned and operated by the Congrégation de Notre-Dame. The institution is anchored on the oldest example of rural architecture in Montreal — a fieldstone farmhouse acquired by Marguerite Bourgeoys in 1668 to house the King's Wards (Filles du Roy) and to operate a model farm for the Congrégation. It was established as a museum in 1966, designated a National Historic Site of Canada in 2007, and holds Institution Muséale agréée accreditation. The museum stewards a collection of more than 20,000 objects spanning 17th–20th century artifacts related to rural life in New France, the Congrégation de Notre-Dame, and Marguerite Bourgeoys.

The core offering is the permanent guided tour "From the Cellar to the Attic" through the historic farmhouse, complemented by a smartphone-based Digital Experience (three self-guided tour paths in French and English), the seasonal Garden Experience (four themed heritage gardens and an urban apiary), and educational programming from elementary through university levels, plus francization curricula. Ancillary revenue lines include Le Réfectoire (an on-site New France-inspired restaurant at $25 per person), a gift shop selling urban honey and bee-adoption products, and special seasonal events. The museum serves families, school groups, CEGEP/university students, tourists, local Pointe-Saint-Charles residents, and members through a five-tier "Friend" membership program ($10–$95 annually) that also unlocks reciprocal admission at partner museums (Château Ramezay, McCord-Stewart, Pointe-à-Callière, Marguerite-Bourgeoys).

The business model is a hybrid of earned revenue (admissions, memberships, restaurant, retail, group bookings) and contributed revenue (donations through the Zeffy platform and an endowment fund), with significant in-kind and volunteer support from community partners such as Caisse Desjardins du Sud-Ouest, Saint-Columba House, and Madame Prend Congé Women's Centre. Distribution runs through the museesmontreal.org ticketing platform, an on-site box office, an online group reservation system, and earned-media channels (TripAdvisor, Kayak). Technology stack is conventional: PayPal for payments, Google Analytics, Cyberimpact for email, and a WordPress-based website. Operations are constrained to a single historic site with a small staff and no disclosed financials.

Name

Maison Saint-Gabriel, Musée et site historique

Legal name

Maison Saint-Gabriel

Website

https://maisonsaintgabriel.ca

Company type

Private

Founded year

1966

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Maison Saint-Gabriel is a non-profit museum and National Historic Site in Montreal, operating the city's oldest rural-architecture farmhouse (1668) with guided tours, heritage gardens, educational programs, an on-site restaurant, and community outreach, serving families, school groups, and tourists.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Heritage Museum

NAICS

Museums, Historical Sites, and Similar Institutions (712), Historical Sites (712120)

akta.pro primary industry

Historic Sites, Heritage Landmarks & Archaeological Sites (THAJACAC)

akta.pro secondary industry

Religious Landmarks & Pilgrimage Sites (Temples, Churches, Shrines) (THAJACAG)

Keywords

• Heritage museum services
• Historical site tours
• Cultural education programs
• Museum membership programs
• Living history experiences

Headquarters

HQ city

Montreal, Quebec

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Revenue model

1. Museum Admission Tickets: Ticket sales for guided tours of the house (From the Cellar to the Attic), garden experiences, and special events. Admission fees range from $5-15 for general visitors.
2. Membership Subscriptions: Annual and biennial friend memberships sold in tiers: Adult ($45-$60), Senior ($30-$50), Student ($10), Family ($75-$95), Resident ($15-$25). Provides unlimited access to exhibitions and various discounts.
3. Retail Sales: Museum gift shop selling urban honey (Miel de la Métairie at $6), bee adoption products ($2-3), and educational merchandise. Bee adoption program sells virtual bee roles and melliferous flowers.
4. Restaurant Le Réfectoire: On-site restaurant offering commented menu experiences inspired by New France cuisine at $25 per person, plus additional beverages and group dining options.
5. Donations and Endowment Fund: Accepts one-time, monthly, and planned donations through Zeffy platform to support educational mission, community involvement, and heritage preservation.
6. Group Bookings and Educational Programs: School group visits at $5-7 per student with free teacher ratios, francization programs, and group packages for adult organizations.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Maison Saint-Gabriel operates a historic museum and heritage site in Montreal preserving the oldest example of rural architecture in the city (acquired 1668). It sells guided tours, digital self-guided smartphone experiences, garden experiences, educational programs for schools and universities, on-site restaurant dining, memberships, and community outreach workshops. The institution holds over 20,000 historical objects and is designated a National Historic Site of Canada.

Product overview

Maison Saint-Gabriel is a historic museum and site in Montreal that preserves and interprets the rural heritage of New France from 1668 to the present. The core offering centers on the permanent guided tour 'From the Cellar to the Attic' through the oldest example of rural architecture in Montreal, complemented by the Digital Experience (smartphone-based self-guided tours), and seasonal Garden Experience featuring heritage gardens and urban beekeeping. Additional offerings include educational programs for all levels (elementary through university and francization), on-site Le Réfectoire restaurant with New France-inspired cuisine, the Bee a Friend adoption program, community outreach projects (Knitted Heritage, Desjardins Harvest), and special seasonal events. The museum operates as an accredited museum institution (Institution Muséale agrée) with membership (Friend of the Museum) and donation programs supporting its educational mission.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Quantifiable outcome

• 770 King's Wards contributed to Quebec's population growth with average 5-6 children each
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration3 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Madame Prend Congé Women's CentrecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 September 2025Community partner for 2025 Knitted Heritage project, delivering women's heritage and traditional craft workshops. Project funded under Montreal Cultural Development Agreement between City of Montreal and Government of Quebec.
• Jeanne-Le Ber Primary SchoolminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 May 2025Educational partner in Desjardins Harvest Project. Students participate in planting workshops in May, garden tours in June, and learn about the museum's agricultural history and gardens.
• Club populaire des consommateurs de Pointe-Saint-CharlesminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 May 2025Community partner in Desjardins Harvest Project with volunteer participation in maintenance workshops (July), harvest activities (August), and additional programming (September).
• Saint-Columba HousecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 September 2024Community partner for 2024 Knitted Heritage project, providing free traditional craft workshops (carding, spinning, natural dyeing, knitting) to people in vulnerable situations in Pointe-Saint-Charles. Participants create collective works while learning heritage skills.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Musée du Château Dufresne: Historic Beaux-Arts mansion in Montreal's Olympic District operating as a museum and cultural venue. Comparable as a Montreal-based historic house museum offering guided tours, educational programming, and heritage exhibitions to similar audiences.
• Site historique Marguerite-Bourgeoys / Musée Marguerite-Bourgeoys: Affiliated heritage site operated by the same Congrégation de Notre-Dame parent organization, sharing governance, collections, and curatorial staff. Directly comparable in mission, audience, and operating model, and represents both a sibling institution and a content/visitation cross-promotion channel.
• Pointe-à-Callière, Montréal Archaeology and History Complex: Major Montreal history museum with National Historic Site designation, offering membership cross-benefits with Maison Saint-Gabriel. Comparable as a large-scale Montreal heritage attraction competing for the same school, family, and tourist segments with substantially larger budgets and facilities.
• Château Ramezay: Montreal historic house museum dating to 1705 and cross-listed as a reciprocal membership partner with Maison Saint-Gabriel. Directly comparable as a National Historic Site museum offering guided tours, educational programs, and heritage interpretation in the same city and customer market.
• McCord Stewart Museum: Montreal social history museum with cross-listed membership benefits. Comparable as a downtown Montreal cultural institution serving families, tourists, and school groups with educational programming and rotating exhibitions.
• Musée des Hospitalières de l'Hôtel-Dieu de Montréal: Montreal heritage museum housed in the historic Hôtel-Dieu hospital, sharing a religious-heritage museum profile with Maison Saint-Gabriel. Comparable as a small Montreal museum with religious order origins, hospital/healthcare history focus, and similar scale and operating model.
• Centre d'histoire de Montréal: City-run Montreal history museum interpreting urban history from Indigenous times to the present. Comparable as a Montreal-based heritage institution serving families, school groups, and tourists with exhibits and educational programming.

Broad incumbents

• Canadian Museum of History: Canada's national history museum located across the river in Gatineau. Comparable as a federally-operated heritage institution with broader Canadian history scope, far larger budget, and overlap in school and tourist audiences from the National Capital Region.
• Montreal Museum of Fine Arts (MBAM): Quebec's largest art museum and one of Canada's most-visited cultural institutions. Comparable as a Montreal anchor cultural institution competing for family, tourist, and school group audiences with substantially greater resources and brand recognition.

Emerging players

• Écomusée du fier monde: Worker-history-focused heritage museum in Montreal's Centre-Sud, with community-driven programming similar in spirit to Maison Saint-Gabriel's neighborhood outreach. Comparable as a smaller Montreal heritage museum with strong community mission overlap.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@maisonsaintgabriel
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/maison-saint-gabriel-musee-et-site-historique

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Maison Saint-Gabriel, Musée et site historique