David Ouellet

David Ouellet (1844–1915) was a Canadian architect and wood carver. He was one of Quebec's leading architects in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, but because of his traditional training contributed little to the architectural revival in Quebec. Though his work focused mainly on churches, he also designed secular structures.

Early life and education David Ouellet was born in Malbaie, Lower Canada, on September 15, 1844, to Édouard Ouellet and Marie Lebel. He began studying at Collège de Sainte-Anne-de-la-Pocatière in 1856 and continued his studies there for the next eight years.

Ouellet was responsible for the construction or remodelling of about 250 churches in a nearly thirty-year span between 1876 and 1905. In 1881, he helped construct a steeple on the church of Saint-Lazare but it was eventually torn down. Ouellet next designed the steeples in Saint-Antoine-de-Tilly in 1901. From 1889 to 1891, he worked with his son-in-law and apprentice, Joseph-Georges Bussières. Nine years later, he formed the architectural firm Ouellet and Lévesque with his adopted son, Pierre Lévesque. The two architects designed the church of Notre-Dame-du-Mont-Carmel (1906), in Bas-Saint-Laurent, and the church of Notre-Dame-de-l'Annonciation (1907), in Ancienne-Lorette. In 1914 Ouellet helped renovate the facades of churches in Saint-Leon-le-Grand and Sainte-Luce.

Secular architecture

Ouellet was not particularly affected by the external wave of influence which lead to Quebec's architectural revival.

Personal life Ouellet married Emma Laforme in 1884 and they had two adopted children. Ouellet's son in law, Joseph Georges Bussieres, was one of his apprentices. Bussieres designed the Portneuf region similar in style to Ouellet's designs. Ouellette died on July 14, 1915, in Quebec.