Students and faculty of Saint Anselm are familiar with the city of Manchester, N.H. but how did the unique buildings, churches, and storefronts that we drive by every day come to be? These are questions that have driven Professor Robert Perreault, a native French speaker in the Modern Languages and Literatures Department, for decades. Particularly, Perreault has focused his research on an architect by the name of Jean-Noël Guertin, whom Perreault met just one month before his death in 1977. He gave Perreault some of Guertin’s architectural plans, which otherwise would have been disposed of by the architect’s family. All Guertin’s remaining architectural plans were later bought in 2008 and donated to the Geisel Library.
Guertin’s influence can be found throughout Manchester. Many churches, residences, and other buildings maintain his style and vision. The Saint Jean Baptiste Parish and Chapel School, for instance, was designed by Guertin. Located at 305 Kelley Street in Manchester, the building displays Guertin’s signature style, particularly the ionic columns he was particularly fond of. St. Mary’s Bank was also once designed by Guertin. It has since been torn down and rebuilt twice over. When Guertin was asked by Perreault how he felt about his work being torn down, the architect responded, “I don’t care, they didn’t follow my plans.”
This research has culminated in a portrait in both words and pictures of the life and work of Guertin. It displays the influential work of Guertin, including multiple buildings in Manchester, some that have since been torn down, and others still that were never built. Perreault cites his reasons for this research, alongside showcasing the work of Guertin, was to showcase the Franco-American Collection of the Geisel Library.
Perreault presented this research at the 11th annual Celebration of Research and Scholarship.
