1980

• Beginning of a museum project: creation of La Maison du Fier Monde (or Neighbourhood museum) by the Habitations communautaires Centre-Sud, a local resource group devoted to cooperative and public housing
• First subsidy accorded to the project by the ministère des Affaires culturelles du Québec
• Creation of a museum committee that brings together organizers and residents from neighbourhood cooperatives, including Michel Gendron, Gérald Lafleur, Bertheline Méthot, Jeanne Noël, Claude Watters and many others on an ad hoc basis; joining them is Pierre Mayrand, a specialist in museology at the Université du Québec à Montréal, as well as his students: René Binette, Hélène Blouin, Lisette Cloutier, Anne-Marie Faugère and Micheline Lortie
• The carrying out of historical research about the neighbourhood, the results of which are published in December, constituting the first publication for La Maison du Fier Monde

 

1981

• First exhibition, combined with a working class holiday: Du marché d’hier au musée de demain
• Study trip to France on the topic of ecomuseums and working class housing thanks to the Office franco-québécois pour la jeunesse; eight members of the committee participate

 

1982

• Publication of an outlining document: La Maison du Fier Monde, which describes the objectives of the project and its definition as an ecomuseum
• Beginning of research into possible sites for the museum
• Depositing of a request with the intention of obtaining a letters patent; in May, constitution of an incorporated organization by virtue of the 3rd section of the Companies Act, which gives it legal existence under the name: Écomusée de la maison du fier monde inc.
• Founding general assembly and election of the first board of directors; the first president is Michel Gendron

 

1983

• Feasibility study with a view to establishing the Écomusée in the former Plessis school; the idea of a thematic focus on working class history is developed
• Opening of a documentation centre
• Participation in the organizing committee for a colloquium of the Conseil des monuments et sites du Québec on the theme of industrial and working class heritage; at this time, a meeting with Hugues de Varine

 

1984

• Trip to Belgium thanks to the support of the Agence Québec Wallonie Bruxelles pour la jeunesse
• Situating of the Écomusée on the 3rd flood of the former Saint-Eusèbe school on Rouen Street (Carrefour Saint-Eusèbe)

 

1986-1990

• The Exposer son histoire project, carried out in collaboration with Service aux collectivités de l’UQAM, the production of a manual that guides participants through putting on an exhibition as both sources and agents of a project; it is published in 1990 and awarded the Prix publication from the Société des musées québécois in 1991

 

1987

• First permanent exhibition: Voyage dans le Centre-Sud
• Studies trips to Suede and Great Britain in the context of the Exposer son histoire project; at this time, a meeting with Sven Lindqvist
• Creation of the Gestion de la Maison du fier monde whose mission is developing activities that can help finance the Écomusée

 

1988

• Steps taken toward obtaining the status of an accredited museum; the status of “recognized cultural interest museum” is conferred by the ministère des Affaires culturelles; the Écomusée is “on the doorstep of accreditation”

 

1991

• First feasibility study into establishing the Écomusée in the former Labiolette bath, on de Lorimier Avenue

 

1992

• Closing of the Généreux bath on Amherst Street

 

1993

• Beginning of the Paysages industriels en mutation project, in collaboration with Joanne Burgess; an inventory of neighbourhood industrial heritage which permits the putting on of exhibitions (including one presented in Barcelona) and a publication

 

1993-1994

• Discussions and studies with a view to establishing the Écomusée in the former Généreux bath

 

1995

• Press conference to officially announce the transfer of the Généreux bath to the Écomusée du fier monde by the City of Montréal and financial support of over 1 million dollars from the government of Québec for the necessary redevelopment
• Work beginning of redevelopment work

 

1996

• Inauguration of the Écomusée’s new permanent premises at the Généreux bath
• New permanent exhibition: All the lifelong day! The triumphs and tragedies of a working-class neighbourhood
• These achievements receive the Orange award from Sauvons Montréal for renovation quality and the preservation of the Généreux bath in 1996; the Award of excellence from the Société des musées québécois in 1997, the Interpretation award from the Association québécoise d’interprétation du patrimoine likewise in 1997, as well as the Montréal architectural heritage award in 2002
• Obtain the status of an accredited museum by the ministère de la Culture et des Communications du Québec

 

2000

• Drafting of the Bilan et stratégie de développement document

• Inaugural address at the history museum of Catalonia, in Barcelona, in the context of launching the exhibition titled El Jardi Mecanic, Barcelona-Montréal, vides y llocs en transformacio

 

2001

• Conference presented at the Maison de la métallurgie in Liège and at Mundanéum in Mons, in Belgium; invited by the Fondation Roi Beaudoin in the context of a campaign titled Passé composé. Musées et mémoire locale sur les relations entre les musées et les communautés locales
• Conference presented in Lyon during the Entretiens Jacques Cartier
• Set up of the Écomusée’s annual auction
  

 

2006

• Celebrating 10 years of the Écomusée at the Généreux bath
• Creation of a donation fund

 

2007

• Creation of the Ordre du fier monde

 

2008

• Adoption of a new policy for the acquisition, management and conservation of collections (museum collection)
• Conference presented at San Sebastian during the colloquium titled Activaciones patrimoniales e iniciativas museísticas ¿Por quién? Y ¿para quién?; followed by an eponymous publication in 2009

 

2009

• Drafting of a new five-year strategy plan

 

2010

• Adoption of programming criteria and procedure updates
• Adoption of guidelines and a sustainable development action plan

 

2011

• The Écomusée’s 10th annual auction
• Adoption of an ecomuseum collection policy
• Study trip to Germany on the topic of industrial heritage with the Association québécoise pour le patrimoine industriel and the Goethe-Institut
• Participation in a mission called Culture, citoyenneté et développement social in Wallonie-Bruxelles, Belgium, with the support of the Offices jeunesse internationaux du Québec

 

2012

• Renewal of the permanent exhibition
• Adoption of a partnership policy
• Celebrations surrounding the 30-year anniversary of the Écomusée’s incorporation

 

2013

• Participation in a seminar on participatory inventory and local heritage at Gemona del Friuli, Italie
• Conference presented at Suresnes, France, during the colloquium titled Utilité et pérennité des collections; followed by an eponymous publication in 2015

 

2014

• Conference presented at Dubrovnik, Croatia, during The Best in Heritage; followed by an eponymous publication in 2014

 

2015

• Conference presented at Lisbonne, Portugal, during the colloquium titled Patrimonialização e sustentabilidade do património
• Conference presented at Marseille during the Rencontres professionnelles of the Fédération des écomusées et musées de société titled La participation, avenir des musées de société?
• Drafting of a new five-year strategy plan

 

2016

• Conference presented at Milan at the Forum des écomusées et musées communautaires during the International Council of Museums congress
• Celebrating 20 years of the Écomusée at the Généreux bath
• Drafting of a communications plan

 

2017

• The Écomusée’s 10th Ordre du fier monde
• Célébrons le patrimoine avec l’Écomusée for the 90-year anniversary of the bain Généreux

 

2018

• Creation of a new permanent installation Nourrir le quartier
• Participation to an exchange with the écomusée du Val de Bièvre, in France, about the ecomuseum collection
• Conference presented with the École du Louvre at the Musée des civilisations d’Europe et de la Méditerranée, Marseille

 

2019

• Obtaining the accreditation of museum institutions from the Ministry of Culture and Communications
• Record sales at the 18th annual auction

2020

• 40th anniversary of the Écomusée : a look back at the major stages in the development of our institution.
• 1st virtual auction.