Exploration

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1

Everyone to Parliament!

2

The Present-Day Place D'Youville

3

Place Royale

4

Place d’Armes

5

Notre-Dame Street

6

Champ-de-Mars

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A Custom House in Montréal!

Detail from a 19th-century watercolour depicting a stone building with several windows, a sloped roof and decorative elements on the façade.

John Ostell, “Montreal Custom House, view from the port – 1839” (detail), watercolour, City of Montréal, CA M001 BM099-1-D1-P238.

After nearly 50 years of demands, Montréal finally obtained its Custom House. As early as 1790, a petition from local merchants, published in the Gazette de Québec, called for ships and goods to be cleared there without having to go through the Québec custom house. Mission accomplished in 1838!

On site, shipments were inspected and taxes collected. Customs duties—or tariffs—were taxes on imports, paid directly by merchants and private individuals.

Architect John Ostell

A 19th-century watercolour depicting a stone building with several windows, a sloped roof, and decorative elements on the façade. In the foreground, a wharf with moored sailboats, with masts or rigging visible.

John Ostell, “Montreal Custom House, view from the port – 1839” (detail), watercolour, City of Montréal, CA M001 BM099-1-D1-P238.

Built between 1836 and 1838 on the former market square, the Custom House was designed by John Ostell, a leading Montréal architect of English origin. Its Neo-Palladian style made it a jewel of local architecture. Facing the port, at the heart of commerce, it finally centralized customs operations for merchants.

Then-and-Now

The interactive feature lets you compare how a place’s architecture and urban landscape have evolved over time. It works by sliding a vertical bar at the centre of the image, moving your mouse from left to right—and back again—to reveal the changes between 1848 and 2025. 1848 image: When the bar is positioned all the way to the left, you see the 3D reconstruction of 1848. It shows a two-storey neo-Palladian stone building with a sloped roof. In front, the square is open and covered with gravel. Nearby are several stone buildings and a street paved with wooden blocks.The interactive feature lets you compare how a place’s architecture and urban landscape have evolved over time. It works by sliding a vertical bar at the centre of the image, moving your mouse from left to right—and back again—to reveal the changes between 1848 and 2025. 2025 image: When the bar is positioned all the way to the right, you see the contemporary photograph from 2025. It shows an urban square made up of a paved platform surrounded by steps. On either side, several stone buildings line the space. Cars are parked along the street, while people stroll by.

1848 image: Guy Lessard, Pointe-à-Callière. / 2025 image: Guy Lessard, Pointe-à-Callière.

See the Old Custom House and Place Royale today, now part of Pointe-à-Callière, Montréal’s archaeology and history complex.