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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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The Government Gardens Converted into City Hall

19th-century photograph of Montréal’s former courthouse, seen from the government gardens. The building appears through the garden’s dense vegetation.

Alexander Henderson, “Courthouse, Notre-Dame Street, Montréal, QC, vers 1869” (detail), McCord Stewart Museum, MP-1978.28.1.4.

The current site of Montréal’s City Hall was originally meant to form part of the parliamentary precinct—a project that never came to fruition.

At a time when Montréal was the capital, the site was still greatly appreciated: just steps from the courthouse, a pleasure garden was laid out, and it quickly became a popular gathering place for local residents.

A public garden in front of Government House

19th-century photograph of Montréal’s former courthouse, seen from the government gardens. The building appears through the garden’s dense vegetation.

Alexander Henderson, “Courthouse, Notre-Dame Street, Montréal, QC, vers 1869”, McCord Stewart Museum, MP-1978.28.1.4.

The gardens of Government House—simply known as the “government gardens”—were located across from Château Ramezay, on Notre-Dame Street.

It was a pleasure ground maintained by a gardener to whom the government entrusted its management. Here, you can see them from the inside, with a view of the courthouse.

From Green Space to Montréal City Hall

Hand-drawn map showing the site chosen for a City Hall in Montréal. The proposed location is on the government gardens, at the corner of Notre-Dame and Gosford streets. The map is dated June 14, 1873.

H. M. Perrault, “Plan of Property Situate on Notre-Dame Street East Ward Montreal Shewing the Land Acquired by the Corporation of Montreal from the Provincial Government as also the Additional Land Required from the Dominion Government”, BAnQ, CA601,S53,SS1,P722.

In 1872, the garden was demolished to make way for the new City Hall. On this map, you can see the location proposed by the City of Montréal: right on the former government garden. Yet the Champ-de-Mars site was kept intact!