And who knows, design it well enough and we may create something truly fitting, wondrously appropriate and efficient as well aesthetically pleasing. By about 1870, the customs offices had outgrown their premises, as the building was now too small to meet the needs of the city’s flourishing economy. I drew my inspiration for this article from a City of Montreal tourist guidebook I have that was published around 1900 or so (photographs illustrating this article were scanned form it). Your browser does not support the technology used on our site. Montréal doesn’t just have a collection of old buildings, we have an old city, an antique urbanism. And this is because we expect the city to, if nothing else, at least preserve the historic built environment, that has now for several generations made every Montrealer feel like they come from a place truly different and distinguished. Your email address will not be published. Please download Chrome or Firefox for optimal experience. Members can access discounts and special features. On the Saint-Paul Street façade, a figure of Albion, representing Britain, gazed out majestically. There also still stands the Papineau House, built in 1785. Its main façade, however, is resolutely turned toward the St. Lawrence River, a reminder of a time when the building played a key role in Montréal’s economy. Our priviledged partner for floral decoration for many years. "The tour covers the striking architecture of the building (those stained glass windows!) Adding more people and the means for a viable community to form would help counter this problem, and would add the possibility for multi-generational investment in heritage properties. Notice how it resembles the Empire State Bulding? Part of that era's Gothic revival, it was the first church of this style to be built in Canada. Read more about its more controversial history here. Le Square Phillips Hotel & Suites. In Pointe-St-Charles you’ll find the Maison Saint-Gabriel a farm house dating from 1698 which had been used by the Congrégation Notre Dame as a school, among other things, back in the French Colonial Era. For more art-deco, look no further than The Aldred Building, dating back to 1931. We can't tell if you're a human or a bot. Why the Egyptian decor? "The Boer War Memorial is located in one of the parks in downtown Montreal and is a nice dedication." According to this website, despite being around since the forties, its continued presence in the city is in constant jeopardy. He also designed it with two main façades, one facing the River and the other facing the city, symbolizing the importance of this building to both the harbour and the city. The Best 10 Landmarks & Historical Buildings in Montreal, QC. It’s not just that we want to preserve old buildings, function must be preserved as well. Historic properties in the Golden Square Mile, Shaugnessy Village, Saint Henri, Westmount, Mile End and Plateau are roughly as old. A symbol of French cultural heritage in North America, the Saint-Sulpice Seminary is testament to Montréal’s religious past and present. That said, you don't have to be religious to appreciate its staggering beauty, and a trip to the Oratory is a must. And it’s viability and utility to the metropolis (for it could be an obscenely wealthy neighbourhood to boot) is tied quite directly to careful planning from City Hall. A fire decimated the church in the seventies, and it took several years to restore it to its former glory. Old Montréal and the Old Port dates primarily to the late-19th and early-20th centuries. Keep up with our latest news and events . Mini-fridge, Nespresso coffee... ” Breakfast included. Montreal Tourism Register this device to receive push notifications. This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Better public transit access wouldn’t hurt either, but options are limited (for better or for worse) to a re-introduction of trams. All rights reserved. We’d be wise not to build modern or post-modern residential towers here, but revisit the style that remains. Imagine that when this book was published, much of what is now considered to be the historic old city was then very new and very much in use. Its main façade, however, is resolutely turned toward the St. Lawrence River, a reminder of a time when the building played a key role in Montréal’s economy. For one thing, the former flour refinery's sign used to read "Farine 5 Roses Flour" but Bill 101 put an end to that. The Basilica has survived almost two hundred years, but not without a great deal of effort from the city, which views it as one of our defining religious monuments. Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email. Facing the River, the neo-Classical building had an elegant façade that was originally adorned with pilasters, a wide pediment and griffons. Old Montréal (Québec) Canada H2Y 3Y5 Further west, Place d'Armes is dominated by Notre-Dame Basilica] on its southern side, accompanied by the Saint-Sulpice Seminary (the oldest extant building in Montreal). Price. Notify me of follow-up comments by email. 107. In 1832, the city was declared an official port of entry. One of the most famous aspects of the Montreal skyline, Farine 5 Roses is also a lightning rod for controversy. The Custom House of Montreal, 1839. If we want to keep this rather pristine jewel of Ancien Regime based late-Victorian cityscape we’ll have to maintain (if not increase) the local population, introduce new services (both commercial and civic) and facilitate a renewal of purpose for the citizenry at large. On the upper storey of all four sides of the building, Ostell placed an arched window. A few weeks ago, in my article about St. Henri, I wrote about the old art-deco firehouse. The Maison St- Dizier in Verdun was built in 1710. Landmarks & Historical Buildings (514) 496-7678. Browse our large gallery of Historic Buildings pictures in Old Montreal, Montreal. One of the first movie theaters built in Montreal, the Empress dates all the way back to 1927. Last I heard there were parts of a stone windmill and parts of the foundation. Expedia, Inc. is not responsible for content on external Web sites. Meldrum specializes in long-distance moves, so if you're looking to switch provinces give them a call! Also, check out these historical pictures of the oratory being built, they're pretty awesome. This list of the oldest buildings and structures lists the oldest buildings still standing in Montreal, Quebec, Canada along with their year of completion. The Seminary, Montréal's oldest building The Old Sulpician Seminary is the oldest standing building in Montréal. All rights reserved. © Bibliothèque et Archives nationales du Québec. The Old Custom House was built more than 170 years ago. However it also suggests that a building on Rue Saint-Vincent may have once belonged to Monsieur De Catalogne, contractor of the Lachine Canal of 1700. It’s a high concentration of transit in a small but high-traffic area and to secure a greater range of service optimization it may be worthwhile to focus it on a kind of site-specific transit system optimized for the entirety of the Old Port, Old Montreal, Griffintown, Goose Village and Cité-du-Havre/Parc Jean-Drapeau. Truthfully, I had no idea before looking it up for this article. Photographs III – Quartier des Spectacles & Fur District, Montreal, Photographs VII – Saturday Morning in Old Griffintown. In this book it discusses what would have been the oldest structures in the city back at the turn of the 20th century, and as you might imagine the aforementioned examples are included.