Dorchester Square, moving through the years, is more than a square that was renovated

In Montréal, Dorchester Square and Canada Place, known in the old days as Dominion Square, have existed for over 130 years. These public spaces represent a great richness, historically, symbolically, archaeologically, architecturally, and as a city

The creation of Dominion Square was inspired by plans developed in 1872 that were directly influenced by the European practices in vogue in that era. Unique in Montréal, the stylistic compositions of the north and south parts are very different but complementary, showing two typical models of the art of gardening at the end of the 19th century. The northern part (the current Dorchester Square) has an axial composition and has an orderly and formal character, while the southern part (the current Canada Place) is more picturesque. The development of Dominion Square is at the same time a witness to and a determining factor in the creation of a new downtown to the north of old town. In addition to being a recreational area, it also became a significant place of commemoration: eight commemorative monuments, most of them associated with the theme of the Dominion of Canada, were installed there between 1889 and 1953. 

Prestigious buildings surround the square: the Dominion Square Building to the north, where the principal premises of Info-Tourism are housed today; to the east, the Sun Life building, which for a long time was the tallest building in the British Empire, to the west, the old Windsor Hotel and the former Windsor train station with its Hall of Lost Steps, and across the street, completely to the south, the Mary Queen of the World cathedral, which dates back to 1870. One finds there a monument dedicated to the soldiers killed in the Boer War, a statue of Scottish poet Robert Burns, and a statue of Sir Wilfrid Laurier, the former Canadian prime minister. South of Boulevard René-Lévesque lies Canada Place where there is a statute of John A. MacDonald, another Canadian prime minister.

Re-development of Dorchester Square and Canada Place are now in full swing. Begun in 2008 the work on Dorchester Square will be completed in 2010 and on Place du Canada in 2012. 

Did you know...

Founded on September 1991, the Ecomuseum of the After-Life is an organisation devoted to the preservation of Québec’s cemetery heritage. The organisation claims that the remains of nearly 45,000 are still buried in Dorchester Square and Canada Place.

                                
Source : patrimoine.ville.montreal.qc.ca