Place Jacques-Cartier
Montreal
Place Jacques-Cartier is a long, sloping square in the heart of Vieux-Montréal. It links City Hall, at the top, to the port, at the bottom.
The vanished mansion
In 1723 the Marquis de Vaudreuil had a mansion with a large garden built here. From 1773 the building housed a college. In 1803 a fire destroyed it. Today a strip of dark stone on the ground traces its outline.
The new market
Soon after, the land passed to the city to create a new public market. The market stayed on the square until the mid-1900s. Stone houses grew up around it. The Maison Cartier, for example, was built in 1812 and is now faced with cut stone. On the ground floor it has large windows and double doors.
An explorer's name
After 1847 the square took the name of Jacques Cartier. The French navigator was the first European to sail up the St. Lawrence to the island of Montreal.
To look at from outside
At the top stands City Hall, built between 1872 and 1878, with its dark roof and tower. A little farther east is the Château Ramezay, a stone house from 1705–1706.
