Place de l'Hôtel-de-Ville
Quebec City
Place de l'Hôtel-de-Ville is the square in front of Quebec City's city hall. From here you can see the city hall, its gardens and the façade of the basilica-cathedral.
Before city hall
On this land stood a large old building, the only one of its kind in the colony until 1760. It was later abandoned and demolished in 1877. In 1889 the city council bought the land to build the new city hall here.
A design chosen with care
The city also invited designers from big foreign cities. In 1894 the new mayor, Simon-Napoléon Parent, gave the job to Georges-Émile Tanguay. Tanguay took inspiration from the runner-up design, by a foreign firm. He wanted a new building, but one linked to the city's history.
A building that grows
In 1925 city hall got a strongroom and a new building next door. In 1929 the south wing was extended, in the same style. Since 2003 major works have restored it.
What to see from outside
Look at the city hall façade, the turrets and the grand entrance. Opposite stands the basilica-cathedral: a church has stood there since 1647. In the gardens there are trees and lawns. Take a moment to look at the two façades, facing each other.
