OLD MONTREAL SPECIAL ATTRACTIONS
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Notre-Dame Basilica
100 Notre-Dame Street West
(514) 842-2925
This magnificent church in the Gothic Revival style, completed in 1829, attracts hundreds of thousands of worshippers and visitors every
year. Its interior offers a feast of visual and aural splendours: sculpted wood statuary with painted and gold leaf accents, paintings,
sculptures, the Casavant organ, spectacular stained glass, and more. At the rear is the smaller Sacré-Cœur chapel. Evenings, a sound and
light show brings to life the Basilica's history and architectural heritage; concerts are often held inside. In the summer, the crypt hosts
exhibitions.
For more about the Basilica, opening hours and rates:
www.basilicanddm.org
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Bonsecours Ceramic Centre
444 Saint-Gabriel Street
(514) 866-6581
The Centre is a space for training, development and dissemination of the ceramic arts. A showroom presents pieces by renowned artists as
well as younger graduates, helping provide exposure for Québec creators. The Bonsecours Ceramic Centre is located in the former No. 2 Fire
Station, built in 1872. Admission is free.
For more about the Centre:
www.centreceramiquebonsecours.net
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Montréal World Trade Centre
747 Victoria Square
(514) 982-9888
This complex of office buildings, completed in 1992, incorporates the façades and other elements of several heritage structures, including
the remarkable Nordheimer Building (1888). Inside, the offices look onto a vast atrium and shopping promenade built along the former Ruelle
des Fortifications. Other attractions include a fragment of the Berlin Wall and a black granite reflecting pool with a fountain statue–a
work by French architect and sculptor Dieudonné-Barthélemy Guibal (1699–1757) that originally topped a fountain in Saint-Mihiel, in the
Meuse department of France. Admission is free.
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Canadian Music Centre (CMC)
416 McGill Street
(514) 866-3477
The CMC is home to the country's largest collection of contemporary Canadian musical works. The Centre's music library houses a collection
of nearly 16,000 scores as well as recordings and reference information, such as biographical records on some 650 Canadian composers. On
sale are about 700 CDs featuring the music of the CMC's Associate Composers, as well as releases on Canadian independent record labels.
Admission is free. Consultation and research by appointment.
For more about the Centre:
www.musiccentre.ca
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Notre-Dame-de-Bon-Secours Chapel
400 Saint-Paul Street East
(514) 282-8670
A place of worship for almost 350 years, the Notre-Dame-de-Bon-Secours Chapel is one of Montréal's most significant and symbolic religious
and heritage sites, attracting visitors who come to admire its religious, architectural and artistic treasures. Concerts are held regularly
throughout the year. A visit to the Marguerite-Bourgeoys Museum includes access to the chapel tower, affording panoramic views of Old
Montréal and the Old Port. Chapel: Admission is free (except during some concerts); Museum: paid admission.
For more about the Chapel and opening hours:
www.marguerite-bourgeoys.com
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Court of Appeal of Québec
100 Notre-Dame Street East
Inaugurated in 1926 to house the provincial criminal courts as well as various government services, this building lost its original function
in 1971 when the courts moved to the new Palais de justice built across the street, at 1 Notre-Dame Street East. The building was later the
home of Québec's music and drama conservatories. Major renovations conducted between 2001 and 2005 have restored its full presence and
lustre. The building now houses the Court of Appeal of Québec and bears the name of the main architect, Ernest Cormier. The lobby, open to
the public, is an exercise in uncluttered volumes and materials well suited to the building's formal function: a court of justice. Also
notable are the Art Deco torchère lamps designed by master metalsmith Edgar Brandt, and a superbly ornamented coffered ceiling. Open Monday
to Friday.
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Économusée de l'encadrement (Galerie Parchemine)
40 Saint-Paul Street West
(514) 845-3368
This gallery's resident artisans, specialists in European-style framing techniques, will draw on this centuries-old tradition of expertise
as they demystify all the intricacies of bevel cutting and acid-free mats. An exhibit of period and contemporary picture frames showcasing a
diversity of details–borders, double mats and reveals, gold leaf baguette frames, etc.–reveals how even the simplest frame becomes a work of
art in itself. Works by international artists are on sale in the boutique. Admission is free.
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Galerie des métiers d'art du Québec
350 Saint-Paul Street East
(514) 878-4637
The mission of this contemporary crafts gallery in the Bonsecours Market is to promote the works of Québec creators, from well-established
names to promising artists of the new generation. Particularly well represented are the glass, ceramic and textile sculpture trades;
sculptural jewellery and avant-garde furniture design are also showcased. The Gallery hosts both a permanent exhibit and temporary shows.
Admission is free.
For more about the Gallery:
www.galeriedesmetiersdart.com
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Gogo-glass, studio / boutique<
350 Saint-Paul Street East
(514) 397-8882 or (514) 878-9698
Located in the Bonsecours Market, Annie Michaud and Karine Bouchard's workshop and boutique Gogo-glass provides a rare opportunity to watch
artists work with a fascinating medium: blown glass.
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Lobbies of the Big Banks
The impressive Bank of Montreal lobby (119 Saint-Jacques Street) is in the oldest (1845–47) of the Bank's three buildings on the north side
of Place d'Armes. This imposing, stylish structure, the work of architect John Wells, was an early herald of a great classicist tradition in
Canadian bank building architecture. The vast lobby dates from the early 20th century, when the Bank rebuilt its head office almost
entirely–though the original building's façade and portico were retained. It entrusted the work to the prestigious U.S. firm of McKim, Mead
and White.
The lobby of the Royal Bank building at 360 Saint-Jacques Street is well worth a visit for its sumptuous vaulted ceilings and charming old-
time wickets. Built between 1926 and 1928 to house the Bank's head office, the 22-storey building was the tallest in the British Empire at
the time, and kept that record for quite some time. It was a symbol of metropolitan Montréal of the first half of the 20th century and
remains a testament to those boom years.
An imposing row of Corinthian columns is a distinctive feature of the former head office of the Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce at 265
Saint-Jacques Street, built between 1907 and 1909. In the lobby, visitors can admire Winged Victories as figureheads of a sculpture
symbolizing commerce.
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City Hall
275 Notre-Dame Street East
The history of Montréal's city hall is more turbulent than its stately exterior suggests. Built between 1872 and 1878, it survived a serious
fire in 1922. And it was from this balcony that General Charles de Gaulle, the visiting French President, famously uttered "Vive le Québec
libre!" in 1967. As night falls, city hall is gradually bathed in magnificent architectural lighting created as part of the Old Montréal
lighting plan. Admission to the lobby is free during the week; free guided tours available in summer, Monday to Friday. Reservations
mandatory for groups; call (514) 872-0077.
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La Guilde Graphique
9 Saint-Paul Street West
(514) 844-3438
Located in a magnificent 18th-century building, this workshop-gallery, unique in North America, is a space for creation, exhibition and
sales of original works on paper and engravings by local and international artists. Also includes a display of centuries-old printing
presses. Admission is free.
For more about the Guilde:
www.guildegraphique.com
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Bonsecours Market
>350 Saint-Paul Street East
(514) 872-7730
Easily recognized by its splendid silvered dome, which has come to symbolize Old Montréal, Bonsecours Market, opened in 1847, has over the
years been the site of a public market, a concert hall and even Montréal's city hall (from 1852 to 1878, to be exact). Today it houses
cafés-terrasses, restaurants and chic craft boutiques featuring the work of Québec, Canadian and Aboriginal designers: craft items, designer
objects, fashion, jewelry and period furniture. The Market also occasionally hosts exhibitions and other events open to the public. Open
seven days a week.
For more about the Market and opening hours:
www.marchebonsecours.qc.ca
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