Bonsecours Market
Encyclopedia
Bonsecours Market at 350 rue Saint-Paul in Old Montreal
, is a two-story domed public market. For more than 100 years, it was the main public market in the Montreal area. It also briefly accommodated the Parliament of United Canada for one session in 1849.
Named for the adjacent Notre-Dame-de-Bon-Secours Chapel
, it opened in 1847. During 1849 the building was used for the Legislative Assembly of the Province of Canada
. The market's design was influenced by Dublin's Customs House.
Construction began in 1844 by British architect William Footner, and alterations completed in 1860 by Irish-born Montreal architect George Browne
(1811–1885). Bonsecours Market also housed Montreal City Hall
between 1852 and 1878. The former city hall chambers is now a 3700-square-meter meeting room.
The market was also a venue for banquets, exhibitions and other festivals. Browne was charged with adding a 900-square-meter concert hall and banquet hall.
Closed in 1963 as a farmer's central market, it was slated for demolition.
Today, the market is multi purpose facility:
Bonsecours Market was designated a National Historic Site of Canada in 1984.
Old Montreal
Old Montreal is the oldest area in the city of Montreal, Quebec, Canada, dating back to New France. Located in the borough of Ville-Marie, the area is bordered on the west by McGill St., on the north by Ruelle des Fortifications, on the east by Berri St. and on the south by the Saint Lawrence River...
, is a two-story domed public market. For more than 100 years, it was the main public market in the Montreal area. It also briefly accommodated the Parliament of United Canada for one session in 1849.
Named for the adjacent Notre-Dame-de-Bon-Secours Chapel
Notre-Dame-de-Bon-Secours Chapel
The Notre-Dame-de-Bon-Secours Chapel is a church in the district of Old Montreal in Montreal, Quebec. One of the oldest churches in Montreal, it was built in 1771 over the ruins of an earlier chapel.St...
, it opened in 1847. During 1849 the building was used for the Legislative Assembly of the Province of Canada
Legislative Assembly of the Province of Canada
The Legislative Assembly of the Province of Canada was the lower house of the legislature for the Province of Canada, which consisted of the former provinces of Lower Canada, then known as Canada East and later the province of Quebec, and Upper Canada, then known as Canada West and later the...
. The market's design was influenced by Dublin's Customs House.
Construction began in 1844 by British architect William Footner, and alterations completed in 1860 by Irish-born Montreal architect George Browne
George Browne
George Browne may refer to:*George Browne , Anglican bishop in Ireland*George Browne , Irish soldier of fortune, field-marshal in the Russian service...
(1811–1885). Bonsecours Market also housed Montreal City Hall
Montreal City Hall
The five-storey Montreal City Hall is the work of architects Henri-Maurice Perrault and Alexander Cowper Hutchison, and was built between 1872 and 1878 in the Second Empire style. It is located in Old Montreal, between Place Jacques-Cartier and the Champ de Mars, at 275 Notre-Dame Street East...
between 1852 and 1878. The former city hall chambers is now a 3700-square-meter meeting room.
The market was also a venue for banquets, exhibitions and other festivals. Browne was charged with adding a 900-square-meter concert hall and banquet hall.
Closed in 1963 as a farmer's central market, it was slated for demolition.
Today, the market is multi purpose facility:
- an up-scale mall that houses outdoor cafés, restaurants and boutiques on the main and second floors.
- Hall and banquet rooms are rented on the lower and upper floors.
- municipal office space
Bonsecours Market was designated a National Historic Site of Canada in 1984.