Victoria Square, Montreal
Encyclopedia
Town square
A town square is an open public space commonly found in the heart of a traditional town used for community gatherings. Other names for town square are civic center, city square, urban square, market square, public square, and town green.Most town squares are hardscapes suitable for open markets,...
and public space in the Quartier International de Montréal
Quartier international de Montréal
The Quartier international de Montréal or Montreal's International District is a district of the Ville-Marie borough of downtown Montreal that underwent a major urban renewal as a central business district in 2000–2003.-Purpose:...
(also called the International Quarter) area of downtown Montreal
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
, Quebec
Quebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
, at the intersection of Beaver Hall Hill and McGill Street
McGill Street (Montreal)
McGill Street is a street in Montreal named after James McGill after whom McGill University is named. The former head office building of Canadian National Railway Company, built for its predecessor Grand Trunk Railway, still stands on McGill Street and is now occupied by Quebec government...
. The Square forms an integral component of the city's urban public transit system and constitutes a 'prestige address' for the international face of the city. It is bordered by Viger Street to the North, Saint Jacques Street
Saint Jacques Street
Saint Jacques Street is a major street in Montreal, Quebec, Canada.The street has had two official names: St. James Street in English after St. James's, London; and its current appellation, rue Saint-Jacques, in French. Both names are sometimes used in English, though Saint-Jacques is the most...
to the South,Beaver Hall Hill to the West and Square Victoria Street (an extension of McGill Street
McGill Street (Montreal)
McGill Street is a street in Montreal named after James McGill after whom McGill University is named. The former head office building of Canadian National Railway Company, built for its predecessor Grand Trunk Railway, still stands on McGill Street and is now occupied by Quebec government...
) along the eastern side. As with other city squares, Square Victoria is open 24 hours per day to all citizens of Montreal and provides the role of an urban breathing space, with dense foliage to the South that tapers as the square rises up Beaver Hall Hill.
History
The square has existed since 1813. Formerly known as Place du Marché-à-Foin and Place des Commissaires, it was renamed for Queen VictoriaVictoria of the United Kingdom
Victoria was the monarch of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until her death. From 1 May 1876, she used the additional title of Empress of India....
for the visit of the then-Prince of Wales
Prince of Wales
Prince of Wales is a title traditionally granted to the heir apparent to the reigning monarch of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the 15 other independent Commonwealth realms...
(later King Edward VII
Edward VII of the United Kingdom
Edward VII was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions and Emperor of India from 22 January 1901 until his death in 1910...
) in 1860.
Victoria Square has undergone many aesthetic changes over its history, functioning at times more as a parking lot, other times as a simple open space, while at others being far more refined and cultivated. The Square was restored to its current configuration in 2002 and 2003. It features Hector Guimard
Hector Guimard
Hector Guimard was an architect, who is now the best-known representative of the French Art Nouveau style of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries....
's Art Nouveau
Art Nouveau
Art Nouveau is an international philosophy and style of art, architecture and applied art—especially the decorative arts—that were most popular during 1890–1910. The name "Art Nouveau" is French for "new art"...
outdoor entrance to the Square-Victoria Metro station
Square-Victoria (Montreal Metro)
Square-Victoria is a station on the Orange Line of the Montreal Metro rapid transit system, operated by the Société de transport de Montréal...
, a statue of Queen Victoria
Victoria Memorial (Montreal)
The Victoria Memorial is a sculpture placed at the centre of the Victoria Square, Montreal.- Overview :The fine statue of the Queen Victoria adorning the Victoria Square is the work of sculptor Marshall Wood , and was unveiled in 1872 by Lord Dufferin, the Governor General of Canada...
, the "Taichi Single Whip" sculpture by Ju Ming
Ju Ming
Ju Ming is a Taiwanese sculptor, who attained fame in Taiwan in the 1970s, and in New York in 1983. Ju Ming was trained as a woodcarver, apprenticed to Lee Chin-chuan, as a teenager...
and trees lining its bounding avenues.
Location
World Trade Centre Montreal
The World Trade Centre Montreal is a building located in the Quartier international district of Montreal, Quebec, Canada....
and the Hotel W Montréal, to the west by Tour de la Bourse
Tour de la Bourse
La tour de la Bourse is an International Style skyscraper by Luigi Moretti and Pier Luigi Nervi at 800 Victoria Square in Montreal, Quebec, connected by the underground city to Square-Victoria Metro Station...
and Place de la Cité internationale, and to the south by the Quebecor
Quebecor
Quebecor Inc. is a communications company based in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It was founded by Pierre Péladeau, and remains run by his family. Quebecor Inc. owns 55% of Quebecor Media Inc...
building, its outdated façade fully redesigned for the occasion.