Downtown Montreal
Encyclopedia
Downtown Montreal is the central business district
Central business district
A central business district is the commercial and often geographic heart of a city. In North America this part of a city is commonly referred to as "downtown" or "city center"...

 of 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....

, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...

. It is nearly enitirely located at the southern most slope of Mount Royal
Mount Royal
Mount Royal is a mountain in the city of Montreal, immediately west of downtown Montreal, Quebec, Canada, the city to which it gave its name.The mountain is part of the Monteregian Hills situated between the Laurentians and the Appalachians...

 (A central public park
Park
A park is a protected area, in its natural or semi-natural state, or planted, and set aside for human recreation and enjoyment, or for the protection of wildlife or natural habitats. It may consist of rocks, soil, water, flora and fauna and grass areas. Many parks are legally protected by...

 as well as a tourist attraction) and is approximately bounded by Sherbrooke Street
Sherbrooke Street
Sherbrooke Street is a major east-west artery and at in length, is the second longest street on the Island of Montreal. The street begins in the town of Montreal West and ends on the extreme tip of the island in Pointe-aux-Trembles, intersecting Gouin Boulevard and joining up with Notre-Dame...

 to the north, Papineau Avenue
Papineau Avenue
Papineau Avenue, is an important, and longest, north-south street in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Part of the street, between Henri Bourassa Boulevard and Quebec Autoroute 40, is the Montreal portion of Quebec Autoroute 19, commonly referred to as Autoroute Papineau...

 to the east, Guy Street
Guy Street
Guy Street is a north-south street located in downtown Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Concordia University's Integrated Engineering, Computer Science and Visual Arts Complex is located on this street, as is the John Molson School of Business building. The street is home to the Guy-Concordia metro station...

 or until Shaughnessy Village
Shaughnessy Village
Shaughnessy Village is a neighbourhood of Montreal, Quebec, Canada, located on the western side of the Ville-Marie borough. It is bounded by Guy Street to the east, Atwater Street to the west, Sherbrooke Street to the north, and René Lévesque Boulevard/Ville-Marie Expressway to the south...

 to the west, and the Ville-Marie Expressway to the south all in direct latitude towards the Saint Lawrence River
Saint Lawrence River
The Saint Lawrence is a large river flowing approximately from southwest to northeast in the middle latitudes of North America, connecting the Great Lakes with the Atlantic Ocean. It is the primary drainage conveyor of the Great Lakes Basin...

. The downtown region, as expected houses many regional,provincial and national corporate headqaurters as well a large majority of the city's skyscraper
Skyscraper
A skyscraper is a tall, continuously habitable building of many stories, often designed for office and commercial use. There is no official definition or height above which a building may be classified as a skyscraper...

s — which, by law, cannot be greater in height than Mount Royal in order to preserve the aesthetic predominance and intimidation factor of the mountain. The two tallest of these are the 1000 de La Gauchetière
1000 de La Gauchetière
1000 de la Gauchetière is a skyscraper in the Canadian city of Montreal and is the tallest building in Montreal. It is named for its address at 1000 De la Gauchetière Street West in the city's downtown. It rises to the maximum height approved by the city at 205 m and 51 floors...

 and 1250 René-Lévesque
1250 René-Lévesque
1250 Boulevard René-Lévesque, also known as La Tour IBM-Marathon, is a , 47-story skyscraper in Montreal, Quebec, Canada.The building was designed by Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates for IBM Canada and Marathon Realty, hence the former name "IBM-Marathon." It is now named for its address at 1250 René...

, both of which were built in 1992. The 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...

 is also a significant high-rise and is home to the Montreal Exchange
Montreal Exchange
The Montreal Exchange or MX is a derivatives exchange, located in Montreal, that trades futures contracts and options on equities, indices, currencies, ETFs, energy and interest rates. Since 1965, it has been located in the Tour de la Bourse , Montreal's third-tallest building...

 that trades in derivatives. The Montreal Exchange was originally a stock exchange
Stock exchange
A stock exchange is an entity that provides services for stock brokers and traders to trade stocks, bonds, and other securities. Stock exchanges also provide facilities for issue and redemption of securities and other financial instruments, and capital events including the payment of income and...

 and was the first in Canada. In 1999, all stock trades were transferred to Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...

 in exchange for an exclusivity in the derivative trading market .

Place Ville-Marie
Place Ville-Marie
1 Place Ville-Marie , formerly Royal Bank Tower taken from its anchor tenant, is a with 47-storey, cruciform office tower built in the International style in 1962, arguably the most distinctive building in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It was built in the 1960s as the headquarters of the Royal Bank of...

, an I. M. Pei
I. M. Pei
Ieoh Ming Pei , commonly known as I. M. Pei, is a Chinese American architect, often called a master of modern architecture. Born in Canton, China and raised in Hong Kong and Shanghai, Pei drew inspiration at an early age from the gardens at Suzhou...

-designed cruciform
Cruciform
Cruciform means having the shape of a cross or Christian cross.- Cruciform architectural plan :This is a common description of Christian churches. In Early Christian, Byzantine and other Eastern Orthodox forms of church architecture this is more likely to mean a tetraconch plan, a Greek cross,...

 office tower built in 1962, sits atop an underground shopping mall that forms the nexus of Montreal's underground city
Underground City, Montreal
Montreal's Underground City is the set of interconnected complexes in and around Downtown Montreal, Quebec, Canada...

, the world's largest, with indoor access to over 1,600 shops, restaurants, offices, businesses, museums and universities, as well as metro stations, train stations, bus terminals, and tunnels extending all over downtown. The central axis for downtown is Saint Catherine Street
Saint Catherine Street
This article is about the street in Montreal called the rue Sainte-Catherine in French. For other streets of this name, see Rue Sainte-Catherine ....

, Canada's busiest commercial avenue. The area includes high end retail such as the Holt Renfrew
Holt Renfrew
Holt Renfrew is a chain of high-end Canadian department stores. It is comparable to Barneys New York and Saks Fifth Avenue in the United States, and to two other upmarket chains owned by the same family, Britain's Selfridges and Ireland's Brown Thomas...

 and Ogilvy
Ogilvy (Montreal)
La Maison Ogilvy, commonly known as Ogilvy's , is a prominent department store in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, where its store at 1307 Saint Catherine Street West is a retail landmark...

 department store
Department store
A department store is a retail establishment which satisfies a wide range of the consumer's personal and residential durable goods product needs; and at the same time offering the consumer a choice of multiple merchandise lines, at variable price points, in all product categories...

s as well as Les Cours Mont-Royal
Les Cours Mont-Royal
Les Cours Mont-Royal is an upscale shopping centre in Downtown Montreal, Quebec which was converted from the former Mount Royal Hotel. Since 1988, Les Cours Mont-Royal has provided exclusive boutiques offering designer brands and unique fashions and accessories for both men and women in a...

 shopping centre. Other major streets include Sherbrooke Street
Sherbrooke Street
Sherbrooke Street is a major east-west artery and at in length, is the second longest street on the Island of Montreal. The street begins in the town of Montreal West and ends on the extreme tip of the island in Pointe-aux-Trembles, intersecting Gouin Boulevard and joining up with Notre-Dame...

, Peel
Peel Street, Montreal
Peel Street is a major north-south street located in downtown Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The Street links Pine Avenue, near Mount Royal, in the north and Smith Street, in the Southwest borough, in the south. The street's southern end is at the Peel Basin of the Lachine Canal...

, de la Montagne
Mountain Street
Mountain Street is a north-south street located in downtown Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It links Doctor Penfield Avenue in the north and Wellington Street in the south. Notable businesses on Rue de la Montagne, include Ogilvy's and Hôtel de la Montagne.-Name:According to the Commission de toponymie...

, de Maisonneuve
De Maisonneuve Boulevard
De Maisonneuve Boulevard is a major westbound boulevard located in downtown Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It is named after the founder of Montreal, Paul Chomedey de Maisonneuve. De Maisonneuve Boulevard is about 11 kilometres long and begins on Havre Street in the east end, and ends in the...

 and Crescent
Crescent Street
Crescent Street is a southbound street located in downtown Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Running perpendicular to Saint Catherine Street, Crescent Street descends from Sherbrooke Street south to René-Lévesque Boulevard....

.

The skyline may be observed from one of two lookouts on Mount Royal. The lookout at the Belvedere takes in downtown, the river, and the Monteregian Hills. On clear days the Adirondack Mountains
Adirondack Mountains
The Adirondack Mountains are a mountain range located in the northeastern part of New York, that runs through Clinton, Essex, Franklin, Fulton, Hamilton, Herkimer, Lewis, Saint Lawrence, Saratoga, Warren, and Washington counties....

 of Upstate New York
Upstate New York
Upstate New York is the region of the U.S. state of New York that is located north of the core of the New York metropolitan area.-Definition:There is no clear or official boundary between Upstate New York and Downstate New York...

 are visible, as are the Green Mountains
Green Mountains
The Green Mountains are a mountain range in the U.S. state of Vermont. The range extends approximately .-Peaks:The most notable mountains in the range include:*Mount Mansfield, , the highest point in Vermont*Killington Peak, *Mount Ellen,...

 of Vermont
Vermont
Vermont is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state ranks 43rd in land area, , and 45th in total area. Its population according to the 2010 census, 630,337, is the second smallest in the country, larger only than Wyoming. It is the only New England...

. The eastern lookout has a view of The Plateau neighbourhood, Olympic Stadium
Olympic Stadium (Montreal)
The Olympic Stadium is a multi-purpose stadium in the Hochelaga-Maisonneuve district of Montreal, Quebec, Canada built as the main venue for the 1976 Summer Olympics...

 and beyond.

Montreal is known for its contrast between old and new architecture. The Tour KPMG
Tour KPMG
The Tour KPMG, formerly Maison des Coopérants or Place de la Cathédrale, is a 34 storey skyscraper located in downtown Montreal that was completed in 1987. It is located at 600 de Maisonneuve Ouest. It has an official height of 146 m...

 (a 146 m / 479 ft tall building) and the aforementioned 1000 De La Gauchetière are located adjacent to an Anglican and Roman Catholic cathedral respectively. Downtown Montreal is also home to the main campuses of McGill University
McGill University
Mohammed Fathy is a public research university located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The university bears the name of James McGill, a prominent Montreal merchant from Glasgow, Scotland, whose bequest formed the beginning of the university...

 and UQAM and a campus of Concordia University.

Municipally, the downtown area is part of the Borough of Ville-Marie.

Universities

  • Concordia University
    Concordia University
    Concordia University is a comprehensive Canadian public university located in Montreal, Quebec, one of the two universities in the city where English is the primary language of instruction...

  • École de technologie supérieure
    École de technologie supérieure
    Founded in 1974, the École de technologie supérieure is part of the Université du Québec system. Specialized in applied teaching in engineering and technology transfer to companies, it teaches engineers and researchers who are recognized for their practical and innovative approach...

  • McGill University
    McGill University
    Mohammed Fathy is a public research university located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The university bears the name of James McGill, a prominent Montreal merchant from Glasgow, Scotland, whose bequest formed the beginning of the university...

  • Université du Québec à Montréal
    Université du Québec à Montréal
    The Université du Québec à Montréal is one of four universities in Montreal, Quebec, Canada.-Basic facts:The UQAM is the largest constituent element of the Université du Québec , a public university system with other branches in Gatineau , Rimouski, Rouyn-Noranda, Quebec City, Chicoutimi, and...


Museums

  • Canadian Centre for Architecture
    Canadian Centre for Architecture
    The Canadian Centre for Architecture is a museum of architecture and research centre in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Phyllis Lambert is the Founding Director and Chair of the Board of Trustees, and Mirko Zardini is the Director and Chief Curator....

  • McCord Museum
    McCord Museum
    The McCord Museum is a public research and teaching museum dedicated to the preservation, study, diffusion, and appreciation of Canadian history...

  • Montreal Museum of Contemporary Art
    Musée d'art contemporain de Montréal
    The Musée d'art contemporain de Montréal is a contemporary art museum in the Place des Arts complex, Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The collection includes over 7,000 works of art by more than 1,500 artists , covering contemporary art in Quebec in particular and Canada in general, as well as...

  • Montreal Museum of Fine Arts
    Montreal Museum of Fine Arts
    The Montreal Museum of Fine Arts is a major museum in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Founded in 1860, making it Canada's oldest art institution, it moved to its current location in 1912 thanks to a large donation from businessman James Ross....

  • Redpath Museum
    Redpath Museum
    The Redpath Museum is a museum of natural history belonging to McGill University and located on the university's campus at 859 Sherbrooke Street West in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It was built in 1882 as a gift from the sugar baron Peter Redpath. It houses collections of interest to ethnology,...


Transportation

  • Central Station
  • Underground City
    Underground City, Montreal
    Montreal's Underground City is the set of interconnected complexes in and around Downtown Montreal, Quebec, Canada...

  • Gare d'autocars de Montréal

Religious buildings

  • Christ Church Cathedral
    Christ Church Cathedral (Montreal)
    Christ Church Cathedral is an Anglican Gothic Revival cathedral in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, the seat of the Anglican Diocese of Montreal. It is located at 635 Saint Catherine Street West, between Union Avenue and University Street. It is situated on top of the Promenades Cathédrale underground...

  • Church of St. Andrew and St. Paul
  • Church of St. John the Evangelist
  • Mary, Queen of the World Cathedral
    Mary, Queen of the World Cathedral
    The Cathedral-Basilica of Mary, Queen of the World in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, is the seat of the Roman Catholic archdiocese of Montreal. It is the third largest church in Quebec after St. Joseph's Oratory and the Basilica of Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupré east of Quebec City...

  • St. James the Apostle Anglican Church
    St. James the Apostle Anglican Church
    St. James the Apostle Anglican Church is an Anglican church located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Its address is at 1439 Sainte-Catherine Street West.- History :...

  • St. James United Church
  • St. George's Anglican Church
    St. George's Anglican Church (Montreal)
    St. George's Anglican Church is a heritage church located in downtown Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The church is officially located at 1101 Stanley Street on the corner of De la Gauchetière Street, although it also faces Peel Street and is opposite Place du Canada....

  • St. Patrick's Basilica

Squares

  • Cabot Square
    Cabot Square, Montreal
    Cabot Square is an urban square in Montreal, between the former Montreal Forum and the Montreal Children's Hospital.The square is located in the Shaughnessy Village neighbourhood, an area which has been recently re-dubbed the Qurtier des Grands Jardins and has been slated for redevelopment.It is...

  • Dorchester Square
    Dorchester Square
    Dorchester Square is a large urban square in downtown Montreal. Together with Place du Canada, the area is just over 21,000 m2 or 2.1 ha of manicured and protected urban parkland bordered by René Lévesque Boulevard to the south, Peel Street to the west, Metcalfe to the east and Dominion Square to...

  • Norman Bethune Square
    Norman Bethune Square
    Norman Bethune Square is a small urban square located in Downtown Montreal at the northwest intersection of Guy Street and De Maisonneuve Boulevard West. It is situated in close proximity to Concordia University's Sir George Williams campus and is opposite Guy-Concordia Montreal Metro station...

  • Phillips Square
    Phillips Square
    Phillips Square is a public square located in downtown Montreal, Quebec, Canada.-History:In 1842, the square was first laid out, in what was at the time a wealthy residential area on the fringe of the city of Montreal. In 1891, Morgan's department store established itself in the square, followed...

  • Place du Canada
    Place du Canada
    Place du Canada is a large urban square in downtown Montreal.- Overview :At it is slightly larger than the adjacent Dorchester Square, with a more varied topography due to a downward slope towards De la Gauchetière Street...

  • Place Émilie-Gamelin
    Place Émilie-Gamelin
    Place Émilie-Gamelin is a city square in central Montreal, Canada. It was created to mark the 350th anniversary of the city....

  • Place des Festivals
    Quartier des Spectacles
    Quartier des Spectacles is an entertainment district located in the eastern section of Downtown Montreal. The area is currently undergoing gentrification and urban renewal that will turn it into the centre for Montreal's cultural events and festivals....

  • Place Jean-Paul Riopelle
  • Victoria Square
    Victoria Square, Montreal
    Victoria Square is a town square and public space in the Quartier International de Montréal area of downtown Montreal, Quebec, at the intersection of Beaver Hall Hill and McGill Street. The Square forms an integral component of the city's urban public transit system and constitutes a 'prestige...


Economy

Air Canada
Air Canada
Air Canada is the flag carrier and largest airline of Canada. The airline, founded in 1936, provides scheduled and charter air transport for passengers and cargo to 178 destinations worldwide. It is the world's tenth largest passenger airline by number of destinations, and the airline is a...

 was formerly headquartered in Downtown Montreal. In 1990, the airline announced that it was moving its headquarters from Downtown Montreal to Dorval Airport to cut costs. In 2004 the company said that it has no plans to move its headquarters back to Downtown Montreal.

See also

  • Underground City, Montreal
    Underground City, Montreal
    Montreal's Underground City is the set of interconnected complexes in and around Downtown Montreal, Quebec, Canada...

  • Old Montreal
    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...

  • Old Port of Montreal
    Old Port of Montreal
    Stretching for over two kilometres along the St-Lawrence River in Old Montreal, the Old Port Of Montreal has been the social, economic and cultural soul of Montreal ever since early French fur traders used it as a trading post in 1611...

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