Norman Bethune Square
Encyclopedia
Norman Bethune Square is a small urban square
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,...

 located in Downtown Montreal
Downtown Montreal
Downtown Montreal is the central business district of Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It is nearly enitirely located at the southern most slope of Mount Royal and is approximately bounded by Sherbrooke Street to the north, Papineau Avenue to the east, Guy Street or until Shaughnessy Village to the west,...

 at the northwest intersection of 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...

 and De Maisonneuve Boulevard West
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...

. It is situated in close proximity to Concordia University's Sir George Williams campus
Quartier Concordia
Quartier Concordia is a neighbourhood redevelopment project centred around Concordia University's Sir George Williams campus in downtown Montreal, Quebec, Canada...

 and is opposite Guy-Concordia
Guy-Concordia (Montreal Metro)
Guy-Concordia is a station on the Green Line of the Montreal Metro rapid transit system operated by the Société de transport de Montréal . It is downtown in the borough of Ville-Marie in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The station opened on October 14, 1966, as part of the original network of the metro...

 Montreal Metro
Montreal Metro
The Montreal Metro is a rubber-tired metro system, and the main form of public transportation underground in the city of Montreal, Quebec, Canada....

 station. The main feature of the square is the statue of Norman Bethune
Norman Bethune
Henry Norman Bethune was a Canadian physician and medical innovator. Bethune is best known for his service in war time medical units during the Spanish Civil War and with the Communist Eighth Route Army during the Second Sino-Japanese War...

, as well as trees, lighting, benches and an expanded sidewalk.

Norman Bethune

Inaugurated on March 23, 1976, Norman Bethune Square is named for Norman Bethune (1890–1939), a Canadian doctor from 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...

 who practiced between 1938–1939 in China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...

 during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

. The People's Republic of China
People's Republic of China
China , officially the People's Republic of China , is the most populous country in the world, with over 1.3 billion citizens. Located in East Asia, the country covers approximately 9.6 million square kilometres...

 offered the statue of Norman Bethune to the city 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...

.

Although he was born in Gravenhurst, Ontario
Gravenhurst, Ontario
Gravenhurst is a town in the Muskoka Region of Ontario, Canada. It is located approximately south of Bracebridge, Ontario. The mayor is Paisley Donaldson...

 and died in China, it was in Montreal than Norman Bethune lived the longest—for eight years, from 1928 to 1936. It was during his stay in Montreal that he became a renowned thoracic surgeon, that his ideas and convictions took shape, guiding him to a profound commitment towards social and humanitarian causes.

Redesign

At the time of the 70th anniversary of the Bethune's participation in the World War II in China, the City of Montreal undertook a major renovation project of the square at a cost of C$
Canadian dollar
The Canadian dollar is the currency of Canada. As of 2007, the Canadian dollar is the 7th most traded currency in the world. It is abbreviated with the dollar sign $, or C$ to distinguish it from other dollar-denominated currencies...

3 million dollars. The site was under substantial renovations as part of the redevelopment of De Maisonneuve Boulevard. The newly restored statue of Norman Bethune was unveiling on October 14, 2008. The square was completed in 2009.
The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
x
OK