Place des Montréalaises

Place des Montréalaises transforms an urban landscape long fractured by a sunken expressway into a vibrant esplanade. Here, landscape, architecture, and art unite in a single reparative gesture: the intervention connects Old Montreal to downtown while inscribing the memory of 21 exceptional women in the urban fabric. 

This tribute takes the form of a living ecosystem that grows and evolves through the seasons, while contributing to the city’s biodiversity. Unfolding across an inclined plane, a flowering meadow composed of 86 planting clusters brings together 21 perennial species that bloom sequentially throughout the year. To the North and South of the plaza, a wooded zone offers a calming transition space. 

Across the reflective surface of the cylindrical mirror erected on the site, the names of the honoured women pierce through the material: the structure, illuminated from within, projects their outlines onto the ground and surrounding surfaces. The adjacent staircase extends the tribute, with letters drawn from each of the names scattered as if blown by the wind, as an invitation to rearrange them and compose the names of other meaningful women. 

Serving as seating, the staircase invites contemplation and offers privileged perspectives on the city, on the colourful stained glass created by Marcelle Ferron for the Champ-de-Mars station, and on the animation of the plaza. A redesign of the neighbouring Place Marie-Josèphe-Angélique completes the gesture. Celebrating the city’s inclusive character and cosmopolitan sensibility, the design of Place des Montréalaises weaves organically into the urban and monumental fabric of Montreal. Programmed and spontaneous artistic performances, public gatherings, and cultural events speak to the multifunctional character of this universally accessible plaza, and to its importance within the community. Every detail has been carefully crafted to reflect the historical significance of women in the evolution of the city and the authenticity of its identity. 

The women commemorated here: 

The victims of the 1989 École Polytechnique tragedy: Geneviève Bergeron, Hélène Colgan, Nathalie Croteau, Barbara Daigneault, Anne-Marie Edward, Maud Haviernick, Barbara Klucznik-Widajewicz, Maryse Laganière, Maryse Leclair, Anne-Marie Lemay, Sonia Pelletier, Michèle Richard, Annie St-Arneault, and Annie Turcotte. 

Montreal pioneers: Myra Cree, Jessie Maxwell-Smith, Agnès Vautier, Ida Roth Steinberg, Idola Saint-Jean, Harriet Brooks, and Jeanne Mance.

Watch the City of Montreal’s video +