In Old Montreal: Reviving a Vanished Parliament

The Parliament within its urban landscape around 1848. 3D design: Guy Lessard/Architruc. Research: François Gignac and Alan Stewart.

Louise Pothier

The monumental building housing Montreal’s first indoor market, St. Anne’s Market (1832), was converted into the Parliament of the province of Canada in 1844, granting it symbolic notoriety as the city became the colony’s capital. It is within its walls that the principle of responsible government was fully recognized, conceding decision-making powers in local affairs to elected officials, and away from the Queen’s representative. Democracy was on its way.

The Parliament was destroyed by fire in 1849. The construction of a new market over the remains, then the space’s later use as a parking lot have sealed and preserved the Parliament’s remains, offering an exceptional opportunity for their research and showcasing. After a decade of archaeological fieldwork and archival research, Pointe-à-Callière, Montreal’s Archaeology and History Complex, is undertaking a 3D reconstitution of the building and of some prominent political figures who, within it, ushered in the modern Canadian nation. The museum also sets out on a new venture: to sustain and develop this remarkable archaeological site. M

Louise Pothier is the chief archaeologist at Pointe-à-Callière, Montreal’s Archaeology and History Complex.