Pointe-à-Callière is going beyond its walls to bring you an activity that takes you to a site of national importance: the St. Ann’s Market and Parliament of the United Province of Canada historical and archaeological site.

From 1832 to 1843, on the portion of what is currently Place D’Youville West located between McGill and Saint-Pierre streets, there stood a two-story stone building over 100 metres long that housed St. Ann’s Market—the first covered market in Montréal. In 1844, the magnificent neoclassical building was renovated to welcome the Parliament of the United Province of Canada, which sat there until it burned down in 1849.

In order to showcase this historically and archaeologically significant site, a model of the former building has been erected on Place D’Youville West. Built on a scale of ¼ the actual size of the parliament building, the installation highlights various Canadian political figures that trod the soil on the site: Robert Baldwin; James Bruce, 8th Earl of Elgin; Sir George-Étienne Cartier; Sir Louis-Hippolyte LaFontaine; Sir Allan Napier MacNab; Louis-Joseph Papineau; John Prince; and Sir Étienne-Paschal Taché.

Markings on the ground at the site also trace the path of the first stone collector sewer in North America, an incredible feat of civil engineering built in 1832, in the era of St. Ann’s Market.

New! Travel through time using our app

To learn more about this historic site, look for the 7 stations on-site that provide access to exclusive content when you use the Pointe-à-Callière app. You will be able to see images of the period, read historical content, explore artefacts found during archaeological digs and, above all, view architectural elements to better understand the complexities of this building that, within a short period of time, took on a new role. In addition to viewing the building’s architectural plans, you will have access to a 3D rendering of the interior of Saint Anne’s Market and its stalls, highlighting the similarities with Boston’s Quincy Market, and showing how the stalls were transformed into offices and the legislative council room when the building served as the Parliament of the United Province of Canada.

Before your next visit to Old Montréal, search for Pointe-à-Callière on the Apple Store or Google Play, depending on your smartphone or tablet, and download the app!