Back to 1535 in Montréal, with Hochelaga

Montréal in 220 photos and 16 old pictures

Up first are Bank of Montréal and Battle of Rivière des Prairies / Battle of Coulée Grou. 223 designated places in Montréal have a photo. Old pictures of 59 places in Montréal fill their own pages.

Montréal, 1556 to 1903

9 old photographs of the town and the oldest views of 7 of its historic places, in date order. Pick a dot to see the year; pick a picture to see it large.

Most of Montréal’s dated places come from the decades after Confederation

Each place by the first construction date on its record.

Montréal on record since 1642

Where Montréal’s history is

Every place on the registers inside the town, by its designation.

The highest rank in Montréal: 170 places

Hochelaga is the earliest, from 1535; the latest dates from 1981. The group holds 119 places classified by Québec, 50 National Historic Sites and a Classified Federal Heritage Building. National Historic Sites and Classified Federal Heritage Buildings, Canada’s highest federal recognition. Each one opens its own page.

11 more federal designations in Montréal

The group holds 10 Recognized Federal Heritage Buildings and a heritage railway station. Recognized Federal Heritage Buildings, heritage railway stations and lighthouses. Light Tower (Rear) is the earliest, from 1900; the latest dates from 1941. Each one opens its own page.

Rue Sherbrooke Ouest has the most

Streets with three or more places on the registers, by the address each gives.

Montréal’s largest group: houses, 43%

stations, lighthouses and bridges weigh less here than across Canada: 2%, against 11%. 40 places make churches and religious buildings the second group. Two of the highest-ranked are Hochelaga and Montréal's Birthplace.

On provincial and local lists in Montréal: 49 places

They were designated between 1986 and 2012. Citations the municipality has made, registered with Québec’s ministry of culture. Maison Brignon-Dit-Lapierre is the earliest, from 1770; the latest dates from 1967. Each one opens its own page.

Designated in Montréal since 1920

The places by the year of their designation.

Just outside Montréal

Places the registers give to the town from within 5 km of its edge, nearest first.

36% of Montréal’s homes were built before 1961

Only 11% of Montréal’s homes were built from 2001 to 2015, less than the typical town’s 15%. Montréal built little from 1981 to 2000: 18% of its homes, where most towns have 23%. New building in Montréal runs at the usual pace: 4.2% of homes from 2016–21, the typical town 4.1%.

Norma Shearer leads Montréal’s natives of the past, with 892 more

Before 1914, 890 births here made the record. Louis-Joseph Papineau is remembered here at Louis-Joseph Papineau. Pierre Le Moyne d'Iberville, Jean-Baptiste Le Moyne de Bienville and Michel Bibaud carry national designations as historic persons. Violet Archer closes the list, born in 1913. The timeline keeps to the 20 best known.

Montréal and its neighbours

Montréal in brief

What this data can and can’t tell you