Centre Canadien d'Architecture

Lonely Planet review

The Canadian Centre of Architecture has a dual role: as a museum of the country's architectural heritage, and as a research center to promote future development. This innovative building incorporates a modern museum with Shaughnessy House, the 1874 residence of a wealthy businessman and one of Montréal's few 19th-century homes open to the public.

The busy, well-stocked bookstore has some wonderful coffee-table books on famous architects, styles and photography.

The exhibition galleries show prints, drawings, models and photos of remarkable buildings both local and international; sections are dedicated to urban planning and landscape design. Most visitors expecting an academic experience will be pleasantly surprised by the accessibility of the collection.

The CCA's sculpture garden is located on a grassy lot overlooking south Montréal, but separated from the main grounds by busy boul René-Lévesque. The dozen or so sculpture-models raised on pillars and beams are best viewed at night when they're illuminated. Here too you get an excellent look at the gray limestone annex of Shaughnessy House from the rear.