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Square Dorchester
This leafy expanse in the heart of downtown offers many visitors their first impression of Montréal - the main tourist office, Centre Infotouriste , is located on the northwest side where many tour buses line up. Known until 1988 as Dominion Square, a reminder of Canada's founding in 1867, it was the site of a Catholic cemetery until 1870 and bodies still lie beneath the grass.
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Square Victoria
In the 19th century this was a Victorian garden in a swanky district of Second Empire homes and offices. Today Square Victoria is a triangle of manicured greenery and water jets in the midst of modern skyscrapers. The only vestige of the period is a statue of Queen Victoria (1872). The Art Nouveau entrance railing to the métro station was a gift from the city of Paris for Expo '67.
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St James United Church
You'll have a hard time imagining it but the stunning facade of this Methodist colossus was blocked from public view for 70 years. A hideous three-storey commercial building completely blocked the church from 1926-2005 when the only way to reach it was through a dark lane underneath a gaudy neon sign. Thankfully, the commercial monstrosity was flattened and several years of restoration work have got the church camera-ready.
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St Patrick's Basilica
Built for Montréal's booming Irish population in 1847, the interior of St Patrick's Basilica contains huge columns from single pine trunks, an ornate baptismal font and nectar-colored stained-glass windows. The pope raised its status to basilica in 1989, in recognition of its importance to English-speaking Catholics in Montréal. It's a sterling example of French-Gothic style and, as you might expect, is classified a national monument.
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Windsor Hotel
The palatial Windsor was Canada's first grand hotel (1878) and played host to all manner of international guests and celebrities, including Mark Twain, Winston Churchill, King George VI, Queen Elizabeth and John F Kennedy, to name a few. The original Windsor had six restaurants and 382 sumptuous guestrooms, but a fire that devastated the hotel in 1957 left only the annex, the portion still standing today.
