Government Building sights in Montréal
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Hôtel de Ville
Montréal’s handsome City Hall was built between 1872 and 1878. Far from being a humdrum administrative center, it’s actually steeped in local lore. Most famously, it’s where French leader Charles de Gaulle took to the balcony in 1967 and yelled to the crowds outside ‘Vive le Québec libre!’ (‘Long live a free Québec!’) Those four words fueled the fires of Québécois separatism and strained relations with Ottawa for years. Peer into the Great Hall of Honor for some scenes of rural Québec and busts of Jacques Viger, the first French-speaking mayor (1833–36), and Peter McGill, the first English-speaking mayor (1840–42).
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Westmount City Hall
The faux medieval towers of Westmount City Hall come as a surprise after the skyscrapers of downtown. This Tudor gatehouse in rough-hewn stone looks like something from an English period drama. A lawn-bowling green lies in the rear.
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