Historic sights in Montréal
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A
Château Dufresne
Brothers Oscar and Marius Dufresne commissioned this beautiful beaux-arts mansion, along the lines of the Versailles Palace in France, in 1916 and moved in with their families – Oscar on one side and Marius on the other. The interiors are stunning – tiled marble floors, coffered ceilings in Italian Renaissance style, stained-glass windows –and are open for the public to explore. Italian artist Guido Nincheri was in charge of interior decoration and painted many murals, including one of dainty nymphs in the Petit Salon. Marius’ side of the building is furnished in a more masculine style, with a smoking room fitted to look like a Turkish lounge with hookah pipes. The furnit…
reviewed
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B
Château Ramezay
A home of French governors in the early 18th century, this mansion is one of the finest examples from the ancien régime. It was built for the 11th governor, Claude de Ramezay, and includes 15 interconnecting rooms with a ballroom of mirrors and mahogany galore. Ramezay went broke trying to maintain it. American generals used it as a headquarters during the revolution, and Benjamin Franklin stayed here attempting (and failing) to convince the Canadians to join the cause. In 1903 turrets were added to give the ‘château’ its fanciful French look. The building is a repository of Québec history with a collection of 20,000 objects, including valuable Canadian art and furniture.…
reviewed
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C
Maison Smith
Constructed in 1858 by a merchant who wanted to get away from the pollution and overpopulation of the rest of Montréal, this house was one of 16 private properties on the mountain that were expropriated by the government in 1869 once the land was officially designated for a park. The building houses a small permanent exhibition on the history of the park, a visitors center and a café selling soups and sandwiches. There’s also a gift shop selling bird-watching paraphernalia, maps of the park and souvenirs.
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D
Maison Fréchette
Louis Fréchette, a 19th-century poet, journalist and member of parliament, lived in this striking Second Empire residence just off Rue St-Denis. The French actress (and one-time courtesan) Sarah Bernhardt stayed here during her North American tours in the 1890s.
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