Chaboillez Square () is a

town square A town square (or public square, urban square, city square or simply square), also called a plaza or piazza, is an open public space commonly found in the heart of a traditional town or city, and which is used for community gatherings. Relat ...

located in

Montreal Montreal is the List of towns in Quebec, largest city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Quebec, the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-largest in Canada, and the List of North American cit ...

Quebec Quebec is Canada's List of Canadian provinces and territories by area, largest province by area. Located in Central Canada, the province shares borders with the provinces of Ontario to the west, Newfoundland and Labrador to the northeast, ...

, Canada. It is located at the intersection of

Saint Jacques Street Saint Jacques Street (, ), or St. James Street, is a major street in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, running from Old Montreal westward to Lachine. In 1818 the Bank of Montreal built its headquarters on St James, which began the development of the ...

and Peel Street in

downtown Montreal Downtown Montreal (French language, French: ''Centre-Ville de Montréal'') is the central business district of Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The district is situated on the southernmost slope of Mount Royal, and occupies the western portion of the ...

. The former

Dow Planetarium The Dow Planetarium (later renamed the Montreal Planetarium) is a decommissioned public planetarium located at Chaboillez Square southeast of downtown Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It closed permanently in October 2011. A new facility, the Rio Tint ...

is located within the square.

History

In 1813, Margaret Godfrey inherited a large tract of land from her husband,

Louis Chaboillez Louis Chaboillez (October 14, 1766 – July 19, 1813) was a notary and politician in Lower Canada. He represented Montreal East in the Legislative Assembly of Lower Canada from 1804 to 1808. He owned much real estate in Montreal and Chaboille ...

. She yielded many plots of land to the City of Montreal including the lot known as Chaboillez Square (which was larger than it is today). The Square was completely refurbished in 1950 and reopened in 1953. Its size was reduced in the mid-1960s in planning for the coming of the Ville Marie Expressway. The

(later known as Montreal Planetarium) was constructed in the square in 1966.

Monuments

The square used to display two monuments: * '' Nicolaus Copernicus Statue'' (1967) by Bertel Thorvaldsen * ''

Sundial A sundial is a horology, horological device that tells the time of day (referred to as civil time in modern usage) when direct sunlight shines by the position of the Sun, apparent position of the Sun in the sky. In the narrowest sense of the ...

'' (1968), by Herman J. van der Heide When the

Rio Tinto Alcan Planetarium The Montreal Planetarium (formerly Rio Tinto Alcan Planetarium) is a planetarium located in the Space for Life, near the Olympic Stadium and the Biodome in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It is the successor to the Dow Planetarium, closed in 2011. ...

was opened near the

Olympic Stadium ''Olympic Stadium'' is the name usually given to the main stadium of an Olympic Games The modern Olympic Games (Olympics; ) are the world's preeminent international Olympic sports, sporting events. They feature summer and winter sports ...

to replace the Montreal Planetarium, both monuments were moved near the new planetarium.

History

Monuments

Further reading