Center for Montreal Memories, Montreal

The Center for Montreal Memories is a museum dedicated to preserving and promoting the history of the city of Montreal and its inhabitants. The building, over a century old, is the former headquarters of the Montreal Fire Department and, as such, can tell a story or two itself.

Quite noticeably, its architectural style is quite different from the rest of Montreal. Why? – Because it's Flemish (the scallops up the side are the dead giveaway)! Created by architects Joseph Perrault and Simon Lesage, this house was unique in Montreal at the time of its construction, in 1903-1904. The facade consists of buff sandstone, red brick, a mansard roof with a skylight, and a square tower crowned with a hip roof. After extensive renovations, the building was converted into the History Center, in 1983, as part of the celebrations of Montreal's 350th anniversary.

The Center's permanent exhibition, on the ground floor, is called "Montreal in Five Steps" (Montreal en cinq temps) and comprises over 4,000 artifacts. These include a range of interactive exhibits, multimedia installations, historic maps, photographs, and personal objects, highlighting important time frames in the history of the city, from the first contact with the indigenous Iroquois in 1535 to the present day.

In addition to its permanent collection, the Montreal History Center also hosts temporary exhibitions, on the top floor, and special events throughout the year.