Pointe-à-Callière Museum – Historic Site of Canada, 1998
Pointe-à-Callière Museum of Archaeology and History in Old Montreal, Quebec. Founded in 1992 as part of celebrations to mark Montreal’s 350th birthday, the museum has collections of artefacts from the First Nations, including French and British exhibits of early New France.
The main entrance of the museum rises above the point of land where Paul de Chomedey, Sieur de Maisonneuve, Jeanne Mance and other French settlers landed in 1642. The museum’s archaeological crypt features the architectural remains of Fort Ville-Marie.
The Museum comprises three archaeological sites: Pointe-à-Callière, Place Royale and 214 Place d’Youville; the archaeological field school of Fort Ville-Marie; Montreal’s first Catholic cemetery; the William collector sewer; an archaeological crypt: Place Royale; a heritage building: the former Youville Pumping Station; 165-169 Place d’Youville, the Mariners House; and archaeological collections of over a million objects.
With a long-term objective of creating a vast ‘City of History and Archeology’ in the Old Port of Montreal, the Consortium of Dan S. Hanganu Architects and Provencher Roy & Associates who were in charge of the project in 1992 were appointed to continue the second phase of the work for Montreal’s 375th Anniversary.
The first phase, received a subvention of 20 million dollars from the Minister of Culture and Communications of Quebec and 2.2 million dollars from the City of Montreal.
The museum has received more than fifty national and international awards, including museography & architecture, and in addition for cultural, educational and community activities.
The museum is affiliated with: the Canadian Museums Association, the Canadian Heritage Information Network, and the Virtual Museum of Canada.
The annual Historic Market in the fall and the Port Symphonies in the spring are considered special events for tourists and local persons.
