Chaboillez Square facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Chaboillez Square |
|
|---|---|
| French: square Chaboillez | |
.jpg)
The square as seen from Place Ville-Marie.
|
|
| Lua error in Module:Location_map at line 420: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value). | |
| Type | Town square |
| Location | Downtown Montreal, Ville-Marie Montreal, Quebec, Canada |
| Created | 1813 |
| Operated by | City of Montreal |
| Status | Open all year |
Chaboillez Square (French: square Chaboillez) is a cool public space in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It's found right in the middle of downtown Montreal, where Saint Jacques Street and Peel Street meet. For many years, it was home to the famous Montreal Planetarium, a place where you could learn all about stars and space!
A Look Back: History of Chaboillez Square
The story of Chaboillez Square began a long time ago, in 1813. A woman named Margaret Godfrey inherited a big piece of land. This land came from her husband, Louis Chaboillez.
Margaret decided to give many parts of this land to the City of Montreal. One of these important pieces of land became what we know today as Chaboillez Square. Back then, it was even bigger than it is now!
How the Square Changed Over Time
Over the years, Chaboillez Square has changed quite a bit. In 1950, the square got a complete makeover. It was then reopened to the public in 1953, looking brand new.
In the mid-1960s, the square became a bit smaller. This happened because of plans for a new big road called the Ville Marie Expressway. In 1966, an exciting building was constructed right in the square. This was the Dow Planetarium, which later became known as the Montreal Planetarium. A planetarium is a special theater where you can watch shows about space, stars, and planets!
Special Statues and Sundials
Chaboillez Square used to have two interesting artworks for everyone to see:
- A statue of Nicolaus Copernicus. He was a famous scientist who figured out that the Earth goes around the Sun. This statue was made in 1967 by Bertel Thorvaldsen.
- A Sundial. A sundial is a device that tells the time using the sun's shadow. This one was created in 1968 by Herman J. van der Heide.
Later on, a brand new planetarium, the Rio Tinto Alcan Planetarium, opened near the Olympic Stadium. This new planetarium replaced the old Montreal Planetarium. When this happened, both the Copernicus statue and the sundial were moved. They now stand proudly near the new planetarium for visitors to enjoy.
