Palais de justice (Montreal) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Palais de justice |
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View from Notre-Dame Street
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| General information | |
| Type | Courthouse |
| Architectural style | International style, Modernism |
| Location | 1, rue Notre-Dame Est Montreal, Quebec H2Y 1B6 |
| Current tenants | Court of Quebec, Quebec Superior Court |
| Construction started | 1965 |
| Completed | 1971 |
| Owner | Government of Quebec |
| Height | 73.92 m (242.5 ft) |
| Technical details | |
| Floor count | 18 |
| Lifts/elevators | 26 |
| Design and construction | |
| Architect | David et Boulva |
The Palais de justice (say: pah-LAY duh joos-TEESS) is a special building in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It's a courthouse, which is where important legal decisions are made. You can find it at 1 Notre-Dame Street East in the historic Old Montreal area. This building was finished in 1971.
Even though it's in the old part of Montreal, this building looks very modern. It's built in a style called 'International Style,' which means it has clean lines and often uses materials like glass and steel. Outside, you can see a cool sculpture called Allegrocube. The building itself is made of black metal and granite. It stands next to a large open space called the Champ de Mars.
The Palais de justice was designed by two Montreal architects, Pierre Boulva and Jacques David. They also designed other famous buildings and places in Montreal, like 500 Place D'Armes, Théâtre Maisonneuve, the Dow Planetarium, and several metro stations: Place-des-Arts, Atwater, and Lucien-L'Allier.
Allegrocube: A Modern Sculpture
Outside the Palais de justice, you'll find an interesting sculpture called Allegrocube. It was created by an artist named Charles Daudelin in 1973.
This sculpture is shaped like a cube and is made of bronze. It stands about 2.4 meters (almost 8 feet) tall. It's an abstract piece, which means it doesn't look like a real object but uses shapes and forms to express ideas.
Montreal's Historic Courthouses
The current Palais de justice is actually the third courthouse to stand on Notre-Dame Street in Old Montreal. It's like a family of courthouses, each built over time!
The very first building to be called the Old Montreal Courthouse is now known as the Édifice Lucien-Saulnier. It was designed by architects John Ostell and Frederick Preston Rubidge and opened in 1856.
Later, a second courthouse was built. Construction on this one started in 1922. Today, it's known as the Édifice Ernest-Cormier, and it's home to the Quebec Court of Appeal, which handles important legal appeals.
So, the Palais de justice we see today is the newest of these important buildings, continuing a long history of justice in Montreal.
