Dome

Overall view, looking towards Notre-Dame Basilica, showing "mosaic" pavers; Place d'Armes is a square in Old Montreal quarter. In the center, there is a monument in memory of Paul Chomedey de Maisonneuve, founder of Montreal (restored as part of this work). Buildings that surround it include Notre-Dame Basilica, Saint-Sulpice Seminary, New York Life Building, Aldred Building, Bank of Montreal head office and 500 Place D'Armes. Several large-scale archeological digs were undertaken prior to the development work. They exposed the foundations of the first church of Notre-Dame and its cemetery, as well as the Gadois well, which was the first source of drinking water in Montreal. Markers were set up to commemorate these areas. The redevelopment slightly changed the surrounding streets, added lighting, repaved the square with a "mosaic" of granite pavers of different shades, and redid the landscaping, including moving some mature trees. There was also partial renovation of the former vespasiennes (underground washrooms, built in 1931) with a view to re-using them in the future. Robert Desjardins has served as the landscape architect for Ville de Montréal since 1992. Source: Landezine: Landscape Architecture Works [website]; http://www.landezine.com/ (accessed 7/29/2014)