Place des Montréalaises is reshaping Montreal’s civic and tourist heart by covering a sunken expressway with a vibrant esplanade. Designed by Lemay in collaboration with artist Angela Silver and the engineering team at AtkinsRéalis, this major intervention connects Old Montreal to downtown and, above all, inscribes the memory of exceptional women in the urban landscape.

Winner of an international multidisciplinary landscape architecture competition launched by the City of Montreal in 2017, this concept harnesses the full potential of an architectural approach through stratification, transforming an urban scar into an animated destination: a multifunctional plaza that is simultaneously an inclusive memorial space, a universally accessible pathway, and a contribution to urban biodiversity.

Inscribing the memory of Montreal’s women in the landscape 

In Montreal, as in many major cities, women remain largely underrepresented in toponymy. Place des Montréalaises stands as an architectural response to this historical imbalance. Realized for an initiative from the City of Montreal, this plaza honours 21 women selected by the Conseil des Montréalaises.

The plaza thus pays tribute to the 14 victims of the 1989 École Polytechnique femicide: Geneviève Bergeron, Hélène Colgan, Nathalie Croteau, Barbara Daigneault, Anne-Marie Edward, Maud Haviernick, Barbara Klucznik-Widajewicz, Maryse Laganière, Maryse Leclair, Anne-Marie Lemay, Sonia Pelletier, Michèle Richard, Annie St-Arneault, and Annie Turcotte.

It also honours seven Montreal pioneers: Myra Cree, Jessie Maxwell-Smith, Agnès Vautier, Ida Roth Steinberg, Idola Saint-Jean, Harriet Brooks, and Jeanne Mance.

The design concept amplifies the reach of this gesture by creating a strong connection with two other figures: the new plaza engages with the large stained glass panels of artist Marcelle Ferron's La verrière, which adorn three facades of the adjacent Champ-de-Mars metro station, as well as with Place Marie-Josèphe-Angélique, redesigned in 2025 as part of the project.

A place for movement, gathering and tribute

The floating, inclined plane at the heart of the site constitutes the defining gesture anchoring the concept. It hosts a vast flowering meadow where 21 plant species are gathered in 86 planting clusters that evolve through the seasons—a concept honouring these 21 exceptional Montreal women, while enhancing the area’s ecological qualities.

A cylindrical mirror rises near the metro entrance. Inscribed across its entire surface are the names of the women being honoured, with letters that fragment across the landscape and disperse from the mirror to the neighbouring staircase. Passersby are thus invited to rearrange these letters to compose infinite variations of women’s names, ensuring they are never forgotten.

The staircase provides access to the flowering meadow while inviting contemplation. Serving as seating, it offers a privileged perspective on the city, the metro station’s stained glass, and the animation of the plaza, where programmed and spontaneous artistic performances, public gatherings, and cultural events have followed one another since its inauguration, a testament to the community’s enthusiastic embrace of the site.

Integrated solutions 

This transformative project distinguishes itself through its profoundly transdisciplinary design: architecture, landscape architecture, and artistic intervention and engineering were closely integrated in every design decision.

The urban forest, north of the plaza, exemplifies this: planted above railway tunnels and multiple infrastructure systems, it offers a calming transition zone at the site’s entrance. The selection of species according to functional traits and precise ratios enabled the composition of a resilient ensemble, adapted to limited soil depths and offering maximum ecosystem benefits. Over 50% of the site is vegetated through this approach.

Even the oculus—a large opening piercing the suspended meadow—transforms a constraint into an opportunity. Simultaneously, a pragmatic and poetic gesture, it integrates an elm planted at street level into the landscape, while lightening the structural load on the deck.

An urban destination 

Since its inauguration in spring 2025, Place des Montréalaises has rapidly become a cherished destination for local residents and tourists alike, who circulate, gather, and linger there, at the heart of a flourishing legacy. With its strong architectural signature, the plaza now stands as a new emblematic site in Montreal, and an enduring symbol of a living memory.