535, avenue Viger Est (East)

This building did not catch my eye at first. It is only when I looked at my pictures that I noticed the details on top of the building and (rare in Montreal) 3-D God and Goddess sculptures laying sideways on top of the building that made me smile and reminded me some European structural art vibes. 

Of course, I had to do some research and again I found beautiful things. Inaugurated in 1910, it was the first location of the Commerce School (Ecole des hautes etudes commerciales HEC) and then one of the Dawson College campus from 1970 to 1988.  The Prime Minister, Sir Lomer Gouin, foresaw the necessity to have the French community have access to French business school in Montreal.

Once the HEC and Dawson College campus changed location, it was redesigned to become the Quebec Archives and it is known as the Gilles Hocquart Building. Today, most visitors are those who are likely to be searching their family’s ancestry.

BAnQ stands for, in French, Bibliothèque et Archives nationales du Québec (National Library, National Archives of Quebec). Now, that I know a bit more about this place, I want to sneak in and see the interior.

For an overview of Montreal click here.

For all posts on Montreal click here.