Lucien Saulnier Building, Courthouse in Old Montreal, Canada
The Lucien Saulnier Building is a courthouse located in Old Montreal on Notre-Dame Street East, designed with neoclassical architecture and featuring grand columns. The symmetrical stone facade reflects the solid craftsmanship found throughout its interior, which houses multiple courtrooms for legal proceedings.
Inaugurated in 1856, the building was designed by John Ostell and Henri-Maurice Perrault in a sober neoclassical style, built of cut stone at a cost of $400,000. From 1890, under Henri-Maurice's son Maurice Perrault, an upper storey and a cupola were added, followed in 1905 by an annex at 85 Notre-Dame Street East. From 1925 to 1970 it heard civil cases.
Known as the "Vieux palais", it was Montreal's second courthouse and heard civil cases from 1925 to 1970. Since then it has housed the City of Montreal's finance and budget control department. Its name honours Lucien Saulnier, a former chairman of the city's executive committee.
The building stands at 155 Notre-Dame Street East, with its main entrance set back behind two stone staircases and a six-column portico. It is no longer a working courthouse: since 2018 it has housed Montreal city services, so visitors come for the facade rather than courtrooms. The 1905 annex at 85 Notre-Dame Street East is a separate address on the same block.
The building's main entrance kept its original character through the 1890 and 1905 work: two stone staircases with landings lead to a portico topped by a pediment on six Ionic columns. From 1925 to 1970 the Old Palace heard civil cases, and from 2018 it housed City Hall offices for two years during renovations.
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