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Circa 1900. "City Hall, Montreal, Quebec." Whose Second Empire facade received a Beaux-Arts makeover after a fire in 1922. 8x10 glass negative, Detroit Photographic Co. View full size.
From that balcony, in 1967, Charles DeGaulle gave his "Vive le Québec Libre" speech, which unleashed all sorts of mischief.
Interestingly enough, 119 years later Montreal City Hall is undergoing major renovations and all the offices inside (including the mayor's) have been temporarily relocated in other city buildings.
I live on an avenue in Montreal called Hôtel de Ville which would run straight down to City Hall (Hôtel de Ville, en français) were it not for the various breaks caused by a housing development and a sunken expressway. But it’s a straight line as the crow flies, almost 2 km (1.2 miles). The building is still there, by the way, and still functions as City Hall.
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