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The entrance
archway to Gibbys stands on what was once the south bank of the Little St.
Pierre River near the original Huron settlement of Hochelaga. Visits to
the site by the early explorers, Jacques Cartier in 1535, and Champlain
in 1611, led to the first permanent settlement by de Maisonneuve in 1641.
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| The Little St. Pierre River was
covered over in 1833 to allow the construction of St. Anne’s
Market, now Place Youville. This building was later remodeled to serve
as the Parliament buildings of the newly united Province of Canada
in 1844. In 1849 an angry mob burned the Parliament to the ground
in response to some unpopular legislation. |
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| Gibbys is located
in the Youville Stables which is part of a series of buildings once belonging
to the Sisters of Charity, (or Grey Nuns), founded by Marguerite d’Youville.
Part of the original structure was built in 1694, and served as The Grey
Nuns’ General Hospital, which cared for the sick and destitute. However,
most of the building dates from 1765 to 1850. |
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Youville Stables received its name from the horses’ stalls which
were once located in the central courtyard. This part of the structure
dates back to 1740 and was renovated in 1967, the first in a series
of renovations in Old Montreal. The buildings now house the restaurant
and private offices.
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