The entrance archway to Gibbys stands on what was once the south bank of the “Saint 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.
In 1833 the river was covered over to allow the construction of St. Anne`s Market. When Montreal was named the capital of the Province of Canada in 1844, the new goverment rented and remodelled the market to serve as the Parliament Building. In 1849 an angry mob burned the parliament to the ground in response to some unpopular legislation.
Gibbys is located in the Youville Stables, which is part of a series of buildings built by the Sisters of Charity, the “Grey Nuns” – founded by Marguerite d’Youville. The Grey Nuns` General Hospital, which provided care to the sick and destitute, has parts which date from 1694. However, most of the structure dated from 1765 to 1850. Part of the Youville Stables date back to 1740 and received its name from the horses`stalls which were once located in the central courtyard.
The structure was renovated in 1967 and was the first of a series of renovations in Old Montreal. The buildings now house the restaurant and private offices.”