Cabot Square is an

urban square A town square (or public square, urban square, city square or simply square), also called a plaza or piazza, is an open public space commonly found in the heart of a traditional town or city, and which is used for community gatherings. Relat ...

Montreal Montreal is the List of towns in Quebec, largest city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Quebec, the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-largest in Canada, and the List of North American cit ...

Quebec Quebec is Canada's List of Canadian provinces and territories by area, largest province by area. Located in Central Canada, the province shares borders with the provinces of Ontario to the west, Newfoundland and Labrador to the northeast, ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

between the former

Montreal Forum Montreal Forum () is a historic building located facing Cabot Square, Montreal, Cabot Square in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Called "the most storied building in hockey history" by ''Sporting News'', it was an indoor arena which served as the home o ...

and the former

Montreal Children's Hospital Montreal Children's Hospital () is a children's hospital in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Founded in 1904, it is affiliated with the McGill University Health Centre (MUHC) and McGill University, Faculty of Medicine. The hospital has 154 single-pati ...

. The square is in the

Shaughnessy Village Shaughnessy Village (sometimes referred to as the Concordia Ghetto) is a neighbourhood of Montreal, Quebec, Canada, located on the western side of the Ville-Marie borough. It is bounded by Guy Street to the east, Atwater Street to the west, S ...

neighbourhood, an area recently re-dubbed the ''Quartier des Grands Jardins'' and has been slated for redevelopment. It is one of three statues of John Cabot in Canada; the others are both in

Newfoundland Newfoundland and Labrador is the easternmost province of Canada, in the country's Atlantic region. The province comprises the island of Newfoundland and the continental region of Labrador, having a total size of . As of 2025 the population ...

at Confederation Building in St. John's and

Cape Bonavista Cape Bonavista is a headland located on the east coast of the island of Newfoundland in the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador. It is located at the northeastern tip of the Bonavista Peninsula, which separates Trinity Bay to the sout ...

. Two other statues of Cabot are both found in

Bristol, England Bristol () is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, the most populous city in the region. Built around the River Avon, Bristol, River Avon, it is bordered by t ...

, at

Council House A council house, corporation house or council flat is a form of British Public housing in the United Kingdom, public housing built by Local government in the United Kingdom, local authorities. A council estate is a building complex containing ...

and

Bristol Harbour Bristol Harbour is the harbour in the city of Bristol, England. The harbour covers an area of . It is the former natural tidal river River Avon, Bristol, Avon through the city but was made into its current form in 1809 when the tide was preven ...

Overview

The square opened in 1870 and the monument to Italian-born English explorer

John Cabot John Cabot ( ; 1450 – 1499) was an Italians, Italian navigator and exploration, explorer. His 1497 voyage to the coast of North America under the commission of Henry VII of England, Henry VII, King of England is the earliest known Europe ...

, by Italian sculptor Guido Casini (1892–1956), was unveiled on May 25, 1935. It takes the form of an

urban green space In land-use planning, urban green spaces are open-space areas reserved for parks and other "green spaces." These include plant life, water features also known as blue spaces and other kinds of natural environments. Most urban open spaces a ...

and may otherwise be described as a park, but its status as a public square means there is a generally unenforceable curfew. It is also the location of the STM's Atwater Terminus, with several bus routes connecting to the Métro station located nearby. A shelter and access point to the

Underground City, Montreal RÉSO, commonly referred to as the Underground City (), is the name applied to a series of interconnected office towers, hotels, shopping centres, residential and commercial complexes, convention halls, universities and performing arts venues tha ...

(Réso) can be found at the Northwestern corner of the square. Installation artwork and conceptual sculptures were integrated into the square as part of a broad urban beautification plan. In late summer/early fall 2013, the city began a major cleanup of the square including cleaning the statue of Cabot, pruning the trees and collecting debris.

The Cabot Square Project

Cabot Square has been an informal gathering place for

First Nations First nations are indigenous settlers or bands. First Nations, first nations, or first peoples may also refer to: Indigenous groups *List of Indigenous peoples *First Nations in Canada, Indigenous peoples of Canada who are neither Inuit nor Mé ...

and

Inuit Inuit (singular: Inuk) are a group of culturally and historically similar Indigenous peoples traditionally inhabiting the Arctic and Subarctic regions of North America and Russia, including Greenland, Labrador, Quebec, Nunavut, the Northwe ...

in Montreal for a long time. Many of the park's occupants, found themselves stuck here, without family, friends or social supports. In 2014, The Cabot Square Project was developed to counteract the displacement of Indigenous people in the downtown area of Montreal. The Native Women's Shelter met with multiple community organizations and currently this project is a product of a partnership between the Native Women's Shelter and the YMCA, in which both organizations have an outreach worker assigned to Cabot Square.

Notes

Document de l'exposition sur le Square Cabot et son quartier
1935 sculptures Downtown Montreal Squares in Montreal Homelessness in Canada {{public-art-stub

Overview

The Cabot Square Project

See also

Notes