René Lévesque Boulevard (french: Boulevard René-Lévesque), previously named Dorchester Boulevard () is one of the main streets in

Montreal Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-most populous city in Canada and List of towns in Quebec, most populous city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian ...

Quebec Quebec ( ; )According to the Canadian government, ''Québec'' (with the acute accent) is the official name in Canadian French and ''Quebec'' (without the accent) is the province's official name in Canadian English is one of the thirtee ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

. It is a main east–west thoroughfare passing through the downtown core in the borough of Ville-Marie. The street begins on the west at Atwater Avenue (though see below) and continues until it merges with Notre Dame Street East just east of Parthenais Street. This boulevard is named after former sovereignist

Quebec Premier The premier of Quebec (French: ''premier ministre du Québec'' (masculine) or ''première ministre du Québec'' (feminine)) is the head of government of the Canadian province of Quebec. The current premier of Quebec is François Legault of th ...

René Lévesque René Lévesque (; August 24, 1922 – November 1, 1987) was a Québécois politician and journalist who served as the 23rd premier of Quebec from 1976 to 1985. He was the first Québécois political leader since Confederation to attempt ...

. Much of René Lévesque Boulevard is lined with highrise office towers. Notable structures bordering René Lévesque Boulevard include, from west to east, the former

Montreal Children's Hospital Montreal Children's Hospital (french: Hôpital de Montréal pour enfants) 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 M ...

, the

Canadian Centre for Architecture The Canadian Centre for Architecture (CCA; french: Centre Canadien d'Architecture) is a Architecture museum, museum of architecture and research centre in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It is located at 1920, rue Baile (1920, Baile Street), between r ...

E-Commerce Place E-Commerce Place (french: Cité du commerce électronique) (CCE) is an office complex of two towers located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It is located on René-Lévesque Boulevard West between Mountain Street and Lucien L'Allier Street in Downtow ...

, 1250 René-Lévesque, CIBC Tower,

Mary, Queen of the World Cathedral , native_name_lang = , image = Marie-Reine-du-Monde, Montréal.jpg , imagesize = , imagelink = , imagealt = , landscape = , caption = , pushpin ...

, the

Queen Elizabeth Hotel Fairmont The Queen Elizabeth (french: Fairmont Le Reine Élizabeth) is a historic grand hotel in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. With 950 rooms and 21 floors it is the largest hotel in the province of Quebec, and the second largest Fairmont hotel in ...

Place Ville-Marie Place Ville Marie (PVM for short) is a large office and shopping complex skyscraper in Downtown Montreal, Quebec, Canada, comprising four office buildings and an underground shopping plaza. It serves as the main and official headquarters for Roya ...

Central Station Central stations or central railway stations emerged in the second half of the nineteenth century as railway stations that had initially been built on the edge of city centres were enveloped by urban expansion and became an integral part of the ...

Telus Tower Telus Harbour, formerly Telus House, formerly Union Tower, is a 30- storey office skyscraper at 25 York Street, on the south side of the traditionally defined financial district of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Anchor tenant Telus will occupy 60 pe ...

, St. Patrick's Basilica,

Complexe Desjardins Complexe Desjardins is a mixed-use office, hotel, and shopping mall complex located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, in the Quartier des spectacles area of Saint Catherine Street.Complexe Guy-Favreau Complexe Guy-Favreau is a twelve-storey building complex containing Canadian government offices built in 1984. It is located at 200 René Lévesque Boulevard in Ville-Marie, Montréal and extends over a six-acre plot of land, formerly part of t ...

Hydro-Québec Building The Hydro-Québec Building (french: Édifice Hydro-Québec) in Montreal, Quebec, Canada stands at with 27 floors. Completed in 1962, it houses the headquarters for Hydro-Québec as well the Montreal offices of the Premier of Quebec. The buildin ...

, UQAM and the

Maison Radio-Canada Maison Radio-Canada (English: ''CBC House'') is the broadcast headquarters, studios and master control for all French-language radio and television services of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (known in French as ''Société Radio-Canada''/S ...

. Former structures on the street include the

Laurentian Hotel The Laurentian Hotel was a 1000-room hotel on Dorchester Street, now René Lévesque Boulevard, in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The hotel was built in 1948 and demolished in 1978. The building was designed by Charles Davis Goodman, who was the archi ...

and a residential area razed to make way for the future

YUL Condos YUL Condominiums is a large residential skyscraper complex in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The towers are located on René-Lévesque Boulevard at the corner of Bishop and Mackay, near E-Commerce Place and the Bell Centre Bell Centre (), formerl ...

residential project. All of Canada's French radio and television networks are located within a few blocks of each other, making the street French Canada's media centre. The street separates the adjacent

Place du Canada Place du Canada (part of Dominion Square until 1967) is a large urban square in downtown Montreal. Overview At it is slightly larger than the adjacent Dorchester Square, with a more varied topography due to a downward slope towards De la Gauc ...

and

Dorchester Square , photo = Square Dorchester 01.jpg , photo_width = , photo_caption = , map = Canada Montreal , map_width = , type = Town square , location = Downtown Montreal, Ville-Marie Montreal, Quebec, Canada , nearest_city = , coords = , coo ...

Dorchester

From the time of its formal naming in 1844, the street was known as "Dorchester Boulevard" in honour of

Guy Carleton, 1st Baron Dorchester Guy Carleton, 1st Baron Dorchester (3 September 1724 – 10 November 1808), known between 1776 and 1786 as Sir Guy Carleton, was an Anglo-Irish soldier and administrator. He twice served as Governor of the Province of Quebec, from 1768 to 177 ...

(1724–1808),

Governor A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...

of the

Province of Quebec Quebec ( ; )According to the Canadian government, ''Québec'' (with the acute accent) is the official name in Canadian French and ''Quebec'' (without the accent) is the province's official name in Canadian English is one of the thirteen p ...

and

Governor General of Canada The governor general of Canada (french: gouverneure générale du Canada) is the federal viceregal representative of the . The is head of state of Canada and the 14 other Commonwealth realms, but resides in oldest and most populous realm, t ...

. As part of the

Golden Square Mile / ''Mille carré doré'' , native_name_lang = , settlement_type = List of neighbourhoods in Montreal, Neighbourhood , image_skyline = Ravenscrag.jpg , image_alt = , image_caption = ''Rave ...

, several mansions once stood on this street. Shortly after Jean Drapeau was elected mayor in 1954, his administration ordered the destruction of hundreds of buildings along Dorchester. In 1955, the street was widened into an eight-lane boulevard. The name was changed in 1987 after the death of

Quebec premier The premier of Quebec (French: ''premier ministre du Québec'' (masculine) or ''première ministre du Québec'' (feminine)) is the head of government of the Canadian province of Quebec. The current premier of Quebec is François Legault of th ...

. A portion of the thoroughfare located in the largely anglophone city of Westmount, between Clarke and Atwater, retains the name " Boulevard Dorchester", as does a portion in the mainly French-speaking Montréal-Est, where it is known as "Rue Dorchester."

Other streets of the same name

There is an unrelated street called ''Boulevard René-Lévesque'' on

Nuns' Island Nuns' Island (officially Île des Sœurs; ) is an island located in the Saint Lawrence River that forms a part of the city of Montreal, Quebec. It is part of the borough of Verdun. History Originally called Île Saint-Paul in honour of the f ...

Verdun Verdun (, , , ; official name before 1970 ''Verdun-sur-Meuse'') is a large city in the Meuse department in Grand Est, northeastern France. It is an arrondissement of the department. Verdun is the biggest city in Meuse, although the capital ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rene Levesque Boulevard Streets in Montreal René Lévesque Downtown Montreal Centre-Sud Quartier Latin, Montreal Boulevards