Square
Sir-George-Etienne-Cartier

The construction of the Square Sir-George-Etienne-Cartier in Saint-Henri was an election promise made by Hormidas Laporte who wanted to annex the city of Saint-Henri to the city of Montreal.

The rapidly growing population resulted in Saint-Henri commulating a heavy debt load which forced the town to merge into the city of Montreal.

Laporte became mayor of Montreal and kept his promise.

The annexation occurred in 1905 and the George-Etienne-Cartier Park was built in 1912 on the site of a former slaughterhouse.

The Dominion Abattoir & Stock Yards Company was an important factory in Saint-Henri until it was destroyed by a fire in 1902.

Restored in 2003, the components of the fountain were ordered by catalog from an American company called Mott Iron Works.

The houses built around the park all had to have a facade made out of stones or decorative bricks.

The prohibitive costs of such requirements resulted in excluding the blue collar workers from the possibility of building a house around the park.

Before his death at the age of 83 and in recognition of services rendered, King Georges V knighted Hormidas Laporte and the McGill University bestowed him a honoris causa doctorate.