# Château de Vaudreuil

- **Country:** Canada
- **Year Built:** 1676 (ruins)
- **Castle Type:** Hôtel particulier
- **Location Text:** Quebec
- **Architectural Style:** French colonial

Château Vaudreuil was a prominent stately residence located in Montreal, Quebec, constructed between 1723 and 1726. Designed by Gaspard-Joseph Chaussegros de Léry, the chief engineer for New France under King Louis XV, the building exemplified the classical French Hôtel particulier architectural style. The structure featured a central building flanked by two wings, with semi-circular staircases leading to a terrace and main entrance. It was originally commissioned as the private home of Philippe de Rigaud, Marquis de Vaudreuil, but served as the official residence for the Governors General of New France in Montreal until the British Conquest in 1763. The estate was situated beyond Rue Saint-Paul, boasting formal gardens that extended toward Notre-Dame Street and offering unobstructed views due to local building restrictions.

Following its sale to the Marquis de Lotbinière in 1767, the property changed hands again in 1773 to become the Collège Saint-Raphaël. The historic building met a tragic end when it was completely destroyed by a fire in 1803. In the aftermath, a group of merchants led by Jean-Baptiste Durocher and Joseph Périnault purchased the land with the stipulation that it be used for public markets. They donated a portion of the former gardens to the government, creating the space now known as Place Jacques-Cartier. This strategic move increased the value of surrounding private properties. Additionally, in 1809, citizens erected Nelson's Column on part of the site where the château's formal gardens once stood, marking the location's transition from a private aristocratic estate to a central public square in modern Montreal.

![Photo of Château de Vaudreuil](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b4/Chateau_de_Vaudreuil_-_Montreal_1727.jpg)

**Source:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Château_Vaudreuil (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA)