One hundred years ago, in 1922, the Old Port’s Clock Tower was built in an area we know today as the Old Port of Montréal.

Now a cherished monument, the tower’s beauty continues to grace the riverside all year around as an iconic architectural gem and witness to part of the city’s history.

Located at the foot of the tower, Clock Tower Beach is open for the summer.

The Sailors’ Memorial Clock

With four clock faces designed by prestigious English clockmakers Gillett & Johnson and decorative elements in the Beaux-Arts style, the 45-metre Sailors’ Memorial Clock (or Tour des Marins in French) was built on the Victoria Pier (today called the Clock Tower Quay) between 1919 and 1922 as a memorial to sailors who died in the First World War. Today, it is simply called the Clock Tower, or the Tour de l’Horloge in French.

“The Montréal Harbour Commission was called upon to honour the courage and the memory of members of the Canadian Merchant Marine and the British Merchant Navy who were killed in combat,” notes historian and UQAM professor Joanne Burgess. “In light of its role in provisioning arms and food to Great Britain and its allies during the Great War, the Commission undoubtedly felt called by duty.”

After the war, Burgess adds, “The Commission set out to build a memorial and, in October 1919, a block of granite marking the future location of the memorial’s commemorative plaque was unveiled by the Prince of Wales who would later ascend to the throne as King Edward VIII. Paul Leclaire, then-engineering assistant for the Commission and graduate of the city’s École Polytechnique, was entrusted with the design of the monument.”

The Clock Tower was inaugurated in 1922.