Marché Bonsecours (Bonsecours Market), at 350 rue Saint-Paul, a two-story public market named for the adjacent Notre-Dame-de-Bon-Secours Chapel, opened in 1847 to the design of William Footner. The neo-Classical design features a long façade and a Greek-Revival colonnaded portico with iron-cast Doric columns made in England. The silvery dome is a visible landmark from almost anywhere in the city and served as a landmark for sailors on the St. Lawrence River. Refurbishment of the interior continued up through 1857 under George Browne, who also added a Victorian concert hall in the East Wing of the market as well as an adjoining banquet hall.
In addition to its primary function as the principal public market in Montréal, Marché Bonsecours also briefly housed the Parliament of United Canada in April-May 1849 after Tory rioters burned down the Sainte-Anne Market Parliament Building, and Montréal City Hall from 1852 to 1878. The market closed in 1863 and was renovated the following year to house city government offices. In 1992, it became the information and exhibition center for the celebration of the city's 350th birthday and has remained an exhibition hall since that time. Today, Marché Bonsecours houses the headquarters of the Craft Council of Québec and the Institute of Design Montréal, and an arcade with boutiques, galleries and restaurants, including the 18th-century themed Cabaret du Roy.
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