About us

A vibrant artery, a central axis, a gathering place, discover Your Grande Allée!

Mission

Revitalize and enhance the Grande Allée and Parliament Hill area by combining the strengths of local businesses and professionals to make the area a vibrant model of economic, cultural and community development. Ensure the success and sustainability of the local ecosystem and create a vibrant, attractive urban environment for all.

Vision

Located in the heart of Parliament Hill, an emblematic site central to Quebec City's tourist activities, the SDC Grande Allée aims to make its district not only a major attraction for retail customers, but also an enriching living space for the local community, enhancing the lives of residents and the experience of consumers.

Values

Commitment

Create meaningful and lasting interactions between SDC members, economic development partners and the local community. Engagement is a vehicle for social cohesion and community pride.

Collaboration

Build partnerships between businesses, professionals, economic development organizations and residents to achieve common goals. By focusing on collaboration, SDC Grande Allée will build a dynamic ecosystem where synergies between different players will accelerate its development.

Audacity

Embody the willingness to push conventional boundaries, innovate and take risky but calculated initiatives to stand out and revitalize the sector. This value encourages SDC members to be unafraid of failure in the quest for excellence and positive community transformation.

To walk on Grande Allée is to walk through time. Through its unique history, relive the moments that have shaped its identity.

History

Quebec City's Grande Allée is a symbolic thoroughfare with an important historical, social and cultural past. Discover its evolution through archival photos that will help you relive its different eras.

The French Regime (1608-1760)

The route of today's Grande Allée appears for the first time on a map dating from 1670. An extension of rue Saint-Louis, it was then called chemin de Sillery or chemin de Cap-Rouge. The road gradually became lined with farmland and farms belonging mainly to religious communities. These included the Abraham Martin pastures, known today as the Plains of Abraham. A windmill was also built on the Buttes-à-Nepveu, near today's Hôtel Le Concorde.

The British Regime (1760-1867)

After the British Conquest, the authorities reinforced the fortifications, adding blockhouses and Martello towers south of Grande Allée to defend the city against a possible American attack. To the north, the Faubourg Saint-Louis, a working-class district of tightly-packed wooden houses, developed as an extension of the Faubourg Saint-Jean. Several fires marked the 19th century, but the district was rebuilt more densely each time. Around 1850, neoclassical terraced houses and villas for wealthy merchants appeared on Grande Allée.

The birth of Parliament Hill (1867-1890)

After Confederation in 1867, the departure of the British garrison freed up large properties along Grande Allée. The new Parliament Building (1877-1886), designed by Eugène-Étienne Taché, was built on Cricket Field, a playground used by the military. This presence attracted notables, politicians and businessmen, and formalized the name of Grande Allée. In the 1880s, its widening and the planting of trees made it a prestigious avenue, compared to the Champs-Élysées. The armoury (1885-1888) and two skating rinks (1877 et 1889) completed the landscape near the Porte Saint-Louis, rebuilt around 1880.

The golden age of Grande Allée (1890-1920)

Grande Allée reached its peak at the turn of the 20th century, entirely lined with prestigious residences between Porte Saint-Louis and Avenue Cartier. The faubourg Saint-Louis reached its maximum density. Religious communities and charitable associations settled here, and the electric tramway began circulating in 1897. The avenue also played host to numerous social gatherings and large royal, military and funeral parades. After the tricentennial celebrations of 1908, the creation of the Battlefields Park further strengthened its social role and identity in Quebec City.

An expanding Parliament Hill (1920-1960)

Between the wars, Parliament Hill expanded with the construction of four Beaux-Arts-style buildings around the Parliament Building, encroaching on the Faubourg Saint-Louis. Several opulent houses on Grande Allée were converted into ministerial offices. The first high-rise conciergeries and the Guy-Frégault building were also built. After 1945, various development plans were proposed to facilitate access to the rapidly growing automobile sector, paving the way for the transformations of the Quiet Revolution.

Major urban upheavals (1960-1985)

Under Jean Lesage, the Quiet Revolution led to the modernization of the State and the creation of new ministries, notably in health and education. The construction of buildings G, H and J transformed Parliament Hill, leading to the demolition of much of the faubourg Saint-Louis and houses on Grande Allée. The Le Concorde hotel, La Laurentienne building and Grand Théâtre became new urban landmarks. In the early 1970s, the development of the Grande-Allée garden (future Parc de la Francophonie) also helped redefine the area.

A recreational and tourism vocation (1985-present)

From the 1980s onwards, Grande Allée took on a recreational and tourist vocation, with the opening of numerous hotels, restaurants, bars and nightclubs in former bourgeois homes, bringing the area to life day and night. Real estate projects, notably on former religious sites, increased the number of residents. The city and the Commission de la capitale nationale du Québec (created in 1995) embellish the area. The avenue becomes a key destination, especially for major annual events such as the Carnival, the Summer Festival and the Festival Toboggan.

Serving the Grande Allée means ensuring its vitality, accessibility and evolution over the years.

Team and Board of Directors

André Verreault

Director, SDC

Aude Lafrance-Girard

President

Château Laurier Hotel

Fabio Monti

Vice President

Restaurant Ophelia

Rachel Rhéaume

Secretary

Dion Rhéaume Avocats