René Lévesque Boulevard
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René Lévesque Boulevard (boulevard René-Lévesque in French) is one of the main streets in Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
It is a main east-west thoroughfare passing through the downtown core in the borough of Ville-Marie, south of the modern central business district but north of Old Montreal. The street begins on the west at Atwater Avenue (though see below) and continues until it merges with Notre Dame Street East just east of Parthenais Street.
René Lévesque Boulevard is lined with steel-and-glass highrise office towers. One of the street's prime addresses is 1250 René-Lévesque. Other notable structures bordering René Lévesque Boulevard include, from west to east, the Montreal Children's Hospital, the Canadian Centre for Architecture, E-Commerce Place (Cité du commerce électronique), the Tour CIBC, Mary, Queen of the World Cathedral, the Queen Elizabeth Hotel, Place Ville-Marie, Gare Centrale (Central Station), St. Patrick's Basilica, Complexe Desjardins, Complexe Guy-Favreau, the Hydro-Québec building, UQAM, SNC-Lavalin, and the Maison Radio-Canada.
From the time of its formal naming in 1844, the street was known as "Dorchester Boulevard" in honor of Guy Carleton, 1st Baron Dorchester (1724-1808), Governor of Quebec and Governor General of Canada. The name was changed in 1987 after the death of Quebec premier René Lévesque. Out of habit, many of the city's English-speakers still use the street's old name, giving rise to ambiguity. Both are understood in common parlance among Montreal anglophones; however, only the official name is valid for mailing addresses.
A portion of the thoroughfare located in the city of Westmount, between Clarke Street and Atwater Avenue, retains the official name "Dorchester Boulevard". The portion in Montreal-Est is also known at "rue Dorchester".
