Kennedy, Sir John National Historic Person
Montréal, Quebec
John Kennedy, in Montreal, 1863
(© William Notman / Musée McCord Museum / I-7489.1)
Address :
King Edward Quay, Port of Montréal, Montréal, Quebec
Recognition Statute:
Historic Sites and Monuments Act (R.S.C., 1985, c. H-4)
Designation Date:
2001-04-27
Life Date:
1838 to 1921
Other Name(s):
-
Kennedy, Sir John
(Designation Name)
Research Report Number:
2000-058
Importance:
Transformed the Montréal harbour into a twentieth-century international port complex; one of Canada's outstanding early civil engineers
Plaque(s)
Existing plaque: King Edward Quay, Montréal, Quebec
Chief Engineer of the Montreal Harbour Commission from 1875 to 1907, Sir John Kennedy played a key role in the modernization of this port, creating a world-class complex that contributed to the development of the city. He oversaw the deepening of the St. Lawrence River from Québec City to Montréal and the reconstruction of the harbour to his design, which allowed the port to handle larger ocean freighters. An outstanding early civil engineer, admired for both his professional achievements and ideals, Kennedy was a founding member of the Canadian Society for Civil Engineering and helped shape the engineering profession in Canada.