Place Émilie-Gamelin

Place Émilie-Gamelin
Outdoor chess at Place Émilie-Gamelin.
Type	Town square
Location	Quartier Latin, Ville-Marie Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Coordinates	45°30′55″N 73°33′36″W / 45.515414°N 73.55996°W / 45.515414; -73.55996Coordinates: 45°30′55″N 73°33′36″W / 45.515414°N 73.55996°W / 45.515414; -73.55996
Created	May 17, 1992
Operated by	City of Montreal
Status	Open all year
Public transit access	Berri-UQAM (Montreal Metro)

Place Émilie-Gamelin (known informally as Berri Square, French: Square Berri) is a city square in central Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It was created to mark the 350th anniversary of the city.

Bordered by Berri Street, Saint Hubert Street, Sainte Catherine Street and De Maisonneuve Boulevard, the square is adjacent to the entrances of transportation hubs Berri-UQAM Metro Station and the former Station centrale d'autobus, as well as UQAM and the Grande Bibliothèque du Québec.

The park is named for Roman Catholic nun Émilie Gamelin, founder of the Sisters of Providence religious community, which had operated a convent on the land. Émilie Gamelin and her sisters were known for running a soup kitchen (l'Œuvre de la Soupe) for the homeless community, as well as other needy people, of Montreal, until the demolition of the Asile of Providence building on August 14, 1963 for the construction of the Montreal Metro. Once the construction of the metro station was completed, the roof formed the newly formed place, then called Berri Square (at that time the metro station was named Berri-de-Montigny station), which was nothing more than a patch of concrete. Due to its history, for a long time many homeless people camped on this square.

Allegedly, the city of Montreal created a public municipal park on the square to be able to drive out the homeless people with the park regulations which don't allow access during the night. Ironically, the city named the park after Émilie Gamelin, which might contribute to the fact that the park still attracts homeless people.