McCord Museum changing its name to McCord Stewart Museum

Following the permanent closure of the Stewart Museum in February 2021 and the subsequent integration of its collection into that of the McCord Museum, the latter will now be called the “McCord Stewart Museum.” The change will come into effect on August 31, 2022, when the McCord Museum’s logo will be updated to incorporate the Stewart name. The Museum’s mission will remain unchanged.

This decision from the Museum’s Board recognizes the contributions of David M. Stewart, founder of the Stewart Museum in 1955, and Liliane M. Stewart, who was the president of its board for nearly 30 years.

In 2013, the merger of the McCord and Stewart museums resulted in the creation of the “McCord Stewart Museum,” whose mission was to manage and preserve the rich historical collections of the McCord Museum and the Stewart Museum.

The Stewart collection is comprised of approximately 30 000 artefacts, archival documents and rare books related to the European presence in New France and North America. Scientific instruments, globes, cards, firearms, objects of everyday life in the 17^th and 18^th centuries, and a library of some 1 400 rare books printed before the 19^th century represent a precious source of information on the history of Montreal, Quebec and Canada. After the Stewart Museum closed permanently, its collection was absorbed by that of the McCord Museum.

The physical merging of the McCord and Stewart collections has exacerbated space issues that significantly affect the Museum’s potential for growth and development. The exhibition galleries, storage areas, conservation facilities and learning spaces have in fact reached a critical saturation point. It is now more important than ever to realize the project to build the city a new, world-class museum of social history, open to all.