This walk will take you through Montreal’s Chinatown. This is a beautiful and vibrant neighbourhood with differing opinions on its exact border. We believe that Chinatown is bordered on the north by Rene-Levesque Boulevard, to the south by Viger Avenue, to the west by Bleury Avenue and is now establishing it’s presence east to Sainte Elisabeth (right before the CHUM super hospital). It could even furthur it’s presence on St. Laurent Boulevard north of Rene-Levesque Boulevard in the future. Chinatown lost much land due to expropriation for the massive Guy-Favreau Complex and the Palais des congrès de Montréal convention centre. The history of Chinatown goes back to the 1870’s with the first Chinese arriving. However, at this time there was a Jewish quarter in the area that stretched primarily across much of the St. Urbain and St. Laurent streets which is the north-western part of today’s Chinatown. As well, in the area around Chenneville, Jeanne Mance, de la Gauchetiere West and Anderson Streets there was an Irish community that established itself here around 1817. This walk thru Chinatown, therefore, will include this area as well. We will walk directly down rue De La Gauchetière, from Sainte Alexander Street all the way east to Sanguinet Street. As we come back, we will criss-cross north-south all the streets running perpendicular between Rene-Levesque and Viger. We will be in the heart of Chinatown! We will go thru all 4 paifang gates of Chinatown, we will search for the forgotton “Little Dublin Lane”, we will pass by the old Alexandra School just outside the present day limits of Chinatown, as well as take in the magnificent Saint Patrick’s Basilica and the charming Chinese Catholic Church of the Holy Spirit.
We hope you enjoy this walk (and the history) as much as we did. We did this walk on Saturday July 18, 2020 between 8:30am and 12pm. We managed to avoid some crowds in the morning, and keep in mind that this is during the Covid-19 pandemic, with tourism almost completely at a standstill.
The first few images will center around an Irish presence in this area just bordering west of Chinatown.
Saint Patrick’s Basilica – built 1843 thru 1847 – a gothic revival building
At Rene-Levesque Boulevard and Saint-Alexandre Street, facing south to de la Gauchetière Street West
It is 71 metres (233 ft) long, 32 metres (105 ft) wide and the steeple is 69 metres (226 ft) high
The iron gates and posts of Saint Patrick’s Basilica on west side of Saint Alexander Street
Saint Alexander Street looking south
Original St. Patrick’s Academy (built 1905) 1095-1097 Saint Alexander Street
Side entrance to St. Patrick’s Academy on Dowd Street
Entrance to Gillette Building (built 1911) 1085 Saint Alexander Street
Dowd Street – looking east.
Named after Patrick Dowd, a Catholic priest who came from Ireland and arrived in Montreal in 1848
Carmichael Street – looking east
Named after James Carmichael, the fourth bishop of Montreal
Saint Alexander Street – looking south
Original Southam Building (built 1915) 1070 Bleury Street
Original Southam Building (built 1915) 1070 Bleury Street
Anderson Street (dates back to 1844, when S.H. Anderson ceded land to the city of Montreal)
Anderson Street (looking north)
Anderson Street – some of these dwellings date back to 1870’s
We had earlier mentioned “Little Dublin Lane” and we believe this is where it was in the mid-1800’s.
Below two entries are from the Lovell’s Montreal Directory 1878-79.
Shows Anderson Avenue below left and then here Little Dublin Lane intersects , just after 28.
And below right, shows Little Dublin off 88 St. George (today this is Jeanne Mance Street).
And the bottom map of 19th C., shows the exact location squeezed in between the two streets.
Below satellite image shows that the lane exists today, but, is now a private property of backyards to these homes on both streets.
de la Gauchetière Street West in the foreground
Jeanne Mance Street
The western paifang (or gateway) to Chinatown at de la Gauchetière Street West and Jeanne Mance Street
The Chinese Catholic Church of the Holy Spirit (built 1834-1835) – originally the Secessionist Church of Scotland
205 De La Gauchetière Ouest
Rue Côté (dates back to 1801 when Gabriel Cotté, a fur trader, owned this land).
The brown brick building is the Hecla building dating back to 1866
Walking east on De La Gauchetière Ouest
Walking east on De La Gauchetière Ouest
Walking east on De La Gauchetière Ouest and now crossing Saint Urbain Street
Walking east on De La Gauchetière Ouest crossing Clark Street
Place Sun Yat-sen Park
Walking east on De La Gauchetière Ouest crossing St. Laurent Boulevard
St.Laurent Boulevard, looking north
The eastern paifang (or gateway) to Chinatown at de la Gauchetière Street West and St. Dominique Street
Continue walking east on de la Gauchetière and you will see an original structure of The Montreal General Hospital when it was located in this area back in early 1900’s
Walking east on De La Gauchetière Ouest crossing Avenue De l’Hôtel-de-Ville, with the CHUM super hospital in background
When you get to Sanguinet Street, walk north 3 blocks and you will come to the original Alexandra School (built 1910), named after Queen Alexandra of Great Britain
Original Alexandra School (built 1910)
Original Alexandra School (built 1910)
Walk back south to René Lévesque Boulevard, and you will see the CHUM super hospital side by side with the original Hôpital Saint-Luc
Avenue De l’Hôtel-de-Ville looking north (dwellings from 1870-80’s)
Walk south to Viger Avenue and you will see The Montreal Chinese Hospital
Confucius
Walk north to 65 René Lévesque Boulevard and you will find the original “Centre du Bon Conseil” (built 1928)
St. Dominique Street (dwellings from 1870’s)
Walk south to Viger and then turn right (or west) to St. Laurent Boulevard and you will now walk thru the southern paifang to Chinatown
St. Laurent Boulevard looking north
St. Laurent Boulevard looking north
The northern paifang to Chinatown at St.Laurent and Rene-Levesque
The northern paifang to Chinatown at St.Laurent and Rene-Levesque
Walk one block north to 1182 St. Laurent and you will see the original The National Theatre School of Canada (built 1891)
The rear of The National Theatre School of Canada on Clark Street
Clark Street looking south
The street sign indicating Brady Street (off Clark) which is more of a lane and dates to 1890
Brady Street
Brady Street
Fountain at top of Chenneville Street, where there was an Irish population as early as 1820’s
Dufferin School – (below postcard, circa early 1900’s- courtesy of BANQ Bibliothèque et Archives nationales du Québec)
Built in 1893, it was the oldest Protestant School in Montreal and by early 1900’s had a 90% Jewish enrollment.
It stood on Saint Urbain just south of Rene-Levesque.
Below image showing the massive demolition of the northern part of Chinatown by the Canadian government to build the Guy Favreau Complexe in the 1980’s
Courtesy the Archives de Montréal
Nanking Cafe (opened in 1933) below image from 1960’s/70’s.
It was at corner of Clark and De la Gauchetière.
Courtesy of BANQ Bibliothèque et Archives nationales du Québec.
We hope you enjoyed this walk…some old Irish history along with the exotic charm of Chinatown!
So prepare yourself and walk these streets too!
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Do you have any pictures of the buildings that were demolished for Guy Favreau? Specifically the Chinese school, just north of the Chinese Catholic Church? I also remember another school / church.