Walks

Mile End

Posted May 30, 2024 by WalkMontreal

(image from Postcard 1911)

WalkMontreal is pleased to bring you an excellent walk thru vibrant Mile End neighbourhood, touching on it’s history while highlighting the streets and the culture found here. This area is influenced by French-Canadian, Eastern European, Greek, and Portuguese cultures amongst many others over the years. There has been a significant influence by Eastern European Jewish culture and today there is one of the largest Hassidic communities in the world who have made Mile End and neighbouring Outremont their home. Geographically, Mile End continues north into Montreal’s Little Italy area but this walk we are presenting is mostly bordered by Mont-Royal Avenue to the south, Saint-Laurent Boulevard to the east, Van Horne Avenue to the north and Park Avenue to the west.

Mile End may be the one neighbourhood most widely spoken about outside of the city. It’s beginnings can be traced back to meadows and farmland that were beyond the city limits and was roughly one mile from somewhere, possibly the city boundary to the Mile End cross roads of today’s St. Lawrence Boulevard and Mount-Royal Avenue. At these cross roads stood the Mile End Tavern on farmland, owned by John Clark and leased by Stanley Bagg. Nearby to the east was a tannery and a limestone quarry. Eventually a railway was brought into the area and a station was built in Mile End, officially opening in 1877, due to the efforts of Louis Beaubien and inspiration of Curé Antoine Labelle. There would be waves of immigration to this area in the 20th century, mainly Eastern European Jews, Greeks, Portuguese and Italians. The Italian community established itself in the section of Mile End north of the railway, creating their own Little Italy. A strong Hasidic community is also here. Mile End became a centre point for European food, the garment industry took root and now in the 21st century we see businesses in computer graphics/gaming and artificial intelligence established here, as well as artists and entrepreneurs of all types. Oh yes, the bagels!

C&D will walk Mile End and attempt to catch the essence of the neighbourhood, and even highlight some personalities, culture and alleys.

So join us as we walk the streets, highlight central characters, and stretch our legs. C & D did this walk on Saturday May 18, 2024 between11:35AM and 3:30PM. The temperature when starting was 22C (72 F) and when we finished it was 24C (75 F). It was sunny with few clouds and the terrain is mostly flat and the walk is a total of 7.5KM (4.6Miles). We used a Motorola one 5G ace phone, a DJI Osmo Pocket and a Nikon D3400 camera so there will be a difference in the standards and resolution of the images.

Warning: the railroad tracks at the former Mile End Train Station are owned by Canadian Pacific Rail and it is illegal and dangerous to cross them at non-designated public crossings. Do not walk across the railway tracks. Be aware that people have been struck by trains here. Be safe!

We start the walk at the south-east corner of Mont-Royal and Park avenues.

At this corner is the Louis Rubenstein Fountain dedicated to Louis Rubenstein, the world figure skating champion of 1890, athlete and city alderman. The fountain was a private initiative.

Louis Rubenstein (photo by Wm. Notman- 1893).

The Gazette, May 11 1939.

Mount Royal is off to the south-west.

Jeanne-Mance Park (formerly known as Fletcher’s Field).

On north side of Mont-Royal Avenue, is the Sir Mortimer B. Davis Memorial Building / Young Men’s Hebrew Association (YMHA), built in 1928.

We are walking east along Mont-Royal Avenue.

Intersection of Mont-Royal Avenue and Saint-Urbain Street.

Beauty’s Luncheonette (93 Mont-Royal Avenue West). Founded by Freda and Hymie Sckolnick in 1942.

If you walk a few steps north on Saint-Urbain Street, you will see Bancroft School (4563 Saint-Urbain Street), built in 1915. This is one of the earliest classic Protestant schools in Montreal built in stone and brick with four floors.

Montreal Daily Star September 11, 1915.

Turn around and head back to Mont-Royal Avenue and continue walking east to Saint-Laurent Boulevard.

Intersection of Mont-Royal Avenue and Saint-Laurent Boulevard. The Mile End Tavern stood at the north-west corner of this intersection. Early references to the Mile End Tavern are recorded and it is believed the name derives from an approximate mile from the Montreal city limits to this location or the land owner, John Clark who was from England, named it after Mile End in London. The Mile End Tavern was an inn and tavern combined, built in early 1800’s and demolished in early 1900’s.`

Intersection of Mont-Royal Avenue and Saint-Laurent Boulevard.

Looking north up Saint-Laurent Boulevard.

We continue our walk east on Mont-Royal Avenue to the corner of Coloniale Avenue.

We will walk south down Coloniale Avenue a few steps.

Coloniale Avenue.

We are looking for 4466 Coloniale Avenue.

This is where the Weider family lived in the 1930’s, 1940’s and 1950’s.

In 1931, a 12 year old Joe Weider was tired of being bullied by bigger boys in these rough streets and he would head out with a makeshift grocery cart, walking north to the recently closed Mile End Train Station. He would scavenge the railyard, looking behind the station and on the tracks collecting old train axels and flywheels. Loading these solid iron pieces onto his cart, he made his way back home and started weightlifting with these crude pieces. Together, Joe and his brother Ben would launch “Your Physique” magazine from their home, create the International Fitness and Bodybuilding Federation and found their own sports and nutrition company, called Weider.

Joe Weider- 1940’s (credit: JoeWeider.com) Ben Weider (The Montreal Star March 14, 1964),

The first issue of “Your Physique” – Volume 1 No. 1 – August 1940. Published by Joe Weider.

Let’s head back to Mont-Royal Avenue and walk north on Coloniale Avenue.

Walking north on Coloniale Avenue.

Walking north on Coloniale Avenue. Joe Weider probably came along here with his wagon on his way to Mile End Train Station in 1931.

Coloniale Avenue.

Intersection of Coloniale Avenue and Villeneuve Street. We are going to make a detour and walk west along Villeneuve to Clark Street.

Continue past Saint-Laurent Boulevard heading towards Clark Street.

Intersection of Villeneuve and Clark streets.

Walk a few steps south on Clark Street.

At 4673 Clark Street was where the actor Len Birman was born and raised. A talented actor, from our childhood we recall him as the voice of Robin Hood in the successful animated series “Rocket Robin Hood” (Kranz films) from 1966-1969. There was also a French language version titled “Robin Fusée”. From his early days in amateur theatre performing at the Van Horne School auditorium and Cafe Andre, Birman would have a career spanning almost 70 years in theatre, voice and motion pictures both in Canada and the United States.

Len Birman (credit: TMDB)

Clark Street.

Turn around and head back up Clark, back east on Villeneuve to Saint-Laurent Boulevard.

Intersection of Saint-Laurent Boulevard and Villeneuve Street.

Walk north on Saint-Laurent Boulevard.

Intersection of Saint-Laurent and St. Joseph boulevards.

St. Joseph Boulevard looking east with Église de Saint-Enfant-Jésus du Mile-End (built in 1857-1858).

On the east side we will pass by Parc Lahaie and Église de Saint-Enfant-Jésus du Mile-End (built in 1857-1858). .

Flashback to April 21, 2019 (pre-covid pandemic).

European Postcard, 1915.

Continue up Saint-Laurent Boulevard.

Intersection of Saint-Laurent Boulevard and Laurier Avenue West.

Fire Station No. 30 is in this beautiful chateau style building built in 1905. At the turn of the 20th century, city hall of the municipality of Saint-Louis du Mile-End was here.

A mural “Tribute to Mordecai Richler” can be seen on the neighbouring building (created 2016 by Dominique Desbiens /and Bruno Rouyère).

Looking west down Laurier Avenue, with Mount Royal in distance.

Continue walking north on Saint-Laurent Boulevard.

Intersection of Saint-Laurent Boulevard and Fairmount Avenue.

North-east corner of Saint-Laurent Boulevard and Fairmount Avenue.

South-east corner of Saint-Laurent Boulevard and Fairmount Avenue.

Saint-Laurent Boulevard.

Continue walking north on Saint-Laurent Boulevard.

Intersection of Saint-Laurent Boulevard and Maguire Street.

Saint-Laurent Boulevard…almost there, we are looking for “Phil’z Passage Secret”.

Ahhh…there it is on the left (west side of Saint-Laurent Boulevard, at the 5296 block).

Let’s walk thru it, shall we?

Once you go thru the secret passage, we will walk north thru the back lane behind Saint-Laurent Boulevard.

Walk north thru the back lane behind Saint-Laurent Boulevard.

Walking north thru the back lane behind Saint-Laurent Boulevard.

Exit the laneway onto Saint-Viateur Street.

Looking west down Saint-Viateur Street.

Intersection of Saint-Laurent Boulevard and Saint-Viateur Street.

At the south-east corner of Saint-Laurent and Saint-Viateur is Ubisoft, a video game publisher from France.

Ubisoft is one of several high-tech industries that have made their presence in Mile End, including companies in artificial intelligence and gaming. Many of these old buildings, once home to the garment trade, are now repurposed for information technology companies.

The building was formerly the John W. Peck Shirt and Clothing Factory. Postcard (Valentine’s and Sons Ltd) circa 1910.

South-west corner of Saint-Laurent Boulevard and Saint-Viateur Street.

Let’s continue walking north on Saint-Laurent Boulevard. We are interested in the buildings up ahead on the left.

The red brick building at the end has three addresses: 5610, 5612 and 5614 Saint-Laurent Boulevard. In the 1911 Canada Census, the civic address scheme was different than today’s, and they used to be 2356, 2358 and 2360 St. Lawrence Boulevard. The Montreal municipal date of construction of this building is 1910. The building structure and location is the same as it was in 1911. Beside it lies Luke Callaghan School today. In 1911, a lumber yard occupied the space where the school is.

So on September 12, 1901 Samuel Bernstein was born in Montreal. The 1911 Census has a 9 year old Samuel Bernstein living at 2358 St. Lawrence Boulevard with his grandmother, parents and sister. (Today it would be 5612 Saint-Laurent Blvd.). Samuel would take on the first name of Benjamin and be known as Benjamin Bernstein. Eventually, the family (minus the father) made their way to the United States and, always interested in the performing arts, Samuel (Benjamin) Bernstein would become “Ben Blue”. Ben Blue won a comedy routine in Montreal at the age of eight, and was hooked from then on. He performed on the street, on the Vaudeville circuit, on Broadway, in Hollywood motion pictures and was a successful nightclub owner in California. His life in entertainment spanned over 60 years.

Ben Blue. His life in entertainment spanned over 60 years.

5610, 5612 and 5614 Saint-Laurent Boulevard, on far right. Ben Blue lived here as per 1911 Canada Census at the 5612 address.

Looking back south on Saint-Laurent Boulevard.

The back of Luke Callaghan School (originally called St. Michael’s School), built in 1922.

The No. 55 bus coming up Saint-Laurent Boulevard.

Continue walking north on Saint-Laurent Boulevard.

Saint-Laurent Boulevard.

We now reach the corner of Bernard Street.

Intersection of Saint-Laurent Boulevard and Bernard Street.

We are going to make a right turn and walk east on Bernard Street.

Walk just one block east on Bernard Street.

Looking east on Bernard Street. Streetcar on Saint-Laurent Boulevard. Mile End Train Station can be seen in the background. 1937. (Les Archives de la Ville de Montréal ).

The Gazette (Montreal) March 8, 1877.

Mile End Train Station would have stood right in front of us across the street.

We reach the intersection of Bernard and Saint-Dominique streets.

Warning: the railroad tracks are owned by Canadian Pacific Rail and it is illegal and dangerous to cross them at non-designated public crossings. Do not walk across the railway tracks. Be aware that people have been struck by trains here. Be safe! The below photo’s were taken from the side of the fence and we did not cross the tracks to the other side.

If we look at this area here, there are the railroad train tracks, the remnants of an old flea market, the site of the Mile End Train Station, the Van Horne Overpass and the skateboard park under the over pass.

There were two Mile End Train Stations. The first one was built in 1877. The second one was built in 1911. Mile End Train Station in 1970. (Photo by Robert Vandensteene / Les Archives de la Ville de Montréal )

On the north side of the railway was the Frontenac Brewery, founded by Joseph Beaubien. It was the first French-Canadian Brewery, calling itself “The Brewery of the People”. (The Gazette October 17, 1913).

Mile End Train Station first opened in 1877 and then a second train station was built in 1911 and closed in 1931, being replaced by the Jean-Talon Train Station in Park Extension. Mile End Train Station was demolished in 1971.

This is where a 12 year old Joe Weider came in 1931 after the station closed and searched for iron weights in the form of fly wheels and axels beginning the Weider empire.

Joe Weider, circa 1940 – the Father of Body Building. (Credit JoeWeider.com).

Mile End Train Station in 1970. (Photo by Robert Vandensteene / Les Archives de la Ville de Montréal )

The Beaubien family (Joseph, Senator Charles, and Louis) – 1903. (Library and Archives Canada Item # 4759429). The Beaubien family owned much of the land in the area and were instrumental in development of Mile End Train Station.

Underneath the overpass is the Van Horne Skate Park.

Walk back to Saint-Laurent Boulevard and at the corner of Cloutier Street are the stairs going up to the Van Horne Overpass.

Let’s take these stairs up to the top of the Van Horne Overpass.

From the top of these stairs you can get a view.

We are now on the Van Horne Overpass. The Van Horne Warehouse is seen with it’s iconic water tower. Off to the right of the warehouse (north) Mile End geographically continues up Saint-Laurent Boulevard into Mile-Ex and Little Italy.

Off to the right of the warehouse (north) Mile End geographically continues up Saint-Laurent Boulevard into Mile-Ex and Little Italy. (photo taken April 9, 2022 WalkMontreal).

Looking up the Van Horne Overpass towards Rosemont.

Some views of the rooftops of Mile End and Saint-Laurent Boulevard.

Make your way back down the stairs from the Van Horne Overpass and we will take a quick look at the Van Horne Warehouse.

This is where Van Horne Avenue begins.

Van Horne Warehouse (built in 1924). Van Horne Avenue begins on the left. Saint-Laurent Boulevard continues north under the CP railway into Mile-Ex and Little Italy.

“St. Lawrence Street Subway” – International Postcard Inc. 1911.

City of Montreal did a good job with the bike path, shielded by a concrete median from cars.

Turn around and go back under the Van Horne Overpass and we will walk west on Arcade Street.

Intersection of Arcade Street and Boulevard Saint-Laurent.

Walking west on Arcade Street, we can see the laneway behind Saint-Laurent Boulevard.

We now come to the corner of Arcade and Clark streets.

Turn right and walk to the end of Clark Street.

We come to Parc Lhasa-De-Sela. Named in tribute to American-Canadian singer-songwriter, Lhasa de Sela. Lhasa adopted Mile-End as her home in Montreal. Some say Mile-End adopted her. She left us way to soon.

Lhasa de Sela (credit: Canadian Press).

Parc Lhasa-De-Sela

We can see the Van Horne Warehouse.

Along the northern perimeter of Parc Lhasa-De-Sela is a path that takes us west to Saint-Urbain Street and Van Horne Avenue.

Walk west on this path, it will take us over Saint-Urbain Street.

This is the green space we are walking thru.

Continue walking west thru this green space. It runs parallel to the Van Horne Overpass.

The No. 161 Van Horne bus.

Intersection of Van Horne Avenue and Saint-Urbain Street

On the north side of Van Horne Avenue is the incredible “Twilight Sculpture Garden” by artist Glen LeMesurier.

“Twilight Sculpture Garden” by artist Glen LeMesurier.

On the south side of Van Horne Avenue, opposite the Sculpture Garden in this building is the recording studio, hotel2tango. A long list of artists have recorded here, including Arcade Fire and Lhasa de Sela.

On the side of hotel2tango is a beautiful Ruelle Verte , but, we are going to walk down another one close by.

Walking west on north side of Van Horne Avenue.

At Waverly Street, cross over and walk south down the alley between Waverly Street and Esplanade Avenue.

Walking south down the alley between Waverly Street and Esplanade Avenue.

We exit the alley on Bernard Avenue.

Walk a few steps west to the intersection of Bernard Street and Esplanade Avenue.

Intersection of Bernard Street and Esplanade Avenue.

We will walk north on Esplanade Avenue, heading back to Van Horne Avenue,

Walking north on Esplanade Avenue.

Esplanade Avenue.

We come to the old Edward Vll School (built in 1912). It was also one of the early brick and stone Protestant schools in Montreal.

Edward Vll School (built in 1912).

Montreal Daily Star, February 8, 1913.

We are back on Van Horne Avenue at corner of Jeanne-Mance Street.

We are walking over to Park Avenue. We see the Bovril Building at the south-east corner.

Bovril Building (built in 1922) at 6201 Park Avenue.

Entrance to the Bovril Building on the right. Park Avenue continues north to Park Extension. We are headed south on Park Avenue.

Intersection of Van Horne and Park avenues.

Let’s start walking south on Park Avenue.

Walking south on Park Avenue.

We are now at the intersection of Park Avenue and Bernard Street.

Looking east down Bernard Street.

Continue south on Park Avenue. This is the fabulous Rialto Theatre (built in 1923) at 5723 Park Avenue.

The Rialto Theatre (built in 1923) at 5723 Park Avenue.

Interior of Rialto – 1924 (Credit: La Presse / BANQ).

The Rialto Theatre (built in 1923) at 5723 Park Avenue.

We are on the west side of Park Avenue walking south.

Park Avenue looking south.

North End Motor Sales Co. at 5622-5638 Park Avenue in 1930. (McCord Stewart Museum).

The No. 80 bus on Park Avenue.

Continue walking south on Park Avenue.

We come to intersection of Park Avenue and Saint-Viateur Street.

We are going to cross over Park Avenue and walk east on Saint-Viateur Street.

“St. Viateur Bagel Shop” (263 Saint-Viateur West). Founded in 1954 by Myer Lewkowicz.

South side of Saint-Viateur Street with alley.

Looking down the alley.

Continue walking east on Saint-Viateur Street. This is the corner of Jeanne-Mance Street.

Walking east on Saint-Viateur Street.

Continue walking east on Saint-Viateur Street. This is the corner of Esplanade Avenue.

Crossing Esplanade Avenue.

Looking north up Esplanade Avenue.

Continue walking east on Saint-Viateur Street.

This is the corner of Waverly Street.

Saint-Viateur and Waverly streets.

Continue walking east on Saint-Viateur Street.

We come to the corner of Saint-Urbain Street.

Corner of Saint-Viateur and Saint-Urbain streets.

South side of Saint-Viateur Street.

Corner of Saint-Viateur and Saint-Urbain streets.

The Church of St. Michael and St. Anthony (built in 1915) at 5580 Saint-Urbain Street.

We will now start walking south on Saint-Urbain Street.

Walking south on Saint-Urbain Street.

At 5257 Saint-Urbain Street, Mordecai Richler grew up as a young child and teenager. Much of his writings were about Saint-Urbain Street, Mile-End, Baron Byng High School and more from his childhood neighbourhood.

Mordecai Richler, 1957 (credit: Horst Ehricht / Library and Archives Canada Item # 3611430).

Coming to the intersection of Saint-Urbain Street and Fairmount Avenue.

Turn left (heading east) on Fairmount Avenue.

Walking east on Fairmount Avenue.

Fairmount Bagel at 74 Fairmount Avenue West. In 1919 Isadore Shlafman opened the first bagel shop in Montreal in a lane behind The Main, called the Montreal Bagel Bakery. He would move his bagel shop to Fairmount Avenue in 1949 and renamed it “The Original Fairmount Bagel Bakery”.

Laneway going north-south from Fairmount Avenue.

Walking east on Fairmount Avenue.

Intersection of Fairmount Avenue and Clark Street.

“Wilensky(‘s) Light Lunch” at 34 Fairmount Avenue West. Opened in 1932 by Moe Wilensky at the west side of Clark and Fairmount, it moved to its current location in 1952.

Fairmount Avenue and Clark Street, with Wilensky(s).

“The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz” – 1974 movie filmed in Montreal. Story by Lionel Chetwynd, based on the 1959 novel by Mordecai Richler. Directed by Ted Kotcheff. Starred Richard Dreyfuss, Micheline Lanctôt, Randy Quaid, Joseph Wiseman and others. Joseph Wiseman was born less than a mile away.

The Montreal Star April 11, 1974.

Filming on location – The Montreal Star April 6, 1974.

Here comes Duddy Kravitz (played by Richard Dreyfuss)…and into Wilensky’s he goes… (Stills from “The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz” ).

The interior of Wilensky(s) is virtually unchanged since it opened at it’s present location in 1952. (photo taken in 2015 by WalkMontreal).

Looking east on Fairmount Avenue.

Fairmount Avenue and Clark Street, with Wilensky(s).

Fairmount Avenue and Clark Street.

We are now going to walk south on Clark Street. Nice bike lane here.

Walking south on Clark Street.

Coming up to the intersection of Laurier Avenue.

Just before the intersection of Laurier Avenue, on the east side is a car wash with a Ruelle Verte behind it. We will cross over and walk along that green alley.

Enter the Ruelle Verte here and walk thru it.

Walking thru the Ruelle Verte.

Exiting the Ruelle Verte on Saint-Urbain Street.

We are on Saint-Urbain Street again, but, we want to cross over and make our way to the small street called Clermont Avenue.

Watch out for traffic and cars and cross at the crosswalk.

Intersection of Saint-Urbain Street and Clermont Avenue.

We are on Clermont Avenue walking east on it.

Clermont Avenue only runs for one block, so we will arrive at Esplanade Avenue in a few steps.

Intersection of Clermont and Esplanade avenues.

Turn right and walk north on Esplanade Avenue to the corner of Fairmount Avenue.

We are back on Fairmount Avenue with some historic buildings around us.

Collège Français building at 185 Fairmount Avenue West. This building was previously Fairmount Model School, it was built in 1897 and then an annex was added in 1908 becoming Fairmount School. Throughout the early part of the 1900’s, Jewish students were the majority. In 1922, the enrollment of pupils at Fairmount School reached an incredible 1,631 pupils. Ben Blue attended school here. Collège Français purchased the building in 1966 and modified the facade.

Fairmount School, Postcard circa 1910’s.

Collège Français building at 172 Fairmount Avenue West. This building was previously the B’nai Jacob Synagogue, built in 1920-1921, and was the largest synagogue in Canada at the time. Collège Français purchased the building in 1964.

Montreal Daily Star, January 29, 1921.

Fairmount Avenue.

Fairmount Hall (built in 1907) at 221 Fairmount Avenue West. It also served as the local Young Men’s Christian Association (YMCA). The building needs to be cleaned up.

Fairmount Hall, showing the YMCA entrance on far right entrance. Postcard circa 1910.

Fairmount Hall (built in 1907) at 221 Fairmount Avenue West. It also served as the local Young Men’s Christian Association (YMCA). The building needs to be cleaned up.

Turn around and go back to Fairmount and Esplanade avenues. Then walk north on Esplanade Avenue.

Walking north on Esplanade Avenue.

We are looking for Groll Street (it’s a Ruelle Verte).

Enter Groll Street on the west side of Esplanade Street and walk thru it headed west towards Jeanne-Mance Street.

Walking thru Groll Street (a Ruelle Verte).

Now exiting Groll Street onto Jeanne-Mance Street.

Jeanne-Mance Street.

Jeanne-Mance Street, at the stop sign on right is where we exited Groll Street.

We will start walking south on Jeanne-Mance Street, back towards Fairmount Avenue.

Walking south on Jeanne-Mance Street.

When you get to Fairmount Avenue, walk one block west to Park Avenue.

Intersection of Fairmount and Park avenues.

Walk south on Park Avenue and we will come to the old Regent Theatre (built in 1915) at 5117 Park Avenue.

The old Regent Theatre (built in 1915) at 5117 Park Avenue.

Intersection of Park and Laurier avenues.

The old Regent Theatre (built in 1915) at 5117 Park Avenue.

Opening of The Regent with a seating capacity of 1,200. The great Montreal pianist, Willie Eckstein was at the piano for live music! (The Montreal Star March 4, 1916).

The No. 80 bus coming up Park Avenue.

Intersection of Park Avenue and Saint-Joseph Boulevard.

Walking south in Park Avenue.

Keep walking south on Park Avenue.

Here comes another No. 80 bus.

In 1974, a movie titled “Mousey” was filmed in Montreal. Directed by Daniel Petrie and written by John Peacock. It had an excellent cast, including Kirk Douglas, Jean Seberg and John Vernon. One scene has Mousey (played by Douglas) exiting a taxi and walking up these stairs on the east side of Park Avenue between Saint-Joseph Boulevard and Villeneuve Street.

San Francisco Examiner March 3, 1974.

Here comes George Anderson (played by Kirk Douglas) in a taxi down Park Avenue…(Stills from “Mousey”).

The buildings are striking in a very unique way as are most of the buildings on Park Avenue.

Continue down Park Avenue and at the intersection of Villeneuve Street, we see the Pierrefonds Apartments (built in 1910) at 294 Villeneuve Street.

Montreal Daily Star, March 11, 1911 highlighting “Progress in the North End”.

Approaching Mont-Royal Avenue.

We are now at Mont-Royal Avenue.

Intersection of Park and Mount-Royal avenues.

And returning to the Rubenstein Fountain, we now see lots of sun bathers in Jeanne-Mance Park.

This concludes the Mile End Walk. We hope you enjoyed it as much as we did. More walks to come!

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Micro-Walk #6: Monkland (community, arts and learning)

Posted May 9, 2024 by WalkMontreal

“Monkland” is the sixth in a series of micro-walks in Montréal. We are planning on extending our micro-walks throughout the island of Montreal, not just confining them to the downtown core. This way, wherever you may be, there will be one close to you. They are designed so that you can get out and stretch your legs, see some interesting sites and appreciate the history these streets have to offer.

“Monkland” is the title we give this walk. It will highlight community, arts and learning, spotlight some history and pay tribute to Montreal’s very own, William Shatner. The name Monkland comes from Sir James Monk (1745-1826), who was, amongst many other roles, the Chief Justice of Lower Canada. Monklands (today’s Villa Maria) and Monkland Avenue are named after him. So we will look at the origins of the name Monkland, walk down this fabulous avenue and enjoy the community of it all, while taking a glimpse into the past by weaving in images of yesteryear.

We have created a couple of other walks that cover other parts of NDG neighbourhood, so this walk centre’s on just walking down Monkland Avenue. We hope you enjoy it!

C & D did this walk on Saturday May 4, 2024. Temperature at start of walk was 11C (52F) and at end of walk was 17C (63F), with cloudy skies. The walk itself is not long, a total of 5KM (3 miles). The terrain is mostly flat. Please follow along the below map.

The Monkland walk starts at Metro Villa-Maria, (Décarie Boulevard and Monkland Avenue).

Photo taken in 1982 by Michel Gravel (courtesy of La Presse/BANQ) showing Villa-Maria students in front of Villa-Maria Metro station.

Right beside the Metro station is the gate and entrance to Villa-Maria, a subsidized private Catholic high school.

In 1795, James Monk purchased a building and land that would become known as “Monklands”. In the 1840’s, when Montreal became the capital of the United Province of Canada, the Governor-General took up residence at “Monklands”. Also during same period in late 1840’s, the main building was leased out as a hotel, “Monklands Hotel”. In 1854, the Congrégation de Notre Dame de Montréal purchased the land and buildings for a convent and a school and renamed it “Villa-Maria”.

Panorama view of Villa-Maria.

Video showing Villa-Maria.

Villa-Maria students in a physical education class on the grounds (credit: Conrad Poirier/BANQ) October 8, 1946.

This long stretch of road leading to and from Villa-Maria is actually the beginning of Monkland Avenue.

Head back to Decarie Boulevard.

You can see how the roadway from Villa-Maria joins straight to Monkland Avenue.

Walk south on Decarie Boulevard for one block.

When you get to Brodeur Avenue, walk down it.

You will see the sunken Decarie Expressway up ahead.

Walk south along this small path on the edge of the Decarie Expressway.

When you see the Decarie Expressway this close below you, you can get an appreciation for the streets and homes that were demolished to make way.

Keep walking along this pathway.

The pathway will now take you over the Decarie Expressway.

The Decarie Expressway.

The path will now take you to the other side of the Decarie Expressway.

Up ahead is the corner of Duquette and Brodeur avenues.

Corner of Duquette and Brodeur avenues.

Walk down Brodeur Avenue.

It’s a very short distance to Girouard Avenue.

So when you get to the end of Brodeur Avenue and you intersect with Girouard Avenue, the brown duplex (4240 Girouard Avenue) in front of you is where the actor William Shatner lived in early 1940’s onwards as a boy, teenager and young man.

The Montreal Star, October 22, 1966.

Coincidentally, right beside the home where William Shatner lived, was the Monkland Theatre.

Looking south on Girouard Avenue.

Walk up to the corner where Girouard Avenue meets Monkland Avenue.

North-west corner of Girouard and Monkland avenues.

Photo taken in 1979 by Paul-Henri Talbot (courtesy of La Presse; BANQ) of north-west corner of Girouard and Monkland avenues. You can see a Perrette store in the middle of photo.

South-east corner of Girouard and Monkland avenues is Parc Paul-Doyon.

Montrealer Paul Doyon (1903-1986) trained on the organ and piano, first at the Nazareth Institute for the Blind, then in Paris thanks to the Prix d’Europe scholarship (1925). Although he was the organist of his parish of Notre-Dame-de-Grâce (1922-1986), he made several tours in Canada, the United States, India and Japan. He participated in a National Film Board film on the use of braille in musical writing. The first Canadian to be honored with the Christian Culture Award (1950), Paul Doyon left his name to the park located near the house he lived in for around fifty years.

above translated from: https://montreal.ca/toponymie/toponymes/parc-paul-doyon

Windsor Star, Thursday March 21, 1957.

A fancy new water fountain was installed here at Parc Paul-Doyon.

South-west corner of Girouard and Monkland avenues is the old Monkland Theatre. Built in 1929, it opened on March 7, 1930 and remained operational until 1981. Now houses commercial and office space.

Monkland Theatre (5504 Monkland Avenue).

Opening night for the Monkland Theatre ! Friday March 7, 1930- “Tiger Rose” and “Paris” were playing. (Photo courtesy of La Presse/BANQ).

Montreal Daily Star, Friday March 7, 1930. Opening night for Monkland Theatre !

Start walking west along Monkland Avenue.

Photo taken in 1940 by Conrad Poirier (courtesy BANQ) of 5516 Monkland Avenue.

Intersection of Old Orchard Avenue.

103 Monkland bus approaches.

Intersection of Marcil Avenue.

We are going to turn right and take a quick deviation and walk halfway up Marcil Avenue.

Walking up Marcil Avenue.

We will see St. Michael’s Finnish Evangelical Lutheran Church at 4345 Marcil Avenue.

From early 1930’s to early 1940’s, William Shatner lived here with his family (4407 Marcil Avenue).

Turn around and walk back to Monkland Avenue.

Back on Monkland Avenue now.

Walking west on Monkland Avenue, approaching intersection of Oxford Avenue.

Intersection of Monkland and Harvard avenues.

Monkland Avenue showing Mcleod-Craig Printing at 5731 Monkland Avenue. Photo taken in 1953 by Conrad Poirier.

Continue on and we now reach Wilson Avenue.

On Monkland Avenue, just after Wilson Avenue, if you look left across the street, there is a splendid alley going south.

And if you look right, the alley goes all the way north.

The Canadian Art Theatre, founded by Joy Thomson, at 5767 Monkland Avenue. Photo taken October 4, 1946 by Conrad Poirier. Joy Thomson would go on to create The Mountain Playhouse on Mount Royal overlooking Beaver Lake in 1950. P.S. that looks like Camillien Houde, centre, seated.

Coming up to Melrose Avenue now.

We now reach the intersection of Monkland and Draper avenues.

At Draper Avenue, we will turn right and walk north on Draper.

Walking north on Draper Avenue.

As Draper Avenue meets Rue de Terrebonne, Willingdon School will appear.

The east side of Willingdon School facing Draper Avenue, specifying girls entrance.

The symbol of the little owl represents knowledge, insight, learning, scholarship.

Intersection of Draper Avenue and Rue de Terrebonne.

Willingdon School (5870 de Terrebonne Street) was built in 1929 and officially opened for classes on January 7, 1930 with 866 pupils. Willingdon School was able to relieve both Herbert Symonds School and Kensington School that were nearby of a total of 21 classes due to both those schools being over capacity. Willingdon School is a classic example of the large schools built by the Protestant Central School Board earlier in the beginning of the 1900’s, pre-PSBGM (Protestant School Board of Greater Montreal). These were massive four story brick and stone buildings. Nesbitt School in Rosemont is another example that still stands today.

(1st clipping): The Gazette (Montreal) – Saturday, January 18, 1930.
(2nd clipping): Willingdon students preparing to enroll in West Hill High School. The Gazette, Wednesday, September 4, 1940.

Walk to the next block and go down Royal Avenue where we see the original boys entrance.

West side of Willingdon School on Royal Avenue.

The symbol of the little owl represents knowledge, insight, learning, scholarship.

We continue our walk south on Royal Avenue to Monkland Avenue.

Continue walking west on Monkland Avenue.

Intersection of Monkland and Hampton Avenues.

We are going to just turn up Hampton Avenue for a few steps and take in the YMCA (4335 Hampton Avenue) built in 1940.

YMCA (4335 Hampton Avenue) built in 1940.

There is a massive Bell Canada building here (6055 Monkland Avenue) built in 1928.

Continue walking west on Monkland Avenue.

Intersection of Hingston and Monkland avenues.

Intersection of Beaconsfield and Monkland avenues.

Charlie Dillon Gas & Oil Service Station (6180 Monkland Avenue). Photo taken September 12, 1949 by Conrad Poirier.

Intersection of Grand Boulevard and Monkland Avenue.

Madison Baptist Church (6297 Monkland Avenue), built in 1939.

Intersection of Madison and Monkland avenues.

Intersection of West Hill and Monkland avenues.

We are going to turn right and walk up West Hill Avenue.

Walking up West Hill Avenue.

We now come to the original West Hill High School (1919 to 1952) / Westward High School (1952-1955) / Monklands High School (1955-1979) at 4400 West Hill Avenue, built in 1917.

West Hill High School -1948 Yearbook.

West Hill School Band 1950.

William Shatner in the 1948 West Hill Yearbook.

Monklands High – 1959 yearbook.

The hallways and lockers of Monklands High – 1973 yearbook.

Monklands High School Prom. Wondering what music was playing that evening? The Gazette, May 17, 1958.

Well, here is the Top of the Pops for 1958. Maybe what was playing at the Monklands Prom was “All I Have To Do Is Dream” or was it “Twilight Time”? The Gazette May 17, 1958.

On the west side is Benny Avenue.

Benny Park.

Walk along Benny Avenue to Rue de Terrebonne.

At the intersection of Benny Avenue and Rue de Terrebonne is Saint Monica Catholic Church.

Turn around and start walking east on Rue de Terrebonne.

You will pass by the Mackay Centre for the deaf and physically disabled and Philip E. Layton School for the blind and visually impaired and associated disabilities. Incredible work they do here !

Continue walking east on Rue de Terrebonne. Clear your thoughts and keep your focus on the horizon, this is a peaceful walk along Terrebonne.

Continue walking east on Rue de Terrebonne.

Once you pass the corner of Draper Avenue, just before Melrose Avenue, you will see an alley on your right, heading south.

Once you pass the corner of Draper Avenue, just before Melrose Avenue, you will see an alley on your right, heading south. We are going to finish this walk by walking down this alley.

We finish our Monkland walk by walking down this alley back to Monkland Avenue where you can then make your way back to Villa-Maria Metro station or if you continue down the alley, it will take you all the way to Sherbrooke Street West. Here are some short video clips.

This concludes the Monkland walk. We hope you enjoyed this walk as much as we did. It was designed as a micro-walk, to get out quickly and walk along Monkland Avenue and enjoy the street while getting a glimpse into the past on community, arts and learning. More micro-walks coming.

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Micro-Walk #5: Côte-Saint-Antoine Road

Posted March 6, 2024 by WalkMontreal

(above image of Côte-Saint-Antoine Road, showing Arlington Lane – March 2, 2024) © WalkMontreal

“Côte-Saint-Antoine Road” is the fifth in a series of micro-walks in Montréal. We are planning on extending our micro-walks throughout the island of Montreal, not just confining them to the downtown core. This way, wherever you may be, there will be one close to you. They are designed so that you can get out and stretch your legs, see some interesting sites and appreciate the history these streets have to offer.

“Côte-Saint-Antoine Road” walk starts at Place Guy-Viau (where the 3 corners of Côte-Saint-Antoine, Sherbrooke and Hampton meet) and will take us along Côte-Saint-Antoine Road from NDG thru Westmount and end at Vimy Park (where the 3 corners of Côte-Saint-Antoine, Sherbrooke and Clarke meet).

This walk is fabulous both for it’s scenery, architecture and history, and we will attempt to highlight and pay tribute to Indigenous (The St. Lawrence Iroquoians) history, early farmers of New France, and the emergence of modern Notre-Dame-de-Grâce and Westmount and their architecture – all on this one road. Long before the arrival of Europeans, there were Indians in this area who made their trails here which included Côte-Saint-Antoine Road and Arlington Lane. Their fresh water source were springs along the part of the mountain where King George Park is and they may have had a settlement where Vimy Park (Garden Point) is today. Even an Indian burial ground was discovered not far from this area in the late 1800’s. The Sulpician religious order arrived in the 17th century and soon land was given to French farmers who settled along Côte-Saint-Antoine Road. Names such as Des Carries (Décary, Décarie), Prud’homme, Leduc, Hurtubise and St. Germaine are prominent in the area. This area was excellent for fruit orchards. A few old farmhouses exist amongst the newer NDG and Westmount homes and their splendid architecture. We will walk and search for all of this!

C & D did this walk on Saturday March 2, 2024. Temperature was 4C (39F) and it was cloudy with intermittent light rain. The walk itself is not long, a total of 3 KM (1.9 miles), but can be hilly. The terrain slowly inclines as you get to Girouard Avenue and then reaches it’s height at Lansdowne Avenue and then begins to decline. Please follow along the below map.

Start of walk !

This is the intersection of three streets: Sherbrooke Street West, Hampton Avenue and Côte-Saint-Antoine Road.

This little park is Place Guy-Viau named after Guy Viau, the Quebec artist, teacher and director of museums and galleries.

Place Guy-Viau.

Let’s start walking and head east on Côte-Saint-Antoine Road.

You can see many apartment buildings right around this area where we start the walk in NDG.

Alley off Côte-Saint-Antoine Road.

Walking east along Côte-Saint-Antoine Road, passing Wilson Street.

Approaching the original Saint Augustine of Canterbury School built in 1924, 5619 Côte Saint Antoine Road.

Alley off Côte-Saint-Antoine Road.

The original Saint Augustine of Canterbury School built in 1924, 5619 Côte Saint Antoine Road.

Parc Notre-Dame-de-Grâce.

Parc Notre-Dame-de-Grâce. Marcil Avenue borders it on the west.

Parc Notre-Dame-de-Grâce.

Original Saint Augustine Church built in 1919, 5565 Côte-Saint-Antoine Road.

Continue walking east on Côte-Saint-Antoine Road.

Intersection of Girouard Avenue and Côte-Saint-Antoine Road. Here comes the 63 Girouard bus!

Looking south on Girouard Avenue.

5456 Côte-Saint-Antoine Road at intersection of Addington Street.

We will now cross the Décarie Expressway.

Crossing the Décarie Expressway below us.

Looking south while crossing the Décarie Expressway.

Once you cross over the Décarie Expressway, you will see the Notre-Dame-de-Grâce Library built in 1912, corner of Botrel Street and Côte Saint Antoine Road with Fire Station No.34 on the side.

Côte-Saint-Antoine Road at Avenue Prud’homme.

NDG Community Centre, built in 1932, at 5311 Côte-Saint-Antoine Road.

Intersection of Décarie Boulevard and Côte-Saint-Antoine Road.

Looking south on Décarie Boulevard.

5225 Côte-Saint-Antoine Road built between 1912 and 1913, for Marie-Louise-Aimée Chaput, the widow of Berthélémi-Télésphore Décarie. This is at intersection of Northcliffe Avenue.

Coming to intersection of Côte-Saint-Antoine Road and Avenue de Vendôme.

Looking north up Avenue de Vendôme. So a piece of pop culture trivia, the 1931 Canada Census and the 1934-35 Lovell’s Directory have Leonard Cohen’s family living at 4028 Vendôme. Leonard was born in 1934.

Maison Décarie, built between 1731-1742, at 5138 Côte-Saint-Antoine Road at corner of Vendôme. This home is on the first concession granted by the Sulpicians to French settlers.

Walking by Maison Décarie.

Continue walking east on Côte-Saint-Antoine Road.

Intersection of Grey Avenue.

The sidewalk we are walking on.

The sidewalk we are walking on, built in 1964.

Côte-Saint-Antoine Road between Grey and Claremont, this is where we leave Montreal and enter Westmount.

Intersection of Claremont Avenue. We are now in Westmount.

Looking south on Claremont Avenue.

Maison Isabella Nicol, built between 1869-1875, at 649 Côte-Saint-Antoine Road.

At the next intersection of Prince Albert Avenue, look south to capture a beautiful view. So when you look south on the mountain slopes, you can see how the environment was suited for growing. The sun, rising in the east, covers this whole mountain side in sunlight before it moves off and sets in the west.

So we know that there were farmers here with their farms. But what exactly were they growing? The below newspaper clipping gives us insight into the size of a particular farm, the house, what was on it and what they grew. This clipping is from The Gazette (Montreal) in 1833. The lot for sale on Côte-Saint-Antoine Road was 50 acres. The house was situated on the “brow of the Mountain, built of stone“. There was an “assortment of 250 fruit trees…consisting of Apples, Pears, Plumbs, Peaches, and also the best kinds of Grapes, Gooseberries, Currants, Raspberries and Strawberries.” The fruit and berries grown here must have been delicious!

Looking south down Prince Albert Avenue.

Continue on and at 561 Côte-Saint-Antoine Road is Maison Hurtubise, the oldest house in Westmount. Built in 1739, on land purchased in 1699 by Jean Hurtubise. Due to being so far away from the safety of Ville Marie, the inhabitants of Ville Marie called it “La haute folie”.

561 Côte-Saint-Antoine Road is Maison Hurtubise, the oldest house in Westmount. Built in 1739, on land purchased in 1699 by Jean Hurtubise. Due to being so far away from the safety of Ville Marie, the inhabitants of Ville Marie called it “La haute folie”.

Maison Hurtubise – photo from 1897 (credit: McCord Stewart Museum).

Intersection of Victoria Avenue and Côte-Saint-Antoine Road.

At 515-513 Côte-Saint-Antoine Road is Maison Justine-Solomé Hurtubise, built in 1847. The house is named “Riverview”.

Continue walking on Côte-Saint-Antoine Road, coming up to Grosvenor Avenue.

Looking south on Grosvenor Avenue.

Continue walking on Côte-Saint-Antoine Road, coming up to Roslyn Avenue.

Looking south on Roslyn Avenue.

Continue east on Côte-Saint-Antoine Road, we are approaching Lansdowne Avenue. At this intersection is the highest elevation for Côte-Saint-Antoine Road.

Intersection at Côte-Saint-Antoine Road. Lansdowne Avenue and Belmont Crescent.

It was right here that the St.Germain farmhouse stood. Photo from 1897. (credit: James Cranston Shaw Bennett / McCord Stewart Museum).

The small road in the centre is Belmont Crescent, which will take you to Belmont Avenue and King George Park.

Looking south on Lansdowne Avenue.

This photo is looking up Lansdown Avenue in 1910. (credit: McCord Stewart Museum).

If we take a deviation and walk up Belmont Crescent, there is this small island of vegetation.

When standing on this little island, if you look south you will see Arlington Lane stretched out before you. Arlington Lane was an Iroquois trail.

This is the small island on the left, Belmont Crescent on right and intersection of Côte-Saint-Antoine and Lansdowne in the rear.

Zooming in on Arlington Lane (Iroquois Trail). You can see how it descends and heads straight south.

Walk up Belmont Crescent and on your left is Belmont Avenue.

Pop culture trivia. The second house on the right is 599 Belmont Avenue. This was the home where Leonard Cohen grew up in as a child, teenager and young man.

We won’t walk up Belmont Avenue, we want to keep going straight to the side entrance of King George Park.

King George Park (also known as Murray Hill or Murray Park).

We are not going to explore the park, we are going to just walk through it to the bottom heading straight back to Côte-Saint-Antoine Road.

So around the area of King George Park were the mountain springs where the Iroquois would have a source of fresh water.

King George Park. You can see how steep it is with the city of Montreal in the distance.

King George Park in 1935. (credit: Harry Sutcliffe).

King George Park.

Make your way down the park onto Côte-Saint-Antoine Road.

Intersection of Côte-Saint-Antoine Road and Strathcona Avenue.

Walking east on Côte-Saint-Antoine Road. The back of homes on east side of King George Park that are on Murray Avenue.

Continue walking, Mt.Stephen Avenue is on your left.

Intersection of Côte-Saint-Antoine Road and Murray Avenue. There are accounts of the mountain springs up the area of today’s Murray Avenue as well.

Walking east on Côte-Saint-Antoine Road.

We come to two splendid homes on land referred to as Metcalfe Terrace. This stone house under renovation is the Goode House, built in 1840, at 178 Côte-Saint-Antoine Road.

This home is the second of the pair of the Metcalfe Terrace homes and was built in 1840 at 168 Côte-Saint-Antoine Road.

We now come to the intersection of Forden Avenue and Côte-Saint-Antoine Road.

The last of the Indian springs was said to be on the western side of Forden Avenue and in 1879 it was filled in; (“A View of Their Own. The story of Westmount”; by Aline Gubbay – published by Price-Patterson 1998).

There is a stone road marker here that is from 1684, with the newer stone wall built around it.

The stone marker can be seen protected inside the current stone wall. This marker is from 1684 and believed to mark the distance from the Sulpician Fort de la Montagne on Sherbrooke Street to this spot.

This marker is from 1684 and believed to mark the distance from the Sulpician Fort de la Montagne on Sherbrooke Street to this spot. It is protected here, please do not tamper with it.

Continue walking on Côte-Saint-Antoine Road and you will come to the Congregation Shaar Hashomayim synagogue, built in 1921-1922.

Intersection of Metcalfe Avenue and Côte-Saint-Antoine Road.

At the intersection of Church Hill Avenue and Côte-Saint-Antoine Road.

St. Matthias Anglican Church, built in 1910-1912.

Intersection of Kensington Avenue and Côte-Saint-Antoine Road. We pass by the back of the Westmount Lawn Bowling Club.

The Congregation Shaar Hashomayim synagogue, built in 1921-1922.

Westmount City Hall, built in 1902.

Intersection of Stanton Street and Côte-Saint-Antoine Road.

Selwyn House, built in 1934.

Intersection of Argyle Avenue and Côte-Saint-Antoine Road.

The Décary farm house, built 1731-1739, at 39 Côte-Saint-Antoine Road.

The Cenotaph, built in 1921.

Original St. Paul School, built in 1933, at 11 Côte-Saint-Antoine Road.

This green island is Vimy Park, where the Cenotaph is. Originally known as Garden Point.

This green island is Vimy Park, where the Cenotaph is. Originally known as Garden Point and was said to have been a possible area where an Iroquoian settlement was.

We come to the end of Côte-Saint-Antoine Road.

We end the walk here, at the three intersections of Sherbrooke Street, Clarke Avenue and Côte-Saint-Antoine Road.

This concludes our walk along the magnificent and historical Côte-Saint-Antoine Road.

We hope you enjoyed it as much as we did. It is designed as a micro-walk to get out quickly and walk and learn. More micro-walks are in the works.

One last thing…we mentioned the fabulous fruit orchards that were grown here…there just may be some descendants of those apple or plum trees still surviving in a backyard or mountain slope somewhere.

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Micro-Walk #4: Sherbrooke Street West

Posted September 12, 2023 by WalkMontreal

(above image from Illustrated Postcard, circa 1900 on Sherbrooke Street West)

“Sherbrooke Street West” is the fourth of a series of micro-walks thru the downtown core of Montréal. These micro-walks will typically be about 2KM and take 30 to 40 minutes, depending how fast you walk. If you work downtown, or you attend a college or university downtown or you are a tourist staying at a hotel downtown….these walks are for you ! They are designed so that you can get out and stretch your legs, see some interesting sites and appreciate the history these streets have to offer.

“Sherbrooke Street West” walk starts at the corner of Peel Street and De Maisonneuve Boulevard West and will take us along De Maisonneuve, up some side streets and then west along Sherbrooke Street West. As we walk we will admire the heritage buildings and also see the contrast between old stone and brick on Sherbrooke Street as opposed to newer glass buildings on De Maisonneuve Boulevard. This area is noted for museums, terraces, hotels and commerce. It is tucked away between Concordia and McGill universities, so there is a large student population that is present here. So please join us as we continue to walk the streets of this beautiful cosmopolitan city.

C & D did this walk on Saturday September 2, 2023. Temperature was 25C (77F) and it was a sunny day, with some clouds. The walk itself is not long, a total of 2.4 KM (1.5 miles). The terrain is flat along Sherbrooke and De Maisonneuve, but, there are inclines on the side streets. Please follow along the below map.

We start this walk at the corner of De Maisonneuve Boulevard and Peel Street. (Peel Metro station is accessible here).

Corner of De Maisonneuve Boulevard and Peel Street.

This building on the south-east corner is Les Cours Mont-Royal, which was converted from The Mount Royal Hotel, built in 1921.

The old Mount Royal Hotel, built in 1921.

We start walking west along De Maisonneuve Boulevard.

Walking west along De Maisonneuve Boulevard.

Crossing Stanley Street now.

Walking west along De Maisonneuve Boulevard.

Intersection of De Maisonneuve Boulevard and Drummond Street.

We now turn right and walk north on Drummond Street.

Below is this now abandoned building, which used to be The Winter Club, built in 1912 (2055 Drummond Street).

The Winter Club, built in 1912 (2055 Drummond Street), had an indoor skating rink.

Continue walking up Drummond Street.

Salvation Army building, built in 1906 (2085 Drummond Street).

Originally this was the home to the Emmanuel Congregational Church.

A greystone gem still standing, built circa 1900 (2124 Drummond Street).

A brownstone gem still standing, built circa 1900 (2124 Drummond Street).

As we come to the corner of Sherbrooke Street West, we are at the side of the Ritz-Carlton Hotel….looking up.

We are now at the corner of Drummond Street and Sherbrooke Street West.

The Ritz-Carlton Hotel, built in 1912 (1228 Sherbrooke Street West).

Intersection of Drummond Street and Sherbrooke Street West.

On the north-east corner is the Thomas Craig House (a.k.a. Reid Wilson House), built in 1882 (1201 Sherbrooke Street West).

On the north-west corner is the Acadia Apartments, built in 1925 (1227 Sherbrooke Street West).

Acadia Apartments, built in 1925 (1227 Sherbrooke Street West).

Let’s start walking west on Sherbrooke Street West. We will walk by the front of the Ritz-Carlton.

Away we go…

Acadia Apartments across the street.

Acadia Apartments.

Keep walking west on Sherbrooke Street West.

Le Château Apartments are coming up on next corner.

On the north-west corner of De la Montagne Street and Sherbrooke Street West is Le Château Apartments, built in 1926 (1321 Sherbrooke Street West).

Le Château Apartments.

Going to turn left and walk down De La Montagne Street, Tiffany &Co. on the left and across the street is the old Holt-Renfrew Co.

Walking down De La Montagne with the old Holt Renfrew building, built in 1937 (1300-1312 Sherbrooke Street West).

Walk south on De la Montagne Street.

Walking by some greystones.

Incredible greystone built in 1895 (2175 De la Montagne Street).

Three stunning structures side by side!

Three beautiful homes all built in late 1800’s (2135, 2115, 2105 De la Montagne Street).

Walking down De la Montagne Street.

Intersection of De la Montagne Street and De Maisonneuve Boulevard.

Turn right and walk west along De Maisonneuve Boulevard.

Continue on De Maisonneuve Boulevard.

Intersection of Crescent Street and De Maisonneuve Boulevard.

Turn left and walk north up Crescent Street.

Walking north on Crescent Street.

Continue right up Crescent Street to Sherbrooke Street West.

Nice view looking back down Crescent Street,, the way we just came.

North-east corner of Crescent Street and Sherbrooke Street West with the Erskine and American United Church, now part of the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts.

The newer Montreal Museum of Fine Arts building is here on the south-west corner.

Across the street is the older building for The Montreal Museum of Fine Arts.

Walking in front of The Montreal Museum of Fine Arts.

This beautiful red brick building was Montreal’s first apartment building.

Montreal’s first apartment building, The New Sherbrooke, built in 1905 (1390 Sherbrooke Street West). It was the second phase to The Old Sherbrooke that was built in 1888 at corner of Crescent Street.

The original Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, built in 1912.

Sherbrooke Street West.

We come to the intersection of Bishop Street and we can see The Church of St. Andrew and St. Paul on north side of Sherbrooke Street West.

Turn left and walk south on Bishop Street.

Walking south on Bishop Street.

At the corner of Bishop Street and De Maisonneuve Boulevard is Concordia University’s Henry F. Hall pavilion.

Walking south on Bishop Street.

Intersection of Bishop Street and De Maisonneuve Boulevard.

Concordia University’s Henry F. Hall pavilion.

Intersection of Bishop Street and De Maisonneuve Boulevard.

Let’s turn right and start walking west on De Maisonneuve Boulevard.

Walking west on De Maisonneuve Boulevard.

Concordia University’s J.W. McConnell pavilion is seen here.

Intersection of Mackay Street and De Maisonneuve Boulevard.

Walking west on De Maisonneuve Boulevard.

Walking west on De Maisonneuve Boulevard, we come to Norman Bethune Square, at the intersection of De Maisonneuve Boulevard and Guy Street.

Norman Bethune Square, with a memorial statue of Dr. Bethune.

Intersection of De Maisonneuve Boulevard and Guy Street.

We turn right and walk north on Guy Street.

Walking north on Guy Street.

When you reach Sherbrooke Street West, you will see the Medical Arts Building, built in 1923 (1538 Sherbrooke Street West)

Intersection of Côte-des-Neiges Road and Sherbrooke Street West. Guy Steet ends on the south of Sherbrooke and Côte-des-Neiges Road begins on the north of Sherbrooke.

Intersection of Côte-des-Neiges Road and Sherbrooke Street West.

Bank of Montreal building, built in 1928 (1601 Sherbrooke Street West).

Grosvenor Apartments, built in 1905 (1600-1610 Sherbrooke Street West).

Stanley Clark Bagg House, built in 1891 (1541 Sherbrooke Street West).

Here is an aerial view showing the intersection of Côte-des-Neiges Road and Sherbrooke Street West at bottom right and Sherbrooke Street is the main street in middle that we are now going to walk (photo taken in 1956 by Armour Landry).

Turn left and start walking east down Sherbrooke Street West.

The Linton Apartments, built in 1907 (1509 Sherbrooke Street West).

The Linton Apartments on left with the Unitarian Church of the Messiah in center. (photo taken in 1947 by Conrad Poirier).

Continue walking east on Sherbrooke Street West.

Sherbrooke Street West (photo taken in 1965 by Armour Landry). Fashion, arts, architecture and walking!

Sherbrooke Street West.

The Church of St. Andrew and St. Paul, built in 1932 (3415 Redpath Street).

The Church of St. Andrew and St. Paul.

Sherbrooke Street West.

Sherbrooke Street West (photo taken in 1948 by Armour Landry).

The New Sherbrooke, built in 1905 (1390 Sherbrooke Street West).

The original Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, built in 1912 (3410 du Musée Street Avenue).

The original Montreal Museum of Fine Arts.

Across the street is the newer Montreal Museum of Fine Arts.

Sherbrooke Street West looking south down Crescent Street.

Continue walking east on Sherbrooke Street West.

Walking east on Sherbrooke Street West.

Holt Renfrew building, built in 1937 (1300-1312 Sherbrooke Street West).

Le Château Apartments, built in 1926 (1321 Sherbrooke Street West).

Le Château Apartments (Postcard by Éditions d’art Jackie, 1930’s).

Sherbrooke Street West.

The Ritz-Carlton Hotel, built in 1912 (1228 Sherbrooke Street West).

Sherbrooke Street West and Ritz-Carlton Hotel (photo circa 1915 by William Notman & Son Studio)

The Ritz-Carlton Hotel, built in 1912 (1228 Sherbrooke Street West).

The Acadia Apartments, built in 1925 (1227 Sherbrooke Street West).

The Acadia Apartments, as seen from the Ritz-Carlton Hotel (photo taken in 1950 by Lida Moser).

North west corner of Sherbrooke Street West and Drummond Street.

Sherbrooke Street West.

The Ritz-Carlton Hotel, built in 1912 (1228 Sherbrooke Street West).

Intersection of Drummond Street and Sherbrooke Street West.

Thomas Craig House (a.k.a. Reid Wilson House), built in 1882 (1201 Sherbrooke Street West).

Louis Joseph Forget House, built in 1883 (1195 Sherbrooke Street West).

Walking Sherbrooke Street West.

The original Berkeley Hotel, built in 1928 (1188 Sherbrooke Street West).

Hugh Graham House, built in 1894 (1172 Sherbrooke Street West).

The Mount Royal Club, built in 1906 (1175 Sherbrooke Street West).

Intersection of Stanley Street and Sherbrooke Street West.

At the north-east corner of Stanley Street and Sherbrooke Street West once stood the William Van Horne Mansion, demolished in 1973 (photo taken circa 1890, unknown).

Intersection of Stanley Street and Sherbrooke Street West. You can see the side of the Van Horne Mansion in the foreground, left. Tall building in centre is Le Cantlie, built in 1964 (photo taken in 1971 by Armour Landry).

Intersection of Stanley Street and Sherbrooke Street West.

Continue to Peel Street.

Intersection of Peel Street and Sherbrooke Street West.

And this is where our Sherbrooke Street West walk now comes to the end. We hope you enjoyed it!

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Sainte-Marie (industry, baseball and the streets)

Posted August 17, 2023 by WalkMontreal

(above photo is Sainte-Catherine Street East, near corner of Dufresne – August 5, 2023) © WalkMontreal

WalkMontreal is pleased to bring you an incredible walk thru Sainte-Marie, one of Montreal’s working class neighbourhoods. This was the historic “suburb” that existed outside to the east of the fortifications of Montreal in the 17th century which became an industrial area and is said to be part of the old Faubourg à m’lasse neighbourhood, but, that was more west of Papineau Avenue. This walk is going to be on the east side of Papineau Avenue. Throughout the years, this area gained a reputation for crime and poverty. Recent efforts have cleaned up this area considerably. We are going to look for where the old Delorimier Stadium stood, look for old industry and walk some fascinating streets.

C&D did this walk on Saturday August 5, 2023 from 11:25AM to 1:30PM. The total length was approx. 4KM (2.5 miles). The terrain is mostly flat, some incline on Papineau, but not difficult at all. It was a sunny day with some clouds and a temp. of 26C (79F).

We start this walk at the corner of Sainte-Catherine Street East and Papineau Avenue.

Intersection of Sainte-Catherine Street East and Papineau Avenue.

Let’s start walking north on Papineau Avenue.

Intersection of Boulevard de Maisonneuve East and Papineau Avenue.

On the west side of Papineau Avenue, at corner of Logan Street is the old Taylor Church, a Protestant church built in 1894. The seating capacity when it opened was 1,450.

The old Taylor Church, a Protestant church built in 1894.

The Montreal Daily Star, December 10, 1894.

The old Taylor Church, a Protestant church built in 1894.

Intersection of La Fontaine Street and Papineau Avenue.

École Garneau (previous École secondaire Gabriel-Souart), built in 1916.

Continue walking up Papineau Avenue.

This building just before Ontario Street East, was the Montreal Dairy Company, built in 1910. Produced milk and ice cream.

Former Montreal Dairy Company.

The Gazette, August 14, 1915.

Former Montreal Dairy Company.

Continue walking up to Ontario Street East.

Beautiful old ghost sign.

Intersection of Ontario Street East and Papineau Avenue. Lets start walking east on Ontario Street.

Walking east on Ontario Street East.

Passing Cartier Street as we continue to walk east on Ontario Street East.

Intersection of Ontario Street East and Dorion Street.

We come to Parc des Faubourgs.

Parc des Faubourgs.

Notre-Dame-de-Guadalupe Church, built 1925.

Parc des Faubourgs.

Notre-Dame-de-Guadalupe Church.

Parc des Faubourgs.

Notre-Dame-de-Guadalupe Church.

Ontario Street East at corner of Bordeaux Street.

Parc des Faubourgs.

Intersection of Ontario Street East and De Lorimier Avenue.

Intersection of Ontario Street East and De Lorimier Avenue in 1930’s. (credit: Archives de la Ville de Montréal). This is looking north on De Lorimier Avenue. The Delorimier Stadium is on the right. This was a 20,000 seat stadium, built in 1928 and demolished in 1972. The stadium was a venue for the Montreal Royals baseball team, the Montreal Alouettes football team, concerts, boxing/wrestling matches, parades/circus, etc. More on this stadium at the end of our walk.

As we can see in the above photo, there are streetcar tracks and overhead wires. The below newspaper ad gives us the schedule in 1928 of the Montreal Tramways Company’s service to the stadium. There were tramway cars every 15 to 20 minutes. (credit: The Gazette, May 5, 1928).

At the north east corner of Ontario and De Lorimier is Place des Royaux, which pays tribute to the great baseball player, Jackie Robinson.

Place des Royaux, which pays tribute to the great baseball player, Jackie Robinson.

Jackie Robinson wearing his Royals jersey in 1946. (credit: Conrad Poirier -BANQ ref # P48S1P12829).

Place des Royaux, which pays tribute to the great baseball player, Jackie Robinson.

Let’s continue walking east on Ontario Street East.

Intersection of Ontario Street East and Parthenais Street.

We are going to take a quick detour and turn left and walk north on Parthenais Street.

Walk north on Parthenais Street.

We want to take a look at this old industrial building.

This is the Grover Building, built in 1938. Echo’s a time of industry.

The Grover Building now houses artists and others.

The Grover Building.

So lets turn around and head back south on Parthenais Street. The more modern, black building that dominates the skyline here is the Sûreté du Québec, built in 1969.

Intersection of Coupal and Parthenais streets.

Head east on Coupal Street.

At the end of Coupal Street, it will meet with Fullum Street. The old Fire Station No.19 is here. Built in 1903, today it serves as a theatre.

Old Fire Station No.19 is here. Built in 1903, today it serves as a theatre.

Intersection of Coupal and Fullum Streets. We are going to now walk south on Fullum.

Walking south on Fullum Street.

Sidestreet off Fullum Street on the east is Magnan Street.

Fullum Street.

Continue walking south on Fullum Street

Intersection of Fullum and Olivier-Robert streets.

Olivier-Robert Street.

Mural on Olivier-Robert Street.

Olivier-Robert Street.

Intersection of Boulevard de Maisonneuve East and Fullum Street. Old Maison Mère des Soeurs de la Providence, built 1884-1888.

Intersection of Sainte-Catherine Street East and Fullum streets. Old Maison Mère des Soeurs de la Providence, built 1884-1888.

Intersection of Sainte-Catherine Street East and Fullum streets.

Old Merchant’s Banks of Canada, built in 1905. (2281 Sainte-Catherine Street East).

Église Saint-Vincent-de-Paul, built in 1925-1928. (2310 Sainte-Catherine Street East).

We are going to walk west one block to the intersection of Parthenais and Sainte-Catherine streets.

The Dominion Oilcloth and Linoleum Company Building, built in 1929. (2200 Sainte-Catherine Street East).

The Dominion Oilcloth and Linoleum Company Building. You can see the Jacques-Cartier Bridge in the background.

Looking south on Parthenais Street, zooming in on the Jacques Cartier Bridge, built 1925-1930.

This is the south west corner of Sainte-Catherine and Fullum streets. The building in back was where the The Dominion Oilcloth and Linoleum Company factory stood.

Dominion Oilcloth and Linoleum in 1968 (credit: Real St Jean – BANQ / La Presse – ref # P833S5D1968-0472).

Continue walking back east on Sainte-Catherine Street East. We will see the Saint-Vincent-de-Paul church, built in 1925-1928. (2310 Sainte-Catherine Street East).

Saint-Vincent-de-Paul church.

Continue walking back east on Sainte-Catherine Street East.

Sainte-Catherine Street East, near Dufresne Street.

Sainte-Catherine Street East.

Sainte-Catherine Street East, corner of Dufresne Street.

Old Savings Bank

Sainte-Catherine Street East.

Dufresne Street.

One block over, we are going to walk north on Poupart Street.

At the south east corner of Poupart and Champagne streets is this old church. It was the Lacroix Presbyterian Church (later the Lacroix United Church), built in 1890.

The Lacroix Presbyterian Church was one of the very few French language Presbyterian church’s in Montreal. It originally began as a Mission by Pastor Duclos in 1884 and the church was built in 1890 to bring together families that were said to be living in isolation in this area.

This Presbyterian church eventually joined the United Church of Canada in 1925, but, by 1936 it’s congregation dwindled, eventually it closed in the spring of 1937.

Intersection of Poupart and Champagne streets.

Turn left and walk west one block, as Poupart Street begins again to go north.

Champagne Street at corner of Poupart Street. Start walking north on Poupart Street.

Ruelle Vert off Poupart Street.

Walking north on Poupart Street.

Poupart Street.

Intersection of La Fontaine and Poupart streets.

Poupart Street.

Poupart Street, just before we get to Ontario Street East.

We come to Centre Gédéon-Ouimet, built in 1914. (1960 Poupart Street).

Centre Gédéon-Ouimet.

Centre Gédéon-Ouimet (facing Ontario Street East).

The W.C. MacDonald’s Tobacco Factory, built in 1874. (2455 Ontario Street East).

MacDonald Tobacco Factory in 1973 – (credit: Armour Landry – BANQ – ref # P97S1P04890).

Intersection of Ontario Street East and D’Iberville Street.

We are now going to walk north on D’Iberville Street.

On west side of D’Iberville Street, is Parc Walter-Stewart. Land donated by the President of MacDonald Tobacco.

Intersection of D’Iberville and De Rouen streets. Turn left and walk west along the walking path here.

Walk west along this walking path. Parc-Walter-Stewart is on your left here.

A community garden is here.

Nice green area.

We come to a collective in urban gardening with the Emily De Witt greenhouse.

Continue on the path.

Community gardening.

Continue on the path.

Community gardening.

Intersection of Dufresne and Larivière streets. We will turn right and walk west on Larivière Street.

Larivière Street.

Saint-Eusèbe-de-Verceil church, built between 1913 and 1919. It is now abandoned and in disrepair.

Walking along Larivière Street.

Intersection of Larivière and Fullum streets.

Saint-Eusèbe-de-Verceil church, built between 1913 and 1919. It is now abandoned and in disrepair. (2151 Fullum Street).

Walk one black west on Larivière Street to the corner of Harmony Street.

Intersection of Larivière and Harmony streets.

Continue west on Larivière Street for about two blocks and you will arrive at Parc des Royaux. This park pays tribute to the Montreal Royals baseball team that played at Delorimier Stadium (a.k.a. Delorimier Downs) from 1928 to 1960.

Parc des Royaux.

Delorimier Stadium with Montreal Royals in 1933. (credit: Norman Macmillan Hinshelwood – McCord Museum).

Parc des Royaux.

Looking south thru soccer fields, you can see the Jacques-Cartier Bridge.

Parc des Royaux.

Jackie Robinson’s debut on April 18, 1946. Montreal Royals beat the Jersey City Giants by a score of 14 to 1, at Roosevelt Stadium in Jersey City. (credit: International News Photo).

There is a lot of history on the Montreal Royals and many star players came out of this team over the years, including Jackie Robinson, there are names such as Sparky Anderson, Roberto Clemente, Duke Snider, Don Drysdale, Roy Campanella, Tommy Lasorda, etc….and many other talented players not mentioned here. But wait…we also had Chuck Connors on our beloved Royals team! Connors would go on to Hollywood fame as an actor. This is great knowing he was walking this area and whacking balls around Delorimier Stadium way back between 1948 and 1950. The 6’5″ Connors even married a lady from Montreal. Below newspaper clipping shows Chuck Connors in rear row, center/left, smiling from ear to ear.

(credit: The Montreal Daily Star, September 8, 1948).

De Lorimier Avenue, looking south. Delorimier Stadium was on the entire east side.

Beautiful photo of the exterior of Delorimier Stadium, date unknown. (credit: www.digitalballparks.com – Wendy Pastore).

De Lorimier Avenue, looking south.

Jacques-Cartier Bridge in distance.

Parc des Royaux, with De Lorimier Avenue.

We hope you enjoyed this walk as much as we did. WalkMontreal is an ongoing effort by C&D to Learn, Walk and Share the Experience.

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The Main and area, between Sherbrooke and Mount-Royal

Posted August 4, 2023 by WalkMontreal

(above photo is Saint-Laurent Boulevard, “The Main” – July 17, 2023) © WalkMontreal

WalkMontreal is pleased to bring you an historical walk that highlights Montreal’s famous Saint-Laurent Boulevard or St. Lawrence Boulevard (“The Main“) and surrounding streets. This walk will cover Saint-Laurent Boulevard and neighbouring streets between Sherbrooke Street West to the south and Mount-Royal Avenue to the north. We will walk the streets, look at the buildings and this walk places an emphasis on the Jewish presence and contribution to our society. In the first half of the 20th century, Yiddish was the third most spoken language in Montreal as immigrants from Eastern Europe settled in this area. And we will also visit some micro-parks in the area that pay tribute to the history of this area.

We are also going to search for the childhood home (between 1918 and 1924) of the actor, Joseph Wiseman who played Dr. No in the first James Bond film. Civic addresses had changed in the late 1920’s, so we need to look at old and compare with current ones. As well, in the genealogy research, there appears to be two families at the same time, in same area with same names and both families relocated to New York City. So this is almost as mysterious as Dr. No was.

C&D did this walk on Monday, July 17, 2023 between 12:45PM and 3:30PM. The temperature was a steady 28C (82F), warm with sunny skies. The terrain is mostly flat, with a slight incline as you walk north on The Main. You can follow along with the map below.

We begin this walk at the corner of Saint-Urbain Street and Sherbrooke Street West. Let’s start walking north on Saint-Urbain.

Corner of Milton and Saint-Urbain streets.

Walking up Saint-Urbain Street.

At 3567 Saint-Urbain Street, we come to a beautiful greystone that today houses the Chinese Baptist Church.

But this was also the last residence of Louis Rubenstein, a native Montrealer who is considered the founder of Canadian Figure Skating. He was the Canadian and American Champion and won the gold medal in St. Petersburg, Russia in 1890. Rubenstein was also a sportsman in bowling, golf, cycling and other sports. Rubenstein was elected Alderman for the city’s Saint-Laurent Ward and held that position for 16 years.

Louis Rubenstein. Photo dated 1893 (credit: William Notman / McCord-Stewart Museum).

3567 Saint-Urbain Street, the last residence of Louis Rubenstein.

The old Maternity Hospital on Saint-Urbain Street.

Continue walking on Saint-Urbain Street.

When you get to the intersection of Prince Arthur Street, we will turn right and walk east on Prince Arthur Street.

Prince Arthur Street.

We come to a small park at corner of Prince Arthur and Clark streets, called Parc Ethel-Stark.

Born in Montreal, Ethel Stark was a violinist and conductor who at the age of 29 also founded The Montreal Women’s Symphony Orchestra.

Ethel Stark. Dated 1920’s (credit: BANQ).

Parc Ethel-Stark.

Intersection of Prince Arthur and Clark streets.

We are looking for the birthplace of the actor, Joseph Wiseman, who is known for his role as the mysterious Dr. No in the 1962 James Bond film. Wiseman was born in Montreal on May 15, 1918, but, at a young age, the family relocated to New York City. We’ve identified three buildings that Wiseman appears to have lived in as a child, below is one of them on Prince Arthur Street. (Todays civic address would be 21 Prince Arthur Street West).

Joseph Wiseman. 1940’s/1950s (credit: Billy Rose Theater Collection – New York Public Library). Joseph Wiseman was as much a theatre actor as he was a motion picture actor.

Prince Arthur Street.

We are now at the intersection of Prince Arthur Street and Saint-Laurent Boulevard (“The Main“).

Walk north on Saint-Laurent Boulevard.

Saint-Laurent Boulevard.

When you get to Pine Avenue, turn left and walk west on Pine Avenue.

Below is the Halbro Building with a sculpted relief above the door that pays tribute to the city’s historic needle trade industry.

From Pine Avenue, we are going to walk north on Clark Street. To the left is Parc Devonshire.

Parc Devonshire gives tribute to Devonshire School that stood here from 1921 until it was demolished in 1984.

Devonshire School. Date unknown.

The Gazette – May 5, 1984.

Continue walking north on Clark Street.

Clark Street.

Intersection of Clark and Saint-Cuthbert streets.

Just off to our left (or west of Clark by one street), runs Sewell Street. Behind these trees is where Devonshire School once was, now replaced by family dwellings.

But keep walking east on Saint-Cuthbert Street one block over to Saint-Laurent Boulevard. Here is the alley running north behind The Main.

Here is the alley running south behind The Main.

At the intersection of Saint-Cuthbert Street and Saint-Laurent Boulevard.

Walk north on Saint-Laurent Boulevard.

The famous Schwartz’s Deli (Montreal Hebrew Delicatessen) is still in its original location since founded in 1928 by Reuben Schwartz, a Jewish immigrant from Romania.

And here is the famous Schwartz’s smoked meat sandwich on rye bread with mustard.

Walk up one block to Bagg Street. The Schubert Bath is here, built in 1932. Named after Joseph Schubert, Montreal’s first Jewish city councillor.

The Schubert Bath, built in 1932.

The Schubert Bath, built in 1932. Image from The Gazette, February 19, 1934.

Continue west on Bagg Street to the next corner of Clark Street.

At the corner of Clark and Bagg streets you will find the Bagg Street Shul, an Orthodox synagogue. The building was built in 1899 and its congregation has been here since 1921. It is listed a heritage site by Quebec’s Minister of Culture and by the City of Montreal.

The Bagg Street Shul, an Orthodox synagogue.

Intersection of Bagg and Clark streets.

Bagg Street, looking west.

Alley off of Bagg Street.

Continue walking north on Clark Street. This is the intersection of Clark and Duluth Streets.

Walking north on Clark Street.

We now come to the old Mount Royal School, built in 1905, at 4160 Clark Street.

Mount Royal School, built in 1905.

Walk up to the intersection of Rachel and Clark streets.

Walking west on Rachel Street, you will see the Mission Santa Cruz.

Mission Santa Cruz.

We are now at the corner of Rachel and Saint-Urbain streets.

Let’s start walking north on Saint-Urbain Street.

We come to the old Baron Byng High School, built in 1921 and closed in 1980. This is Mordecai Richler‘s “Fletcher’s Field High School” in his books, as he was a student of this school.

Mordechai Richler as class president in 1948.

Baron Byng High School, built in 1921.

Walk to the intersection of Saint-Urbain and Marie-Anne streets.

Walk east on Marie-Anne Street.

Walking east on Marie-Anne Street.

At the intersection of Saint-Laurent Boulevard and Marie-Anne Street is a mural of Aristides de Sousa Mendes, “The Angel of Bordeaux“.

Aristides de Sousa Mendes, “The Angel of Bordeaux“.

Intersection of Saint-Laurent Boulevard and Marie-Anne Street.

Intersection of Saint-Laurent Boulevard and Marie-Anne Street, with Parc du Portugal.

Parc du Portugal.

South-east corner of Parc du Portugal at intersection of Saint-Dominique and Vallières streets.

The graystone building on Vallières Street was the long time Montreal residence of Leonard Cohen.

Leonard Cohen. Dated 1961.

The Gazette May 30, 1961. Leonard Cohen and Irving Layton.

South-west corner of Parc du Portugal with mural depicting singer Amália Rodrigues.

Intersection of Marie-Anne and Saint-Dominique streets. (North-east corner of Parc du Portugal).

Walk back along Marie-Anne Street to Saint-Laurent Boulevard.

We are going to continue walking north on Saint-Laurent Boulevard.

Walking north on Saint-Laurent Boulevard.

At 4419 Saint-Laurent Boulevard was where Ida Steinberg opened her first store in 1917 that would become the most popular and largest supermarket chain in Quebec.

Newspaper article showing a painting of the first Steinberg’s store opened in 1917 (The Montreal Star, October 27, 1959). Ida Steinberg. Dated 1942, Montreal Star.

Continue walking north on Saint-Laurent Boulevard.

Intersection of Saint-Laurent Boulevard and Mont-Royal Avenue.

We are going to turn right and walk east along Mont-Royal Avenue.

We are going to walk two blocks over to Coloniale Avenue and then head south.

Walk south on Coloniale Avenue.

Coloniale Avenue.

And in this building lived the Weider family, where brothers Joe Weider and Ben Weider started a bodybuilding empire at 4466 Coloniale Avenue.

Joe Weider. Dated 1940’s (Credit: Joe Weider dot com) and Ben Weider. Dated 1964 (Montreal Star).

Don’t go knocking on the door…people live here. 🙂

Keep walking down Coloniale Avenue and when you come to Napoleon Street turn right and walk one block to Saint-Dominique Street.

At the corner of Saint-Dominique and Napoleon streets is this mural of Leonard Cohen, by Montreal artist Kevin Ledo.

Walk south on Saint-Dominique Street.

At the corner of Saint-Dominique and Roy streets we come to Parc Louis-Reitman, named in honour of the clothing entrepreneur.

Parc Louis-Reitman.

Louis Reitman. The Montreal Star May 19, 1964. Reitman’s advertisment – Montreal Daily Star November 1, 1927.

Parc Louis-Reitman.

Keep walking south on Saint-Dominique, all the way to Prince Arthur Street.

Turn left on Prince Arthur Street and walk east.

We come to the intersection of Prince-Arthur and De Bullion streets.

Beautiful corner of the area here at Prince-Arthur and De Bullion streets.

Intersection of Prince-Arthur and De Bullion streets.

Earlier we said we were looking for the childhood home of the actor Joseph Wiseman, well this is the second building that we believe he appears to also have lived in at todays address of 125 Prince Arthur Street East.

Joseph Wiseman as Dr Julius No of the diabolical secret organization called SPECTRE in the 1962 James Bond film Dr. No. (credit: MGM UA Entertainment).

(Dr. No is secretive and mysterious, as is our search for Joseph Wiseman‘s childhood addresses between 1917 and 1924).

Make your way back one block to Coloniale Avenue and walk south from Prince Arthur Street.

Walk south on Coloniale Avenue.

We now come to Parc Hirsch-Wolofsky, named for the publisher of The “Keneder Adler” (The Canadian Eagle) in 1907, which was Canada’s first daily Yiddish newspaper.

Parc Hirsch-Wolofsky.

Hirsch Wolofsky. Image of printing of The “Keneder Adler” (credit: The Canadian Jewish Heritage Netowrk).

Parc Hirsch-Wolofsky.

Because we enjoy a good mystery, we are looking for the third and final building that Joseph Wiseman appears to have lived in as a child in the early 1920’s. Let’s make our way to Sherbrooke Street and head east to Avenue de l’ Hôtel-de-Ville. Below is corner of De Bullion and Sherbrooke streets.

Avenue de l’ Hôtel-de-Ville.

So we believe this appears to be the third building where Joseph Wiseman lived in the early 1920’s todays address of 3418 Avenue de l’ Hôtel-de-Ville.

So which address did he live at between 1918 and 1924? Appears to have been all three.

This concludes our walk, we hope you enjoyed it.

One last photo of Joseph Wiseman from the 1959 stage play ” Sweet Love Remembered”, with Margaret Sullavan and Kent Smith. (credit: New York Public Library / Digital Collection).

Wait !

But what about those three schools we mentioned earlier in the walk? Devonshire, Mount Royal and Baron Byng. There is a 1949 map below showing these three schools, all within about three blocks of each other. And in the early half of the 20th century, we saw that there was a large Jewish community here. So lets look at the enrollment of these three schools. Below is an article from The Gazette, published October 31, 1922. Between Baron Byng, Devonshire and Mount Royal, there was a combined total enrollment of 3,923 pupils of which 3,690 were Jewish. This is sizable and is a tribute to the families that lived here.

Below image of Devonshire School library and “First Aiders” working on saving damaged books. (Montreal Daily Star, May 20, 1939).

Read and shoot for the stars…aspire to be a poet, an entrepreneur, a professional. The best thing we can do is read….and of course, walk !

WalkMontreal is a joint effort by C&D to learn, walk and share the experience.

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Hochelaga

Posted July 24, 2023 by WalkMontreal

(above photo is Winnipeg Street, in Hochelaga district – July 3, 2023) © WalkMontreal

WalkMontreal is pleased to bring you an invigorating walk thru Hochelaga, one of Montreal’s working class neighbourhoods. In the late 19th century, there was a flourishing cotton mill and weaving industry here, as well as railway maintenance shops and terminal locations. Overtime, this area would gain a reputation for poverty and crime. However, recent efforts on gentrification and cleaning up this area of Montreal has improved it. In the area that C & D walked, they found the streets to be clean and safe to walk and were approached by residents eager to talk about their streets. C&D will showcase the streets they walked as well as highlight a true hero who gave her life to save many children.

C&D did this walk on Monday July 3, 2023 from 2:45PM to 4:30PM. The total length was approx. 5.45KM (3.4 miles). The terrain is mostly flat and not difficult at all. It was a sunny day with some clouds and a temp. of 31C (88F).

We started this walk at Metro Préfontaine, at the corner of Hochelaga and Moreau streets. Start walking south on Moreau Street.

Corner of Moreau and de Rouen streets.

Keep walking south on Moreau Street.

Moreau Street.

Mural by Nick Sweetman.

Water Tower on Moreau Street.

Water Tower.

Corner of Ontario Street East and Moreau.

Cross Ontario Street East and keep walking south on Moreau.

Moreau Street.

When you get to the corner of Sainte-Catherine Street East, turn left and walk east.

At 3130 Sainte-Catherine Street East, you will find the original Hochelaga Post Office, built in 1901-02 in the Beaux-Arts style.

Corner of Sainte-Catherine Street East and Préfontaine Street. Walk north on Préfontaine Street.

Préfontaine Street.

Préfontaine Street at intersection of de Rouville Street.

Walking north we come to this structure at 1463 Préfontaine Street.

This is St. Mary’s Memorial Hall, built in 1924. It echo’s of an old Protestant English speaking community that had a significant presence in this area at the beginning of the 20th Century. About 15% of the population in this area was Anglophone.

St. Mary’s Memorial Hall.

In 1890, Hochelaga Protestant School was built here on Préfontaine Street. A young teacher named Sarah Maxwell would soon become the principle of Hochelaga School and then tragedy would strike on February 26, 1907. It is believed a boiler exploded in the basement causing a fire that rapidly spread thru the school. As children were rushed out doors and windows, Sarah Maxwell stayed to the very end, grabbing children from the burning classrooms and handing them thru to firemen who had raised a ladder to the second floor window before she disappeared in the flames. When the firemen gained control of the fire, they entered the second floor of the school and found the bodies of Sarah Maxwell and 16 children. It is believed that Sarah Maxwell saved dozens of children before she herself was overcome by smoke.

Hochelaga Protestant School – Below photo from The Standard (Montreal), March 16, 1907.

Miss Sarah Maxwell – Below photo from The Standard (Montreal), March 16, 1907.

Hochelaga Protestant School was rebuilt as Sarah Maxwell School on Préfontaine Street. Below photo by Conrad Porier (BANQ P48S1P20198) in 1952.

Préfontaine Street. This is where the Hochelaga Protestant School once stood.

Préfontaine Street.

Corner of Préfontaine and Adam streets.

Lallemand Inc., located on Préfontaine Street.

On the east side of Préfontaine Street, you will see Sarah-Maxwell Park.

Sarah-Maxwell Park.

Corner of Préfontaine and la Fontaine streets.

Préfontaine Street.

Intersection of Préfontaine and Ontario Street East.

Turn right and walk east on Ontario Street East.

Walk over one block to Dézéry Street. Here you will see Place des Tisserandes, that gives hommage to the spinning wheel mills and weavers that existed in this area in the 19th and 20th centuries.

Ontario Street East.

At this corner, we also find Église Nativité-de-la-Sainte-Vierge-d’Hochelaga, built in 1924.

Église Nativité-de-la-Sainte-Vierge-d’Hochelaga.

Place des Tisserandes.

We are going to walk south on Dézéry Street.

Dézéry Street.

Dézéry Street, at the intersection of la Fontaine Street.

We come to Sarah Maxwell Park again.

Sarah Maxwell Park.

Mural by Dodo.

Running east off Dézéry Street is a well kept Ruelle.

Continue walking south on Dézéry Street.

Dézéry Street.

We are now at intersection of Dézéry and de Rouville Streets. Turn left and walk east on de Rouville Street.

We come to a small park.

Rouville Park.

Corner of de Rouville and Saint-Germain streets. We will now walk north on Saint-Germain Street.

Saint-Germain Street.

Saint-Germain Street, now crossing a small street called Provost.

Saint-Germain Street.

Intersection of Saint-Germain and Adam streets.

Continue walking north on Saint-Germain Street.

Saint-Germain Street.

We cross the Ruelle we saw earlier with a mural by Ola Volo.

Beautiful Ruelle.

Continue north on Saint-Germaine Street.

Saint-Germaine Street.

We now arrive back on Ontario Street East.

Turn right and walk east along Ontario Street East for half a block.

You will see what looks like a laneway, but, it is a street…Winnipeg Street. Lets walk down it….

Walking south on Winnipeg Street.

Winnipeg Street.

Continue walking south on Winnipeg Street. It is more like a Ruelle, but, is designated as a street.

Winnipeg Street.

As you exit Winnipeg Street, you will come to Adam Street. Turn left and walk east to the corner of Adam and Darling Streets.

Intersection of Adam and Darling streets. École Hochelaga, 3349 Adam Street, was built in 1922.

École Hochelaga.

Walk north on Darling Street. You will pass by Hochelaga Park.

Go straight up Darling Street until you reach Ontario Street East.

Walk east along Ontario Street East.

Intersection of Ontario Street East and Davidson Street. We now turn right and walk south on Davidson Street.

Davidson Street.

Corner of Davidson and Adam streets.

When you get to Adam Street, turn left and walk east.

Walking east on Adam Street.

The domes of Église Très-Saint-Rédempteur can be seen in distance.

Église Très-Saint-Rédempteur, 3532 Adam Street, built in 1928.

At 3603 Adam Street, you can see the facade of the original École Baril, built in 1911.

The facade of the original École Baril, built in 1911.

École Baril was named after Georges-Edmond Baril, a medical doctor, who was well respected in his community of Hochelaga. He was named “the doctor of the poor” and lived in this area to be with the people here.

Dr. Baril in 1894 – Below image courtesy of BANQ.

Intersection of Adam and De Chambly streets.

We now walk north on De Chambly Street.

De Chambly Street.

Alley off De Chambly Street.

Intersection of De Chambly and Ontario Street East.

Continue walking north on De Chambly Street.

De Chambly Street.

We have now walked to the corner of Hochelaga Street and at the corner is Fire Station No.48.

Fire Station No. 48, 3616 Hochelaga Street, was built in 1931 in the Art Deco style.

The walk ends here, as Metro Joliette is right beside it as well.

Below map is from early 1900’s. This is the area we covered in the walk. At bottom of map towards left, situated on the St. Lawrence River, you can see the location of the Cotton Mills.

Here is a photo titled “Montreal Cotton Factory, QC, about 1890” by William Notman (McCord Museum – View1923).

It shows a Cotton Factory on the shore of the St. Lawrence River, with Mount Royal in the distance to the west. This is the base of Hochelaga, where thousands of workers (men, women and children) worked six days a week. The smoke stacks were a reflection of industry, but, they were a witness to low wages, horrible working conditions and inequality. However, imagine a family living off the island that sees these smokestacks in the distance? They almost appear as a beacon of employment and hope for a brighter future.

We hope you enjoyed the walk and photos. The history of Montreal is truly amazing and what makes this city unique are its neighbourhoods and streets.

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Heritage, Structure and Stone! (Up Côte-des-Neiges Road, down thru Westmount, onto the Towers)

Posted June 2, 2023 by WalkMontreal

(above photo on Côte-des-Neiges Road as approaching the Escalier Trafalgar entrance to Mount Royal Park – May 22, 2023) © WalkMontreal

WalkMontreal is pleased to bring you a beautiful heritage walk with a theme of structure and stone on the south-west side of Mount-Royal. We will highlight some impressive landmarks and buildings, as well as searching for the locations of the old Côte-des-Neiges Toll Gate to the city, Capitulation Cottage, Trafalgar Tower and the Fort de la Montagne. C&D from WalkMontreal will take you thru these beautiful streets both in Montreal and Westmount. Starting downtown at the corner of Côte-des-Neiges Road and Sherbrooke Street West, the walk goes north on Côte-des-Neiges, all the way to Remembrance Road, then turns back and goes thru parts of Westmount descending on Mount Pleasant and Wood avenues and then back onto Sherbrooke Street ending with the beautiful and historic Sulpician Towers.

C&D did this walk on Monday May 22, 2023 between 2:10PM and 4:35PM for a total of 2 hours and 25 minutes. The total length was approximately 4.85KM (3 miles) It was a sunny day with a temperature of 15C (59F).

Note: The walk is moderate to steep going up Côte-des-Neiges Road and there is some steep stair climbing at Trafalgar Avenue.

The walk starts at the intersection of Côte-des-Neiges and Sherbrooke.

Intersection of Côte-des-Neiges and Sherbrooke.

We now begin the walk going north on Côte-des-Neiges Road. This beautiful brownstone building was the Stanley Bagg Clark House, built in 1891.

At 3465 Côte-des-Neiges Road, we find the Laurentian Apartments, built in 1913.

The Laurentian Apartments, built in 1913.

Continue up Côte-des-Neiges Road, this is going to be a good walk !

The Regency, at 3555 Côte-des-Neiges Road, built in 1965.

Taking a look back down the road at corner of Seaforth Avenue.

Looking back down as we walk upwards.

Looking back down from the corner of Docteur-Penfield Avenue.

Continue to walk upwards on Côte-des-Neiges.

Off to the left, the gray building is The Sacred Heart School, built in 1928.

Intersection of Côte-des-Neiges and Pine Avenue.

The Montreal General Hospital, built in 1965.

Cedar Avenue, some brick homes with the Montreal General Hospital in the background.

Taking a look back at the Montreal skyline.

Intersection of Côte-des-Neiges and Cedar Avenue.

Cedar Avenue

Some stone work on the edge of Mount Royal Park where Côte-des-Neiges and Cedar meet.

Continue walking. These are initial steps into Mount Royal Park where Côte-des-Neiges and Cedar meet. You can see The Gleneagles complex in distance.

The Gleneagles Apartments, 3940 to 3946 Côte-des-Neiges Road, built in 1929.

The Gleneagles Apartments (The Gazette – April 11, 1930).

Looking back the way we came, with city skyline.

The Sainte Lawrence River can be seen with the Champlain Bridge.

Looking back the way we came.

Mount Royal Park is on the right.

The 165 Côte-des-Neiges bus.

The stone wall between the Gleneagles and The Trafalgar.

The gate and stone wall between the Gleneagles and The Trafalgar.

Ahead on the right are the Escalier Trafalgar, stairs leading to Mount Royal Park.

Between the Gleneagles and Trafalgar buildings are two beautiful old homes. The Thompson House on the left, built in 1907 and the Sparrow House on the right, built in 1910. They are at 3956 and 3970 Côte-des-Neiges Road respectively. There is a gate here for a reason, so lets respect it.

Now we come to The Trafalgar building, at 3980 Côte-des-Neiges Road, built in 1931.

The Trafalgar building, at 3980 Côte-des-Neiges Road, built in 1931.

Intersection of Le Boulevard and Côte-des-Neiges Road.

We are going to cross over and walk back down to the Escalier Trafalgar stairs.

Nice view looking back at The Gleneagles.

Great vintage photo here by Harry Sutcliffe in 1932 (Source: McCord Museum, Object #: M2011.64.2.3.343).

The Trafalgar building.

We are at the Escalier Trafalgar stairs now.

These stairs will take you into Mount Royal Park.

Nice view from the Trafalgar stairs.

The Trafalgar.

So back in the 1800’s there was a toll gate to the city of Montreal on Côte-des-Neiges Road for travelers coming via the north or west to the city on this road. We wondered what it would look like, who would be manning this toll gate and exactly where was it. Well, we did some research and we think we are able to answer these questions.

Below is a map of Mount Royal Park, pages 66 & 67 from Atlas of the city and island of Montreal (Hopkins, H.W), Provincial Surveying and Pub. Co., 1879. (Source: BANQ).

Below excerpt from above map highlights where the toll-gate was located. Green arrow is corner of Côte-des-Neiges and Pine. The purple arrow shows the city line, which was likely the north-west boundary of the Sulpician farm and property. We believe the red arrow shows us The Trafalgar Lodge (Albert Furness House). And the blue arrow points directly to the toll gate marked on the map. So the toll gate was between the Trafalgar Lodge and the city line, which we believe puts it somewhere right near the Escalier Trafalgar stairs.

Below is a beautiful watercolour over pencil, dated January 10 1882, by artist Arthur Elliot.

It is titled “Toll Gate Côte-des-Neiges”. (Source: Library and Archives Canada, Reference # R9266, Item ID# 3017308).

So we now know where the toll gate stood and what it looked like, but who was the gate keeper? Could they be the figure in the painting standing by the entrance? We had found out that a Crimean War veteran by the name of James Quinn was the gate keeper at one time. Could this figure in Arthur Elliot’s painting be James Quinn?

Below is a photo by William Notman in 1859 titled, “Montreal, from below Côte des Neiges toll gate, QC, 1859”. Compare the fence in this photo with the painting above. (Source: McCord Museum, Object #: N-0000.193.62.1).

Lets continue on walking north on Côte-des-Neiges Road.

Walking north on Côte-des-Neiges Road.

Looking back from where we came.

Walking north on Côte-des-Neiges Road.

Across the street you can see the Trafalgar Lodge. But we will see it up close when we double-back.

So keep walking north on Côte-des-Neiges Road.

Walking north on Côte-des-Neiges Road.

We are now arriving at the corner of Remembrance Road. On the west side you will see an old pumping station.

The pumping station, at 4160 Côte-des-Neiges Road, was built in 1938.

On the east side of Côte-des-Neiges Road, you will see the Côte-des-Neiges Armoury, at 4185 Côte des Neiges, built in 1934.

The armoury houses the Royal Canadian Hussars and the 2nd Field Artillery, both primary reserve regiments within the Canadian Armed Forces.

Côte-des-Neiges Armoury.

West side with the pumping station.

We will not go futhur than this intersection: Belvedere Road on the left, Côte-des-Neiges Road in middle, and Remembrance Road off to the right.

So why are we interested in this area where the pumping house is? Well, this is said to be the spot where “Capitulation Cottage” had once stood. In September of 1760, advancing British armies, had made their way onto the island of Montreal preparing an assault on the small town of Montreal. On the 8th of September 1760, the capitulation of Montreal was signed here by General Jeffery Amherst of the British army and the Governor of New France, Pierre de Rigaud de Vaudreuil de Cavagnial.

Below is a sketch of Capitulation Cottage by Alfred Sandham – published in the Canadian Illustrated News (April 13, 1872) (Source: Library and Archives Canada Item#: 2551).

Below is a painting of Capitulation Cottage by Henry Richard S. Bunnett, dated 1885-1889 (Source: McCord Museum, Object #: M2000.75.26).

Below is a photo of the ruins of Capitulation Cottage from 1892 (Source: BANQ creator: Sabiston Photo, Eng.)

The first sketch above appears to show a wooden log style cabin, while the painting and the photo clearly shows stone ruins of the cottage. We believe that behind the wooden log house is a second structure, the one made of stone. Oh well, nothing left of it, so….

Lets turn around and head back the way we came.

Walking south now on Côte-des-Neiges Road.

At Hill Park Circle, cross over to the west side of Côte-des-Neiges.

We now can get a good look at The Trafalgar Lodge, at 3021 to 3025 Trafalgar Avenue. Built originally for Albert Furness (Furniss ?) in 1848.

Here is a nice sketch of Trafalgar in 1970 by John Collins (Source: The Gazette May 30, 1970).

The Trafalgar Lodge.

Intersection of Côte des Neiges and Trafalgar Avenue.

The Trafalgar Lodge.

We will now walk west on Trafalgar Avenue.

We are now going to be looking for where the Trafalgar Tower once stood and see if any remnants of it remain.

The Trafalgar Tower was built in the early 1800’s by John Ogilvy, a fur trader who had a country estate in this area. John Ogilvy was one of the donors who helped fund the erection in 1809 of Nelson’s Column in Place Jacques-Cartier in the old city of Montreal in commemoration of Admiral Horatio Nelson who led British naval forces against French and Spanish naval forces during The Battle of Trafalgar in 1805.

John Ogilvy decided to build a tower of his own and he chose the high vantage point in this area that today is on Belvedere Circle. Ogilvy built a stone tower somewhere on this high point, placed a small cannon on its roof and every year on the anniversary of The Battle of Trafalgar (October 21st), he fired his cannon. The Trafalgar Tower continued on thru the 19th century slowly falling apart. The ruins of this tower were still evident by the late 1920’s.

Oh…something else that may be of interest….in this very area, plans were being drawn up to establish a cemetery here in 1846 and it was to be called The Trafalgar Mount Cemetery. Eventually, the plans were abandoned as the land was deemed not suitable. But, there was one burial that did take place that year of 1846.

Anyhow, lets continue to look for this Trafalgar Tower, shall we?

Keep walking along Trafalgar Avenue for two streets.

We now arrive at Trafalgar Road. On the left, Trafalgar Avenue continues up to a cul-de-sac.

On the right, Trafalgar Road brings us to a flight of stairs.

We are going to briefly continue up Trafalgar Avenue.

Trafalgar Avenue.

And on Trafalgar Avenue is a wooded hill with some stones.

The stones appear to have been used as a retaining wall for this hill.

Could these stones be from The Trafalgar Tower? Very possible as modern construction of homes above on the hill were taking place, the remnants of the tower were being repurposed and used in this area. Some stones of Ogilvy’s tower could be in someone’s garden, or stone wall, etc…

Let’s turn around and head back to the intersection of Trafalgar Avenue and Trafalgar Road.

We are now going to ascend these stairs, which will take us up to Malcolm Road.

Here are the stairs, they are steep.

Take your time…

We come to level ground…but more stairs up ahead…

Here we go again…

…almost done…

And we are at the top of the stairs now.

Looking back down on where we came up.

The stairs come out at Malcolm Road.

From Malcolm Road, walk up Trafalgar Heights Road.

We now come to Belvedere Circle (we are still in Montreal).

From Belvedere Circle you can see that there are some fabulous views.

Another great view of the Saint Lawrence River.

Between the homes, you can capture some good views beyond.

The very top of Belvedere Circle.

Here is an image of Trafalgar Tower (Source: Canadiana Magazine March 1890, Vol.2 No.3, editor: W J.White)

On pages 40 and 41 is this description: “Have you ever gone as far as the “Priest’s Fort” on the Mountain? Have you sometimes struck into the sombre thicket which borders on the southwest, the hill leading to Cote des Neiges ? And if you have been ever so little curious in examining the picturesque landscape, the valleys which are spread out fresh and blooming before your eyes, the rocks which here and there frown threateningly above your head; you must have noticed the grey spot which appears in the distance, on the left, upon the green background of one side of the mountain. Well, that spot which in the distance appears like a small point, is a little tower, gothic in style…”

If John Ogilvy built his Trafalgar Tower up here, it would make sense. He would have a great vantage point, excellent views of the city below to the east, the Saint Lawrence River and the Eastern Townships beyond.

Let’s continue on and walk down Belvedere Circle to Belvedere Road and head south. You are now in Westmount.

Walking south and descending Belvedere Road.

Stone wall.

Continue on Belvedere Road.

When you get to the intersection of Sunnyside Avenue, turn left and continue walking down Belvedere Road.

Coming down Belvedere Road.

Intersection of Belvedere Road and Sunnyside Avenue.

Follow the stone wall.

Continue on down…

Beautiful walk down Belvedere Road…stone wall on both sides.

Almost there…

We arrive at intersection of Belvedere Road and The Boulevard.

We will turn right and walk west on The Boulevard.

Walking west on The Boulevard.

When you get to Mount Pleasant Avenue, turn left and walk south.

Walking south on Mount Pleasant Avenue. Enjoy the walk thru this part of Westmount, its beautiful!

Walking south on Mount Pleasant Avenue.

We come to the intersection of Mount Pleasant Avenue and St. Sulpice Road. We are going to walk down the stairs straight ahead of us.

Walk down these stairs off St. Sulpice Road.

Still descending…

We are coming to a nice stone landing here,,,

From here you can see some rooftops and Westmount Square building in the distance.

Lamppost on the stone landing.

View over the rooftops.

Descending the stairs.

Almost there.

The stone stairways we are coming down from.

And we are now at street level with De Lavigne Road.

The stone stairways as seen from De Lavigne Road.

Lets cross the street and continue on down another flight of stairs. Remember, we are descending the south-western slope of Mount Royal.

So we now embark on some wooden stairs.

They lead to a walkway…

Before meeting a set of concrete stairs.

These steps will bring us to street level with Holton and Wood avenues.

Walk south on Wood Avenue.

Walking south on Wood Avenue.

Continue down Wood Avenue, some beautiful architecture can be seen.

Wood Avenue and Victorian architecture.

Wood Avenue will take us to Queen Elizabeth Gardens.

The Queen Elizabeth Gardens.

Some trees were planted here in 1953 in commemoration of the coronation of Elizabeth ll.

Walking thru the Queen Elizabeth Gardens toward Sherbrooke Street.

Approaching the intersection of Sherbrooke Street and Vignal Avenue.

Dawson College, formerly the Mother House – Maison Mère des Soeurs de la Congrégation Notre-Dame, 3040 Sherbrooke Street West, built in 1905-1908.

The dome on the Mother House – Maison Mère des Soeurs de la Congrégation Notre-Dame.

The dome with Mary and Jesus on the Mother House – Maison Mère des Soeurs de la Congrégation Notre-Dame.

The Mother House – Maison Mère des Soeurs de la Congrégation Notre-Dame.

The Mother House – postcard circa 1904-1915 (Source: BANQ Paris :Neobromure A. Breger frères).

The Mother House – Maison Mère des Soeurs de la Congrégation Notre-Dame.

Dawson College makes its home in the Mother House. Dawson College is the largest CEGEP in Quebec.

Continue walking east on Sherbrooke Street, past Atwater Avenue, and you will see the Congrégation de Notre-Dame, at 2330 Sherbrooke Street West, built in 1913.

Congrégation de Notre-Dame, at 2330 Sherbrooke Street West, built in 1913.

Continue walking east on Sherbrooke Street. The Haddon Hall Apartments can be seen here on the right.

Continue to walk east on the north side of Sherbrooke Street. There is a large area of land behind this stone wall that was once the location of the Fort de la Montagne (a.k.a. Le Fort des Messieurs) built in 1685, that had housed a Sulpician missionary. Two towers were built in 1694 on this land. The fort was eventually dismantled and Le Collège de Montréal was built on the grounds between 1854-1857. The Sulpician land was also referred to as “Priest’s Farm”. The two towers remain today.

Below map shows the size of this land in 1879; from Atlas of the city and island of Montreal (Hopkins, H.W), Provincial Surveying and Pub. Co., 1879. (Source: BANQ).

The Sulpician land is bordered by the “City Line”, “Elm Ave.”, “Cote Des Neiges” and “Sherbrooke”.

The two towers are 13 metres high (43 feet).

The Sulpician land was also referred to as “Priest’s Farm”.

Below is a photo titled: “Priests Farm”, Montreal College, Sherbrooke Street, Montreal, QC, about 1859″, by William Notman (Source: McCord Museum Object #: N-0000.193.60.2)

Le Collège de Montréal was built on the grounds between 1854-1857, at 1931 Sherbrooke Street West.

Sulpician Tower, built in 1694.

Grand Séminaire de Montréal.

The cross atop Grand Séminaire de Montréal.

The Sulpician Towers.

Sulpician Tower with the Grand séminaire de Montréal.

Grand séminaire de Montréal.

Sulpician Tower.

Grand séminaire de Montréal.

Sulpician Towers.

Below is an excerpt from an 1846 map by James Cane, titled “Topographical and pictorial map of the city of Montreal” (Source: BANQ).

You can see where it is marked “Priests Farm” on the left. Above that is the seminary and the two towers on Sherbrooke Street. All those trees behind it are apple orchards. The Sulpician’s had large apple orchards and grew a particularly delightful one called “La Fameuse” (later known also as the snow apple). These orchards have vanished now, but, there could still be a few apple trees out there in someone’s back yard or on a secluded part of Mount Royal that are descendants of these orchards.

Below image is a watercolour dated 1839 titled “Montreal from the priests farm” – attributed to Philip John Bainbrigge (Source: McCord Museum Object#: M982.531.1)

This is an excellent image as it shows the view as seen from the south-west side of Mount Royal, the area that we basically encircled on the walk up Côte-des-Neiges Road and then down thru parts of Westmount. This is the Sulpician farm that is in between that area, but, the artist is looking down from a vantage point. You can see the Saint Lawrence River with the Montérégie region and Eastern Townships beyond. In the center right are the Sulpician buildings where both towers are evident as well. It shows us a pasture with livestock, old trees and a sombre thicket.

This concludes the walk. We hope you enjoyed it as much as we did, as well as a little bit of history added in.

WalkMontreal is a joint effort by C&D to learn, walk and share the experience.

Micro-Walk #3: From Stanley to Mackay

Posted May 1, 2023 by WalkMontreal

“From Stanley Street to Mackay Street” is the third of a series of micro-walks thru the downtown core of Montréal. These micro-walks will typically be about 2KM and take 30 to 40 minutes, depending how fast you walk. If you work downtown, or you attend a college or university downtown or you are a tourist staying at a hotel downtown….these walks are for you ! They are designed so that you can get out and stretch your legs, see some interesting sites and appreciate the history these streets have to offer.

“From Stanley Street to Mackay Street” walk starts at the corner of Stanley Street and René-Lévesque Boulevard West and will take us westward thru the downtown core going up and down Stanley, Drummond, Rue de la Montagne, Crescent, Bishop and Mackay streets. As we walk we will intersect with René-Lévesque Boulevard, Saint-Catherine Street and De Maisonneuve Boulevard. We are focusing on this area and walking these streets only because this is a key area of downtown Montréal for shopping, business and nightlife. As well as the number of people who have taken up residence in this area, Concordia University has a presence here with an enrollment of over 45,000 students. We will see the glass and steel skyscrapers along René-Lévesque and De Maisonneuve boulevards, the Victorian buildings along all these streets that still survive, the restaurants and bars that make Montréal vibrant and the retail shops that line Saint-Catherine Street for blocks. All of this contributes to this city being truly cosmopolitan.

C & D did this walk on Saturday April 15, 2023. Temperature was 23C (73F) and it was a sunny day. The walk itself is not long, a total of 3 KM (1.9 miles). The terrain is flat. Please follow along the below map.

Starting point: Stanley Street and René-Lévesque Boulevard West

Walking north on Stanley Street.

Stanley Street intersects with Saint-Catherine Street.

Stanley Apartments, built in 1897. (1433 Stanley Street)

Stanley Street intersects with De Maisonneuve Boulevard.

Intersection of Drummond Street and De Maisonneuve Boulevard.

Walk south on Drummond Street.

The George Stephen House, built between 1880-1883. It is a designated National Historic Site and said to be the best example of Rennaissance Revival architecture in Canada. (1440 Drummond Street)

The Drummond Medical Building, built 1929 in Art Deco style. (1414 Drummond Street)

YMCA building (built 1954-1957). 1435 Drummond Street

Drummond Street intersects with Saint-Catherine Street,

Fire Station No.25, (built 1913). 1212 Drummond Street

Drummond Street intersects with René-Lévesque Boulevard West.

René-Lévesque Boulevard West.

Walk north on rue de la Montagne.

O’Sullivan College, (building was built in 1936). 1191 de la Montagne.

Beautiful Victorian greystone.

Académie Bourget (built in 1914). 1230 de la Montagne.

Rue de la Montagne intersects with Saint-Catherine Street.

Saint-Catherine Street.

Walking north on rue de la Montagne.

Mural in parking garage by Ola Volo.

Intersection of Rue de la Montagne and De Maisonneuve Boulevard.

Corner of Crescent Street and De Maisonneuve Boulevard.

Walking south on Crescent Street, with the immense 21 story Leonard Cohen mural by Gene Pendon and El Mac.

Ruelle Nick-Auf Der Maur, on the east side of Crescent Street, named after the respected journalist and “boulevardier” of Montreal, Nick Auf Der Maur.

Intersection of Crescent and Saint-Catherine streets.

Saint-Catherine Street looking east.

Saint-Catherine Street looking west.

Continue south on Crescent Street.

The YWCA, (built 1952). 1355 René-Lévesque Boulevard West.

René-Lévesque Boulevard West near corner of Bishop Street.

Walking north on Bishop Street.

Intersection of Bishop and Saint-Catherine streets.

St. James The Apostle Anglican Church (built 1864). 1439 Saint-Catherine Street.

Looking east on Saint-Catherine Street.

Walking north on Bishop Street.

The Bishop Court Apartments, (built 1904). 1463 Bishop Street.

The Royal George Apartments (built 1912) is another example of Renaissance Revival style. Now owned by Concordia University, the facade remains.

Intersection of Bishop Street and De Maisonneuve Boulevard, showing the Hall Building of Concordia University.

Corner of Mackay Street and De Maisonneuve Boulevard.

Walking south on Mackay Street.

Intersection of Mackay and Saint-Catherine streets.

Looking west on Saint-Catherine Street.

Intersection of Mackay and Saint-Catherine streets.

Walking south on Mackay Street.

At the south end of Mackay Street are some very interesting and beautiful stained glass examples above the doors.

Below is an example of keeping an old greystone building and incorporating it into a new modern glass and steel building.

And we end the walk here at corner of Mackay Street and René-Lévesque Boulevard West.

We hope you enjoyed the walk, with the photos and just a touch of the history in this area.

WalkMontreal is an initiative by C & D to get people out to walk, learn and enjoy the city. This is the third of our micro-walks that we are putting together. There will be more, all covering the downtown core.

Micro-Walk #2: Dorchester Square and Place du Canada area

Posted February 28, 2023 by WalkMontreal

“Dorchester Square and Place du Canada area” is the second of a series of micro-walks thru the downtown core of Montréal. These micro-walks will typically be about 2KM and take 30 to 40 minutes, depending how fast you walk. If you work downtown, or you attend a college or university downtown or you are a tourist staying at a hotel downtown….these walks are for you ! They are designed so that you can get out and stretch your legs, see some interesting sites and appreciate the history these streets have to offer.

“Dorchester Square and Place du Canada area” walk starts at the corner of Peel and Sainte-Catherine streets, thru Dorchester Square onto the central core of downtown Montreal and will loop back thru Place du Canada and end at the corner of Metcalfe and Sainte-Catherine streets. Dorchester Square and Place du Canada were previously together known as Dominion Square. We will reflect on history, see some magnificent architecture and walk these fabulous streets.

Emphasis is placed on the massive construction in a ten year period from late 1950’s to late 1960’s: The Queen Elizabeth Hotel (1958), Place Ville Marie (1962), CIBC Tower (1962), Terminal Tower (1966), Château Champlain (1966), Place du Canada (1967), Central Station (rebuilt 1967), Place Bonaventure (1967).

C & D did this walk on Saturday February 11, 2023. Temperature was -5C (23F), with a wind chill of -12C (10F) and it was a sunny day. The walk itself is not long, a total of 2.6 KM (1.6 miles). The terrain is mostly flat, some downhill and uphill, but not steep. There are also some stairs at Bell Centre to climb. Please follow along the below map.

Dorchester Square
Sun Life
Place Ville Marie
Queen Elizabeth Hotel
Mary, Queen of the World Cathedral
Central Station
Place Bonaventure
The Former Gazette Building
Chateau Champlain
Place du Canada
Bell Centre
Windsor Station
St. George’s Church

We start this walk at the corner of Peel and Sainte-Catherine streets, the cross roads of Montreal, said to be the very centre of downtown Montreal.

Looking at the south-west corner of Peel and Sainte-Catherine streets.

Peel Street looking south, and Sainte-Catherine Street looking west.

Corner of Peel and Sainte-Catherine streets in 1940’s (credit Library and Archives Canada).

Corner of Peel and Sainte-Catherine streets in 1978 (credit Tom Gibson – Concordia University Archives).

Peel Street.

A fixture on Peel Street for decades was Metropolitan News (credit Archives Montreal 1966).

Peel Street.

Sun Life Building on east side Dorchester Square, built in three stages of construction between 1913 and 1931.

The annex of the historic Windsor Hotel (opened in 1878) still stands today at Peel and Cypress streets.

Sun Life Building seen from across Dorchester Square. Robert Burns statue is seen on left and Boer War Memorial in centre.

The Boer War Memorial.

Looking south thru Dorchester Square.

The CIBC Tower, completed in 1962, it has 45 floors.

The CIBC Tower is at the south-west corner of Dorchester Square, occupying the spot where the Windsor Hotel stood.

The CIBC Tower being erected in 1961 (credit BANQ/La Presse Paul Henri Talbot).

Looking south thru Dorchester Square.

The Boer War Memorial.

The Lion of Belfort, sculpted in 1897.

Sun Life Building.

South end of Dorchester Square.

The Lion of Belfort.

At the south end of Dorchester Square, if you look to the south-east corner of René-Lévesque Boulevard and Rue de la Cathédrale, is Mary, Queen of the World Cathedral (Cathédrale Marie-Reine-du-Monde et St-Jacques-le-Majeur), built between 1875 and 1894.

Looking across René-Lévesque Boulevard to Place du Canada, a large urban square that prior to 1967, with both Dorchester Square and Place du Canada combined was Dominion Square.

Mary, Queen of the World Cathedral.

Looking from Place du Canada towards Sun Life Building.

Rue de la Cathédrale, with Mary, Queen of the World Cathedral.

Mary, Queen of the World Cathedral.

Looking back at the CIBC Tower from Mary, Queen of the World Cathedral.

Sun Life Building from Mary, Queen of the World Cathedral.

Corner of Mansfield Street and René-Lévesque Boulevard, with the Queen Elizabeth Hotel on right.

Mary, Queen of the World Cathedral.

Queen Elizabeth Hotel, built 1958.

Place Ville Marie, built between 1958 and 1962, has 47 floors.

The Montreal Star, May 22, 1964 advertisement for “Altitude 737” restaurant-lounge at the top of Place Ville Marie.

Two couples dining with cocktails in “Altitude 737” restaurant-lounge in 1966 (credit Archives de la Ville de Montreal).

Queen Elizabeth Hotel. To the left of it is the Terminal Tower, built in 1966.

Below is a splendid sketch of the Queen Elizabeth Hotel (The Montreal Star, April 12, 1958).

Marius Plamondon was a “maitre-verrier” (master glass worker) who created a 60 foot stained glass window for the Queen Elizabeth Hotel.

The below newspaper article outlines this (The Montreal Star and Herald, February 8, 1958).

And the 60 foot stained glass window shows in below postcard in the hotel’s “Les Voyageurs Cocktail Lounge” (postcard 1960’s).

The promenade of Place Ville Marie.

A giant ring was installed in 2022 on the plaza.

The Terminal Area Plaza, as it was named outlined in an artist’s sketch published in October 11, 1956.

Queen Elizabeth Hotel.

René-Lévesque Boulevard – looking east.

René-Lévesque Boulevard – looking west. The Terminal Tower is on the left.

It was advertising itself as the “International Centre of the World” (The Gazette, November 25, 1966).

Place Ville Marie.

René-Lévesque Boulevard – looking west.

Place Ville Marie.

Queen Elizabeth Hotel.

Looking west down Belmont Street from corner of Robert-Bourassa Boulevard (formerly know as University Street). You can see the dome of the cathedral in background.

The smaller brown brick building in the middle is Central Station which is below this whole area (originally built in 1943 but rebuilt under this complex in 1967). Access is via any of these buildings or via main entrance on De la Gauchetière Ouest. There is some striking Art Deco on exterior and interior of Central Station.

Some Art Deco on exterior of Central Station.

Some Art Deco on interior of Central Station.

Walk south on Robert Bourassa Boulevard to corner of De la Gauchetière. The massive Place Bonaventure is here.

The Gazette June 14, 1965.

Place Bonaventure (built 1964-1967).

Place Bonaventure.

Walking along De la Gauchetière Street,

Corner of De la Gauchetière and Mansfield streets.

Walking along De la Gauchetière Street.

Place du Canada (built 1964-1967) and Château Champlain (built 1966-1967).

1000 de la Gauchetière Building.

Place du Canada and Château Champlain.

Artist rendition of Château Champlain (Montreal 65 Magazine, January 1965).

Postcard image showing the hip lounge and restaurant, “L’Escapade” on the 36th floor of the Château Champlain.

Walking south to Saint-Antoine-Street, is the former Montreal Gazette building (built 1924-1925)

Corner of Saint-Antoine and Peel streets is the Windsor Station (built 1888),

Windsor Station.

Looking north on Peel Street,

At the north-east corner of Saint-Antoine and Peel is Place du Canada building and Château Champlain.

Windsor Station.

Walking west on Saint-Antoine, with Tour des Canadiens in distance.

Tour des Canadiens.

We come to the Bell Centre now, and we will walk these stairs beside it to Avenue des Canadiens de Montreal.

Taking stairs beside Bell Centre.

At Le Cour Rio Tinto promenade.

In honour of Howie Morenz.

In honour of Maurice “The Rocket” Richard.

In honour of Jean Béliveau.

In honour of Guy Lafleur.

The Bell Centre, with huge development of towering glass surrounding it.

Windsor Station.

Windsor Station on Avenue des Canadiens de Montreal.

Windsor Station.

St. George’s Anglican Church (built 1869-1870).

St. George’s Anglican Church.

Corner of Peel Street and Avenue des Canadiens de Montreal.

As you cross over Peel Street, you come to Place du Canada Square.

Place du Canada Square and Dorchester Square combined, used to be Dominion Square, pre-1967.

It is surrounded by these magnificent buildings we just highlighted.

As you walk thru Place du Canada Square, you get this incredible view.

Sun Life Building.

Mary, Queen of the World Cathedral.

The CIBC Tower.

Exiting the north part of Place du Canada Square on René-Lévesque Boulevard and crossing over to Dorchester Square.

Back in Dorchester Square, we see the Boer Monument once again.

Metcalf Avenue.

Continue north on Metcalf Avenue.

The rear of the Dominion Square Building, built in 1929.

Metcalf Avenue as we approach Sainte-Catherine Street.

Intersection of Sainte-Catherine and Metcalf streets.

As we were finishing our walk, we had heard about an old fashioned confectionary that existed back in the 1920’s called “Venus Sweets”.

The address scheme was different back then. But, that looks like a scrumptious place indeed!

Looks like the building still exists but with a different tenant on the left.

Intersection of Sainte-Catherine and Metcalf streets.

And on Sainte-Catherine Street between Metcalf and Peel streets is the Dominion Square building, reminding us of the original name of Dorchester Square and Place du Canada.

We hope you enjoyed the walk, with the photos and just a touch of the history in this area. When we add old images of places, whether it is a photo or a newspaper add or a postcard, it is to gain insight into the era and to remember it.

WalkMontreal is an initiative by C & D to get people out to walk, learn and enjoy the city. This is the second of our micro-walks that we are putting together. There will be more, all covering the downtown core.