Tuesday, September 29, 2009

A little St Henri for us

From the St Henri site,...................


View of the Merchants Manufacturing/Dominion Textile Building from across the Lachine Canal.  The Merchants Manufacturing Company based in Massachusetts started building this sprawling complex in 1880.   In 1905 Merchants Manufacturing became Dominion Textile Co.   An addition was built across the street at 4035 St-Ambroise in 1899 and a seven story brick warehouse at 3970 St-Ambroise was constructed in 1906.



 


I'm not sure if this was part of the Fantasy Club that rented here in the mid-1980's or extra inventory belonging to antique dealers in the building, but it makes for an interesting surprise in an old cotton mill, however this building is full of surprises! see more pictures from SPEK




 




From the 1960's to 1989, the main building buildings was occupied by the Connecticut Leather Company best known to baby boomers as COLECO.  


COLECO was best known for their tabletop hockey games, ColecoVision video game consoles, Adam home computers, and the Cabbage Patch Kids kids.  Some of these products were produced on St-Ambroise Street.  In 1989 Coleco went bankrupt and sold out to Hasbro Toys.   As late as 2004, if you looked carefully, old Coleco trailers could still be seen strewn along the waterfront.



Employees of Merchants Manufacturing (Dominion Textile) 1905 and maybe the same space in 2004. (Rollover the image with your mouse to see the old view)


Happily the building has been carefully renovated leaving much of the old wood floors and old fixtures intact.


Here is a detail of the staircase in the West Wing of the building.


former Merchant Cotton Company (view from across canal) before and after latest renovations, 1990's and 2004. (Parcs Canada)




 

43 comments:

Les F said...

I just posted about 70 photos from around Verdun, some old then moving into the 70's & 80's of Wellington Street & various other side streets,.Now some of these I have posted before,but there are quite a few I hadn't seen myself, ...............checkout the photo album ,(try the slideshow )
http://lesf.multiply.com/photos/album/28
HF&RV

Sandy Walsh said...

Hi Les - I just slid through the slide show - very nice. I keep meaning to ask you if you remember what was going on at the Oratory that day when there were so many people there - I was thinking the Pope was visiting - but I don't think that's it - it seems when you first posted that a long time ago, you did say what was going on. Definitely not the line for the hot dogs though - lol.

Les F said...

.hmmm I'll try to find out,......definetly wasn't my cannonisation (sp?) Could have been a midnight mass with one of the local cardinals or something,......Bishop , Arch Bishop , Knight ,Pawn,Rook...Altar Boy applications ?...................................insert lightning here :lol
HF&RV

pauline garneau said...

Les wasn’t that the day the devil got the best of you and made you shoplift medals from the souvenir store?

Sandy Walsh said...

an extra jolt just for luck - lol

Les F said...

your memory is to good Poly, but I beleive the statute of limitations is up on that.....the good part was if you hung around the store or the little chapel, one of the padres (not San Diego) would come out & bless én masse'all the junk everyone bought (or relocated as I like to refer to it as )......lol
"Remember I can always have a 'Death Bed ' conversion ,it's in their rule book, and I go straight to the front of the que.............hahahahahah HF&RV
With crowds like that at the original 'Big O' I kinda wish I was a Pickpocket............lol HF&RV

Brian Gearey said...

Les Better hope you get a chance to do the deathbed thing as it can be instant without chance for speaking. Father Brian

Les F said...

From what I understand , the old Father in the sky,should already know what I am contemplating, (he's knows all doesn't he..............lol) I don't even need to speak,just let them do the judging (Good Guy , Bad Guy) what do I care if it's not in my hands.............hahahahahah and from what I've seen ,he's not always right is he..............
.............................................................................................I like mOuntains & stuff,not .idols...
" How's that go again" ? "Forgive me father for I have....................yea , not my thing, I'm going for the DeathBed Deal it's in the rule books..............................................lol HF&RV

Brian Gearey said...

You will get away with it I'm sure.Say a good word for me so I can join the club also

Sandy Walsh said...

I think you are called a Pantheist, Les. Not pantyist - that's another subject. Father Brian is probably right though that you will be able to talk yourself in.

Les F said...

No Sweat your IN........hahahahaha ........
& Sandy , you are correct , a few years back one of my sisters was swimming across Bruce Lake in Muskoka, Ontario(near lake Rosseau) where we all spent many a summer ( we all, being ,my family etc etc ) This was at my very favourite Aunt & Uncle's cottage,.we went there since '59-'60 every summer almost...... anyway back to the point , my sister while swimming across the lake ,.thought of me & clued in to what I always spewed about,.......Appreciating stuff like Mountains & Lakes & Sun .& Scenery etc etc ..Well . to make a long story (longer)...............she decided that while swimming this lake, that it occured to her that I am a Pantheist..................Bravo Sandy I have heard few others every use the word,....& Yes I can agree to accept that description,& I really think the Pagan's had it right , they reveered & appreciate the awesomeness, of the Mountains & Lakes & Oceans & Sun & Sky & Stars..etc etc etc.... I think they had it right & needed no 'Teaching' from the Misssionary's who would try to change their thinking...............................CaChing CaChing fill that collection plate, & admire the idols we have up on statues & cross's .......................I still have that shirt my sister brought back for me,because as she swam that lake ,"she got it": (apparently there's a shirt store halfway across).hahahahahha
.........................ps: I still enjoyed spending my collection money at the candy store,...cause the Do-Re_Mi ,...finally did go to a kid that needed it...................lol and I'll be the judge of that.... HF&RV

Les F said...

Whew ,...............that was a close one. where's my asbestos suit ,when I need it. lol
HF&RV

pauline garneau said...

Lakes , Oceans , Sun , Sky & Stars they're all good but those mountains , they're only trouble .
They’re good for the eyes but not for the soul.

Les F said...

They sure are handy for people who ski or snowboard,and you really have to drive through them to get the real sense of how awesome they are....they are gigantic & the only place I ever felt intimidated by them was in a town like Trail BC ,where the mountains tower all around you & even the sun doesn't light up the town for long.....Trail seems like it's a mile down a mountain to get into it or more, & miles to come up the other side...but when your on the top at night it seems like the stars are right beside you....you have to see it to really know what I'm saying. For those who have never been out west, a drive from Calgary into the foothills ,then the real Mountains is a sight you will never forget,..Driving on a real clear moonlight night is incredible.........the first time is the best ,but anytime I see them is good.
Here's a quick video of the ocky Mountaineer Train Ride.....but you can never get the same feeling as when your actualluy standing in those mountains or standing on the edge of a road looking over the edge where it drops thousands of feet,or going into Hell's Gate.......all reall neat stuff......

............and this video is Hell's Gate,..there are many more on Youtube, but this is a neat palce to visit, I like the drive through the Fraser Canyon, ( it was much better 35 years ago, when most segmnents of the highway had no barriers on the side to prevent going over,that's when it was a grreat road, still good drive though................most people bypass it by taking the Coquihalla Hwy, as it saves time & shoretens the route from Vancouver to Kamloops, or Merritt to Kelowna (roughly)


Banff & Canyon via Rocky Mountaineer

Les F said...

Avalanche & Mudslides , land slides are not uncommon in the winter ,it sometimes takes a couple of days to clear the highway from any of these,...usually noone is hurt, or caught in it,....(Usually)
The most known slides would be the Hope Slide,.......and talso the Franklin Slide which happened 100 years ago,but if you stood where it hapenned & tried to picture where this Mountain came from & how it ended up in huge boulder size rocks bigger than most houses,andyour standing on them and as far as you can see it's rock debris,then you get a sense of Mother Nature flexing her muscles..it's amazing stuff........ HF&RV

Sandy Walsh said...

I still remember that Nancy Greene - the champ of the '68 Olympics in Grenoble - was from Trail.
She must be getting excited for 2010

Les F said...

Nancy Greene is excited about it, she was on TV the other night & she will no doubt be there for sure ( as I believe she owns a piece of Blackcomb.........
here's a guy who was just lucky (this time) his name is Mike page & he can snowboard ,skateboard, ski etc etc ,he's good but takes a lot of uneccessary risks

Sandy Walsh said...

Yikes - he was lucky - scary!

pauline garneau said...

Holy smokes-
That’s not fun - never happened to me on 68 in St Sauveur.

Les did the Alberta tour by car and I was in awe as soon as we hit the Rockies. I was the one that once you see a tree they all look the same but I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. Simple gorgeous. My sister lives in Edmonton and we drove to Calgary for the Stampede did Banff and the gondola ride and the city with elk walking where ever .It was an experience .What a beautiful country we have.
They're the good mountains and good for the soul

pauline garneau said...

1483-9934[1]

pauline garneau said...

http://archives.cbc.ca/environment/natural_disasters/topics/1483-9934/#
Avalanche! | CBC Archives

Les F said...

I remember this accident, when in the back country it is far more dangerous than what people think.
Every year BC slides claim lives, The slides that happen on highways so far almost never claim lives.
but when you adventure into areas that are as wild as it gets, then that is where lives are lost...
Usually it's a group of either skiers ,snowmobilers, who purposefully wander into areas that will almost certainly be dangerous....Most of the time , they were warned,where to go & where not to go...
BC is a Wild Rugged part of the Country ( as is parts of Alberta near the mountains) if it rains a lot (which oddly enough , has been known to happen here) then you will see mudslides,.......if it heavy snow,then Avalanche is a distinct possibility,.....I have a video that I took, on a trip back to Montreal,while my brother & I were towing a car, and we came around a corner on the Highway near Revelstoke ,I think it was,& there on the road were large chunks of ice , that we had to manoeuvre around,but one chunk that had just fallen off the mountainside was a beautiful aqua blue ,almost transparent,colour,..this piece was as large as our Van........road crews were just pulling up to put cement barriers around the debris on the road ,to make traffic have to go around it, until they could remove it from the road....Scary stuff, imagine rounding a corner ,just after something like that falls ,and you would drive into an icecube bigger than your vehicle........it's sure to leave a noticeable mark on the vehicle .....lol hf&rv

pauline garneau said...

We have the same problem here with stuff falling from above only here we call it CEMENT.
Pauly

Les F said...

Yes , you really have to keep your neck stiff,when having a cool one on an outdoor patio.....

pauline garneau said...

Les do you embed a video the same way you do pictures? Have no problem with pictures but videos or maybe they are links are giving me a probled as you can tell
Pauly

Les F said...

Yes , there is a code for each a video or a photo,some sites will provide a 'share' option under the video or photo, once you have the code, then 'copy & paste ' it here....it should work.
I thought you had it down, as you did a nice job posting the Bethune Video, I know NFB archives are not alwayus easy to post (other than a direct link)............ There's a lot more things we can do in the comment windows too,.but a little learnign at a time,and when everyone gets used to that, or if you have learned somewthing , then by all means please share the idea with us all,Imagine that ,us old dogs learning new tricks.......hahahahahaha Actually I've been on many other sites where it was business as usual,posting wise etc etc , but for some reason I think Multiply was a bit late in coming to the party,or they slipped it in there ,with no real fanfare.....We will learn a lot more ,with a little time.... Sorry gotta go, heading Downtown,..........will check in later,either from there or when I get back here. HF&RV

Les F said...

Oh Pauline , I meant to mention , that one of the simplest ways is if you import a video to your own site ,then you will be able to click the same 'share' button & you will see the 'embed' code for Video too..............Good Luck.........HF&RV

pauline garneau said...

Thanks Les will try again.
The NFB was the easy one it had an embed option on the site and I was shocked that it worked so well. It went directly to the comment box without posting it to my site. If you can understand what I said.Sometimes I feel like I'm making up a new language when I try to explain myself.....Pauline

Sandy Walsh said...

Les - I know you hate the big "O" but you have to admit it's exciting that they are coming to Vancouver. As I type, Obama is on a flight to Copenhagen to try to get them for Chicago in 2016 - Michelle has been there for a few days already. He will be on the ground there for 4 hours and the right is bitching that he has more important things to worry about. The right doesn't seem to remember that Bush spent four days in Beijing. They say that every US city who has hosted the games in the last 25 years has made a profit. I hope that happens for Vancouver. Then maybe you will be a fan? I'm an Olympic fan - I don't care how much it costs :)

Les F said...

No Poly , I knew that, but thought posting to your own site first would just make it seem simpler....glad you question these things............hf&rv You have a good grasp on how things work & you are not afraid to try................................... HF&RV.

Les F said...

Sandy I hope all efforts make a profit, However I will never be a fan , after the (Big O 'we' ) fiasco,and over 30 years to finally pay for the thievery that went on to start with..... as for Obama, I do think he has bigger fish to fry & screw getting the olympics for Chicago...........I also don't believe much about anything politicians say about events that made a profit for wherever they were held.......When a Billion dollars plus is bantied about as what is needed for Security alone , then I think everyone is nuts to accept this stupidity ................I really believe that if evryone really likes the Olympics, then Have it in Athens every year,& have every country in the world chip in to make a one time Olympic venue where all athletes can practice & compete every 4 years.....& spend all you want on security ONCE,.....not every 4 years ..............Have it in Athens, where it started..... I for one couldn't care less about this 14 day event & waste oof Money to watch people downhill skiing or triathlon downhill skiing & shooting a rifle.......or bobsled teams from Jamaica,..............& besdes they (the athletes) arre all trying to become Pro's ,so they can make $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$ MONEY ..........I like their efforts, but I do not want to pay for them........meabwhile can't we just Bomb some foreign country's ,and forget this Camaradrie nonsense..of all nations getting together to see who can do what better than the other......

Sandy Walsh said...

Every Olympics in Athens would be a huge bore - I like the part where they get into the people and customs of the countries that are hosting the Olympics. One of my cousins represented Canada twice in the Olympics - Finland and Australia - and they actually won a bronze I think in rowing - I like not to think so much about the money and the politics but just love watching for the fun of it. Obama is probably looking to have something to look forward to when he heads back to Chicago - assuming he gets another four years.

Les F said...

That's the point , If it's a Huge Bore for everyone ,unless it's in their backyard, then it's a HUGE BORE for every other country............keep it in Athens if (tradition) is the True Reason,..and keep the cost Down,...............I couldn't care less who wins a downhill or an uphill, or whatever they want to do,..It's a waste of money period,.If they had a specific venue every 4 years then , each country (who cared) could then spend money to support their particular athletes.........but then think of it, if it comes down to spending money on your athletes then is it really a World Olympics.....No: it's Who you can BUY,& it's evident, that if the Countries with the most D0-Re-Mi..............seem to have the most medals,..Please: you can be a big talent in a no talent country ,but then sign a deal with a big country who has lots of dough & then you represent them.........it's all BS & Politics......We've had Gold Medal Winners who couldn't point out Canada on a map,but then got disqualified for steroids etc etc e to make room for a USA guy who was found out later that he cheated too,,,,,,,,,,hmmm Can We say Carl Lewis.......................sure we can...................... Regardless of all the cheating snakes (try to recall Bejjing where all of a sudden China comes from nowhere to place all kinds of Gold Medal Winners,.....conveniently as China is emerging as a world leader in commerce........Yea , that's a coincidence........................It's a Business,..............and until Every Country says ,yea , great, let's have the games on a level playing field ,every time, then we've wasted our money.........but we do open the window for the games to be BOUGHT ,like it has been for years now,...... Yikes I hate the Olympics , especially while we have more people checking off the planet,from sickness, & were going to OK spending Billions for two FR&^$%*(NG Weeks of sport............Please that is lunacy,anyway you look at it................................................................................(JMHO)

Sandy Walsh said...

I like the Olympics - the athletes are the world's best and I enjoy watching them and learning about the customs and history of the host country. And yes, the USA wins the most medals in the summer Olympics - who cares? I also don't care about the drug scandals and who is paying off who.. Well find out today who gets 2016 - if Rio beats out Chicago, then I will look forward to learning a lot about Brazil. And the muggers and pick pockets can bone up on their skills for the next seven years.

Brian Gearey said...

Les Don't hold back,why don't you tell us how you really feel, Btw I agree with you Brian

Les F said...

Yes , I will work on trying to come out of my shell......................hahahahaha HF&RV

Les F said...

This just in, CHICAGO , is the big winner ,fortunately for them they didn't get the 2016 Money Grab
...How lucky can you get..............

Sandy Walsh said...

sheesh - but Les, tell me - which do you like better? the winter games or the summer games?

well now that Obama has that off his plate, he can decide what to do about McChrystal's request for 40,000 more troops in Afghanistan. Decisions - Decisions!

Les F said...

I have a lot of admiration for the efforts that the athletes go to, to get to the top of their sport, as for Money Grab Games Summer or Winter I don't like ,or watch either, even though the TV is inundated with the daily exploits,of each event.
I confess to watching Hockey( Team Canada games) & only since they allowed the NHL (highly paid athletes I might add)which hardly constitues the origins of the Olympics & the spirit of fair play amongst amatures.

Diane Roberts said...

Now now Les, don't tell me you're not going to watch the bobsledding team from PERTH! That compares with the Jamaican team efforts! Actually, I enjoy the Olympics, but I must admit that I'm tiring of the Olympic committee adding "new" sports to the agenda. It all just gets a little crazy in the end. I think your idea of the Olympics being permanently in Athens is excellent. I remember thinking the same thing when Athens finally got the Olympics...why not have all countries contribute and build a permanent Olympic site in Greece. Skiing could be in Italy or France, but the main organisation could be an ongoing fixture that would stop all this competition and expense to host the Olympics. The United Nations could provide a security force (they're good at finding reasons for more committees etc) and we could all relax and just enjoy the sports on TV. I for one am very excited about watching the Olympics from Whistler...just because it's one of my favourite places
Now promise me Les...you will watch our Perth team (surfers) on the bobsled run. Would you believe they've never even been on ice before?...Diane.

robert jomphe said...

I don't know why they wouldn't have seen ice before. I have friends from Pratt & Whitney that died in a plane crash. They were in Ausralia for a ski trip.

Diane Roberts said...

The east coast has ski resorts and alot of Canadian ski instructors spend the Canadian summer and Australians teach in Whistler during the Aussie summer. But alas, Jumper...no snow or ice over here in Perth or anywhere in Western Australia. Apparently these guys practice on sand slides!....Diane

Diane Roberts said...

The east coast has ski resorts and a lot of Canadian ski instructors spend the Canadian summer and Australians teach in Whistler during the Aussie summer. But alas, Jumper...no snow or ice over here in Perth or anywhere in Western Australia. Apparently these guys practice on sand hills, very steep sand hills!....Diane