Friday, December 31, 2010

2011 New Year & a New Decade

       As the year draws to a close, I can't help but think how quickly this year has past,but also think about Y2K Remember that ,the big scare,the New Millenium,..and now here we are 10 years past it. Yikes !!   I hope you all enjoyed a reasonably good year,and that the next year & decade ,see you all appreciate your friends & family as much as possible .Good Luck to all of you, & Verdun Connections wishes you all an abundance of  Health ,Wealth & Wisdom...........Thanks again to MaggieMck for having the forethought to create this Verdun Connections site. We will have to see what the future brings,perhaps new features to make it more user friendly,there are features here that we just don't use,but maybe we will explore those this coming year.

       Happy New Year to all of you..............Have a Safe New Year. ..........and of course Have Fun & Remember Verdun......Cheers !!

Wednesday, December 29, 2010

Leave Your Work at the Office

      A fire of undetermined origin was raging Tuesday night at the fire station in the town of Rawdon, 60 kilometres north of Montreal.

About 40 firefighters from surrounding municipalities were called to combat the blaze. They managed to drive the station’s fire trucks from the burning building. The volunteers who operated the vehicles were not in the building at the time.

The fire station is an older building and that is making it more difficult to extinguish, reports said.

A Sûreté du Québec spokesperson was unable to provide further details.

Monday, December 27, 2010

North East Digging Out From Blizzard

            Lot's of snow for the North East ,parts of the USA & Canada. Travel is affected,with main airports shut down for now NYC  JFK & LaGuardia & Newark will reopen today at 6pm EST.
LeGuardia tring to open at least one runway this afternoon.

Sunday, December 26, 2010

Garbage Bowl on for New Years Day

Montreal West's Garbage Bowl will be played on New Year's Day after all.

Last week, I blogged about the annual tradition, which dates back to 1950, and how it was threatened with extinction.

Today, organizer George Desypris emailed to let me know it's on.

Kick-off is at 2 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 1, at Royal West Academy in Montreal West.

"The Garbage Bowl is the longest standing New Year's Football Bowl game globally," Desypris said. The reason: U.S. College Bowl games (the only other competitor) don't take place on New Year's Day if Jan. 1 falls on a Sunday.

"We felt compelled to do whatever we could to maintain the streak. At the same time we wanted to make the format appealing in a way that would attract local involvement.

"This is why we decided to go grass-roots and just play a game that is probably closer to the way it was played at the inception of the Garbage Bowl. We want to promote and encourage the local youth to get involved in this charity function. By keeping it non-contact for now we feel that the opportunity of instilling interest and securing a future is enhanced."

They'll play one-hand-touch, seven-players/side, 10-yards-for-first-down, three-down football.

Organizers have revived the original tradition of throwing the football into a garbage can for the extra point (that's where the name came from).

"Players include local folks along with some retirees that are coming out of retirement for this less grueling version and the chance to encourage local involvement," Desypris said. "The money goes to various local children's charities."

Last year, $700 was raised for the MAB-Mackay Rehabilitation Centre.

- Andy Riga

(Photo of 2010 game: GarbageBowl.com)

Thursday, December 23, 2010

It's Christmas Day-------Merry Christmas to All of You

  This link is for the kids or gran-kids ,Tracking Santa's Progress           http://www.noradsanta.org/en/index.html

..Twas the Night before Christmas & all through the house,Not a creature was stirring ,.not even a mouse. Yikes , someone left the Gas On.       lol

        Merry Christmas to Everyone who passes this way today.     HF&RV  

              

Wednesday, December 22, 2010

Not Long Now- Until Santa Arrives

                                           Coke Lore

Coca-Cola® and Santa Claus

Most people can agree on what Santa Claus looks like -- jolly, with a red suit and a white beard. But he did not always look that way, and Coca-Cola® advertising actually helped shape this modern-day image of Santa.

2006 marked the 75th anniversary of the famous Coca-Cola Santa Claus. Starting in 1931, magazine ads for Coca-Cola featured St. Nick as a kind, jolly man in a red suit. Because magazines were so widely viewed, and because this image of Santa appeared for more than three decades, the image of Santa most people have today is largely based on our advertising.

Before the 1931 introduction of the Coca-Cola Santa Claus created by artist Haddon Sundblom, the image of Santa ranged from big to small and fat to tall. Santa even appeared as an elf and looked a bit spooky.

Through the centuries, Santa Claus has been depicted as everything from a tall gaunt man to an elf. He has worn a bishop's robe and a Norse huntsman's animal skin. The modern-day Santa Claus is a combination of a number of the stories from a variety of countries.

The Civil War cartoonist Thomas Nast drew Santa Claus for Harper's Weekly in 1862; Santa was shown as a small elf-like figure who supported the Union. Nast continued to draw Santa for 30 years and along the way changed the color of his coat from tan to the now traditional red. Though some people believe the Coca-Cola Santa wears red because that is the Coke® color, the red suit comes from Nast's interpretation of St. Nick.

The Coca-Cola Company began its Christmas advertising in the 1920s with shopping-related ads in magazines like The Saturday Evening Post. The first Santa ads used a strict-looking Claus, in the vein of Thomas Nast.

At this time, many people thought of Coca-Cola as a drink only for warm weather. The Coca-Cola Company began a campaign to remind people that Coca-Cola was a great choice in any month. This began with the 1922 slogan "Thirst Knows No Season," and continued with a campaign connecting a true icon of winter -- Santa Claus -- with the beverage.

In 1930, artist Fred Mizen painted a department store Santa in a crowd drinking a bottle of Coke. The ad featured the world's largest soda fountain, which was located in the department store of Famous Barr Co. in St. Louis, Mo. Mizen's painting was used in print ads that Christmas season, appearing in The Saturday Evening Post in December 1930.

1936 Coca-Cola Santa cardboard store displayArchie Lee, the D'Arcy Advertising Agency executive working with The Coca-Cola Company, wanted the next campaign to show a wholesome Santa as both realistic and symbolic. In 1931, The Coca-Cola Company commissioned Michigan-born illustrator Haddon Sundblom to develop advertising images using Santa Claus -- showing Santa himself, not a man dressed as Santa, as Mizen’s work had portrayed him.

1942 original oil painting - 'They Remembered Me'For inspiration, Sundblom turned to Clement Clark Moore's 1822 poem "A Visit From St. Nicholas" (commonly called "'Twas the Night Before Christmas"). Moore's description of St. Nick led to an image of Santa that was warm, friendly, pleasantly plump and human. For the next 33 years, Sundblom painted portraits of Santa that helped to create the modern image of Santa -- an interpretation that today lives on in the minds of people of all ages, all over the world.

The first Coca-Cola Santa Claus image created by artist Haddon Sunblom appeared in 1931 in The Saturday Evening Post.From 1931 to 1964, Coca-Cola advertising showed Santa delivering (and playing!) with toys, pausing to read a letter and enjoy a Coke, playing with children who stayed up to greet him and raiding the refrigerators at a number of homes. The original oil paintings Sundblom created were adapted for Coca-Cola advertising in magazines, store displays, billboards, posters, calendars and even plush dolls. Many of those items today are popular collectibles.

1947 'Hospitality' Coca-Cola Santa Claus original paintingThe Coca-Cola Santa made its debut in 1931 in The Saturday Evening Post and appeared regularly in that magazine, as well as Ladies Home Journal, National Geographic, The New Yorker and others. The instantly popular ad campaign appeared each season, reflecting the times. One ad even featured Santa in a rocket!

The 1951 Coca-Cola Santa Claus artwork shows Santa reviewing his list of good boys and girls; no bad children are listed.Sundblom continued to create new visions of Santa Claus through 1964. For decades after, Coca-Cola advertising has featured Santa’s image based on Sundblom’s original works.

1964 Coca-Cola Santa posterThese original paintings by Haddon Sundblom are some of the most prized pieces in the art collection of our Company’s Archives Department, and have been on exhibit around the world, including at the Louvre in Paris, the Royal Ontario Museum in Toronto, the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago, the Isetan Department Store in Tokyo and the NK Department Store in Stockholm.

The Coca-Cola Santa has had a powerful, enduring quality that continues to resonate today. Many of the original paintings can be seen on display at World of Coca-Cola Atlanta or touring during the holiday season.

Did you know?
It's a common misconception that Santa wears a red coat because red is the color of Coca-Cola. In fact, Santa appeared in a red coat before artist Haddon Sundblom painted him for Coca-Cola advertising.

People loved the Coca-Cola Santa images and paid such close attention to them, that when anything changed, they sent letters to The Coca-Cola Company. One year, Santa's large belt was backwards (perhaps because artist Haddon Sundblom used himself as a model and painted by looking in a mirror). Another year, Santa Claus appeared without a wedding ring, causing fans to write asking what happened to Mrs. Claus.

Artist Haddon Sundblom used himself as a model for the Coca-Cola Santa.In the beginning, artist Haddon Sundblom painted the image of Santa using a live model -- his friend, Lou Prentiss, a retired salesman. When Prentiss passed away, Sundblom used himself as a model, painting while looking into a mirror. After the 1930s, he used photographs to create the image of St. Nick.

The children who appear with Santa Claus in Haddon Sundlbom’s paintings were based on Sundblom's neighbors. However, the neighbors were both girls, and Sundblom simply changed one to a boy in his paintings!

The dog in the 1964 original Santa Claus painting by artist Haddon Sundblom was actually a gray poodle belonging to the neighborhood florist. Sundblom painted the animal with black fur, instead, to make the dog stand out in the holiday scene.

1931 cardboard carton for a six-pack of Coke bottles featuring SantaThe image of Santa Claus has appeared on cartons for bottles of Coca-Cola since 1931, when artist Haddon Sundblom first created his version of St. Nick. Early cartons completely covered the bottles of Coke -- almost as if they were inside a box -- and had a handle at the very top. The carton itself was created -- and patented -- by the Coca-Cola system. Introduced in 1923, it allowed people to take home more bottles of Coke.

The Coca-Cola Polar Bear stars with Santa Claus on the 2006 store advertising for the U.S. Hispanic market. The Coca-Cola Polar Bear was introduced in 1993 as part of the "Always Coca-Cola" campaign. The first commercial featuring the bear showed was called "Northern Lights" and showed a group of bears watching a "movie" (the aurora borealis) and drinking from bottles of Coca-Cola.

In 1949 Coca-Cola Santa artwork featuring Sprite BoyThe "Sprite Boy" character, who appeared with Santa Claus and was used in Coca-Cola advertising in the 1940s and 50s, was also created by artist Haddon Sundblom. Though The Coca-Cola Company does have a drink called Sprite®, the Sprite Boy character was not named for the beverage. Sprite Boy's name came because he is a sprite -- an elf. Sprite Boy first appeared in ads in 1942, while the drink Sprite was not introduced until the 1960s.

1962 magazine ad featuring the Coca-Cola SantaIn 2001, the artwork from Haddon Sundblom's 1962 original painting was used as the basis for an animated TV commercial starring the Coca-Cola Santa. The ad was created by Academy Award-winning animator Alexandre Petrov.

the River claims 2nd body in as many days,this one behind the Auditorium in Verdun

          Man's dead body found in river near Verdun

 

Second body found in as many days

 MONTREAL - Police found a body in the St. Lawrence River near the shore in Verdun Wednesday morning, in the second finding of a dead body in the water in Montreal in as many days.

This time the body was found offshore from LaSalle Blvd. and de l’Eglise St. near the Verdun Auditorium about 8:30 a.m., Montreal police Constable Anie Lemieux said.

The death was most likely from natural or accidental causes, she said.

There were no apparent signs of violence on the body, she added. The man, estimated to be in his 40s, had identity papers on him but police were still trying to formally identify the body Wednesday. There were no missing persons reports for the man identified in the documents, Lemieux said. An autopsy was expected to reveal the cause of death.

On Tuesday, the body of Matthew Besner, 27, was recovered neaer the shore of the Lachine Canal next to the Bonaventure Expressway. He had been missing since Sunday. His death was also considered by police to be accidental. Quebec Coroner Paul Dionne was conducting an autopsy on Besner's body

Monday, December 20, 2010

Winter Solstice tonight with Total Lunar Eclipse 1st in 456 years.....the days start getting longer tomorow,

       We have an eclipse happening tonight, also the Winter Solstice,an event that last happend 456 years ago,..... 

The moon passes between the sun and the earth during an annular solar eclipse over the skies of the Rift Valley town of Nakuru, 160km (99 miles) west of Kenya's capital Nairobi, January 15, 2010. Montrealers will be treated to a similar spectacle overnight tonight as a full lunar eclipse coincides with the winter solstice.
MONTREAL - Amateur astronomers and space buffs will get an eyeful tonight as a rare celestial event unfolds in the night sky over North America.

For the first time in 456 years, the winter solstice will coincide with a full lunar eclipse as the moon passes behind the earth so that the earth blocks the sun's rays from striking the moon.

According to NASA, the total eclipse should last for a little over an hour, making the moon appear red and casting an "amber light" across the landscapes of North America.

The solstice, recognized and celebrated for millennia by people all over the world, marks the first day of winter and the longest night of the year. After tomorrow, the days will gradually begin to lengthen and by the end of December, the days will be about four minutes longer.

Montrealers willing to stay up well past midnight will likely be able to catch at least some of the eclipse. The overnight forecast is calling for a few clouds, with increasing cloudiness overnight.

A south - or southwest - facing window will work just fine for those who want to stay warm, according to Carleton University professor Robert Dick.

If you do decide to venture outside to watch the spectacle, make sure to bundle up as the temperature is expected to drop to around -9 C overnight.

Schedule for the eclipse:

1:33 a.m. - Partial eclipse begins

2:41 a.m. - Total eclipse begins

3:53 a.m. - Total eclipse ends

5:01 a.m. - Partial eclipse ends

For a detailed forecast, visit Environment Canada's website.

Sunday, December 19, 2010

Global Warming is not Following the Game Plan

           and to Diane one of our members who calls Australia home,we are trying to send you a 'White Christmas' in case your homesick for Verdun...........and right in the middle of your Summer season too..................Yikes !!  Merry Christmas Diane from Verdun Connections

Australia swaps summer for Christmas snow

The 'Lights of Christmas' are featured at St. Mary's Cathedral on Dec. 19, 2010 in Sydney, Australia. Sydney celebrates Christmas with dazzling light projections on city landmarks such as St. Mary's Cathedral, Town Hall and the Hyde Park Barracks Museum.

Photograph by: Lisa Maree Williams, Getty Images

SYDNEY - Snow fell in Australia on Monday, as the usual hot and summery December weather was replaced in parts by icy gusts sweeping up from the Southern Ocean, giving the country a taste of a white Christmas.

Snow has fallen in parts of east coast states New South Wales and Victoria, leaving ski resorts — some of which are usually snow-free at this time of year — with dumps of up to 10 centimetres.

“It’s white, everything is white,” Michelle Lovius, the general manager of the Kosciuszko Chalet Hotel at Charlotte Pass told AFP.

“First thing this morning everything was just very still, very peaceful and every single thing was just blanketed in a thick cover of white.”

Lovius said such an amount of snow was unusual for early December, normally the peak of the wildflower season in the New South Wales mountain region.

“We’re hoping that it (the cold) stays in for five days and we get a white Christmas,” she said.

Further south in Victoria state, Mt Hotham had 10 centimetres of snow on Sunday and Mt. Buller up to five centimetres, Victorian Snow Report spokeswoman Maureen Gearon said.

“It is a blanket of white, which is beautiful at this time of year. People are out in their Santa hats taking photos in the snow,” Gearon told Australian news agency AAP.

The cold blasts carried through to Sydney, where the temperature fell to 13 degrees Celsius early Monday, and dipped to 9.8C in the city’s west while winds of up to 100 kilometres an hour are forecast for much of the state’s coastline.

It was a different story on Australia’s west coast, where the worst flooding in 50 years isolated the town of Carnarvon, 900 kilometres north of Perth.

Weather experts said it was not unusual for Australia to experience chilly weather in eastern states in early December, as cold winds from deep in the Southern Oceans sweep upwards.

“It’s not uncommon to get a dusting of snow along the higher peaks of New South Wales and Victoria every couple of years (at this time),” Bureau of Meteorology climatologist Grant Beard told AFP.

Gearon agreed, saying that in previous years, those on the Victorian snowfields had been “having cocktails in the sun one day and skiing the next”.

# 12 in a Series of Montreal Neighbourhoods

Neighbourhood Downtown

History

1650 1760

1650 - 1760

A rural landscape

What is now Montreal's downtown core was once covered by woodlands and the fields of Côte Saint-Antoine. This site was favoured as it was highly fertile, was protected from north-west winds, and faced the sun. The nearby Fort de la Montagne, a mission built in the late 17th century, welcomed various Amerindian nations that had been converted to Christianity and allied with the French. First located on the southern flanks of Mount Royal, it was moved to Sault-au-Récollet in 1696. The sector was then developed by the Sulpicians with orchards, farms, vineyards, and a stone quarry.

Image : HM_ARC_003120

Grand Séminaire de Montréal, Mountain (de la Montagne) Fort

14 cm
9 cm
© Dinu Bumbaru © Héritage Montréal


1650 - 1760

A rural landscape

What is now Montreal's downtown core was once covered by woodlands and the fields of Côte Saint-Antoine. This site was favoured as it was highly fertile, was protected from north-west winds, and faced the sun. The nearby Fort de la Montagne, a mission built in the late 17th century, welcomed various Amerindian nations that had been converted to Christianity and allied with the French. First located on the southern flanks of Mount Royal, it was moved to Sault-au-Récollet in 1696. The sector was then developed by the Sulpicians with orchards, farms, vineyards, and a stone quarry.

Image : HM_ARC_003127

Grand Séminaire de Montréal of Mountain (de la Montagne) Fort

8.9 cm
14.1 cm
© Dinu Bumbaru © Héritage Montréal


1761 1840

1761 - 1840

The bourgeois gentlemen of the north-west

After Montreal fell to the British, the population of what is now Old Montreal grew rapidly. Between 1801 and 1821, the fortifications were destroyed, allowing the city to expand westward. In the late 18th and early 19th century, part of what is now the downtown area was occupied by cemeteries (Jewish, Catholic, and Protestant).

Another sector belonged to a wealthy new social group: the barons of the fur trade and the international merchants; the McGills, Frobishers, McGillvrays, McTavishes, Desrivières, Guys, and others turned the area into a vacation spot with gardens, orchards, country homes, and ponds. Côte Saint-Antoine Road was the major thoroughfare, and around 1840, it was supplemented by Sherbrooke, Sainte-Catherine, and Dorchester streets.

Image : HM_ARC_004153

View of Montréal from the mountain

© Rare Books and Special Collections Division, McGill University Library, © Héritage Montréal


1761 - 1840

The bourgeois gentlemen of the north-west

After Montreal fell to the British, the population of what is now Old Montreal grew rapidly. Between 1801 and 1821, the fortifications were destroyed, allowing the city to expand westward. In the late 18th and early 19th century, part of what is now the downtown area was occupied by cemeteries (Jewish, Catholic, and Protestant).

Another sector belonged to a wealthy new social group: the barons of the fur trade and the international merchants; the McGills, Frobishers, McGillvrays, McTavishes, Desrivières, Guys, and others turned the area into a vacation spot with gardens, orchards, country homes, and ponds. Côte Saint-Antoine Road was the major thoroughfare, and around 1840, it was supplemented by Sherbrooke, Sainte-Catherine, and Dorchester streets.

Image : HM_ARC_002544

Plan of the Saint-Antoine cemetery in 1825

20.3 cm
30 cm
© Ville de Montréal, Gestion de documents et archives (Boîte 17-11-8-2 Dossier 3795.à 3795.11), © Héritage Montréal


Image : HM_ARC_001161

Montreal, From the Mountain
1839-1842, 19th century
12 cm
18 cm
© McCord Museum, (M20074), © Héritage Montréal


1841 1881

1841 - 1881

Montreal's New Town

Beginning in 1840, rich merchants such as John Redpath and Thomas Phillips sub-divided and developed their lands with the help of renowned architects such as John Ostell, creating a New Town for the wealthy. The shape and size of the lots varied, depending on the investor and the architect, but they were generally laid out in a rectangular grid pattern in the form of row housing - or townhouses - contiguous single-family homes with a uniform facade and a back lane.

The arrival of more Protestant Anglophones lead to the building of new Presbyterian, Anglican (Christ Church Cathedral), and Methodist (St. James) churches. During this same period, a synagogue was built along with the new Saint-Jacques-le-Majeur Catholic cathedral (now Marie-Reine-du-Monde) which was previously located in the Latin Quarter until it burned down in 1852. A few years later, in the interests of public health, the cemeteries were moved to the mountain.

The first trams of the Montreal City Passenger Railway appeared on St. Catherine Street and St. Lawrence Boulevard around 1864, with both of these streets becoming vibrant commercial hubs.

Image : HM_ARC_001978

Aerial view of the elevation plan of Royal Albert Bridge
February 17 1876
40 cm
55 cm
© Dinu Bumbaru, © Héritage Montréal


1841 - 1881

Montreal's New Town

Beginning in 1840, rich merchants such as John Redpath and Thomas Phillips sub-divided and developed their lands with the help of renowned architects such as John Ostell, creating a New Town for the wealthy. The shape and size of the lots varied, depending on the investor and the architect, but they were generally laid out in a rectangular grid pattern in the form of row housing - or townhouses - contiguous single-family homes with a uniform facade and a back lane.

The arrival of more Protestant Anglophones lead to the building of new Presbyterian, Anglican (Christ Church Cathedral), and Methodist (St. James) churches. During this same period, a synagogue was built along with the new Saint-Jacques-le-Majeur Catholic cathedral (now Marie-Reine-du-Monde) which was previously located in the Latin Quarter until it burned down in 1852. A few years later, in the interests of public health, the cemeteries were moved to the mountain.

The first trams of the Montreal City Passenger Railway appeared on St. Catherine Street and St. Lawrence Boulevard around 1864, with both of these streets becoming vibrant commercial hubs.

Image : HM_ARC_004261



86.3 cm
73.4 cm
© McCord Museum, © Héritage Montréal


Image : HM_ARC_004166

J. T. Ostell, Montreal, QC, 1876
1876
17.8 cm
12.7 cm
© McCord Museum, © Héritage Montréal


Image : HM_ARC_003548

Mary Queen of the World Cathedral (benediction of the first stone)
1870
© Bibliothèque et Archives nationales du Québec, Albums de rues E.-Z. Massicotte – MAS 2-80a-a, © Héritage Montréal


Image : HM_ARC_000826

Christ Church Cathedral

16.5 cm
11.9 cm


Image : HM_ARC_003504

Tram lines on Saint-Laurent boulevard at the corner of Sainte-Catherine Street
1918
25 cm
20 cm
© Exporail (# P167), © Héritage Montréal


Image : HM_ARC_003507

Workers replacing the tram tracks at the corner of Sainte-Catherine and Stanley
1933
25 cm
20 cm
© Exporail (# 1340A), © Héritage Montréal


1882 1938

1882-1938

The downtown core shifts

The railway network grew more complex with competition between the Grand Trunk Railway and the new Canadian Pacific (CP), founded in 1881. CP built Windsor Station, its head office and most imposing station, and then the prestigious Windsor Hotel. Montreal became the rail metropolis of Canada.

Following in the wake of Morgan's in 1891, major stores and businesses began to move from Saint-Jacques Street and Square Victoria (in what is now Old Montreal) to be closer to their wealthy customers, newly established in sumptuous new homes. Beginning in 1900, luxury apartments were built for members of the upper class, who wished to live in a convenient, centrally located, and sought-after location. Like hotels, elegant apartment buildings such as the Marlborough and Bishop Court offered shared services such as a telephone exchange and a service elevator. The Montreal Museum of Fine Arts (first built in Phillips Square), hotels, private clubs, churches, banks, elegant concert halls, and luxury businesses sprang up on and around Sherbrooke Street.

In the early 20th century, competition was still stiff between the railroads. Between 1910 and 1912, CP renovated and expanded Windsor Station, while in 1938 Canadian National (a merger of the Grand Trunk Railway and the Canadian Northern Railway), began to build Central Station. Electricity had come to the area in 1886, and the service sector now began to grow in importance. Skyscrapers built around Dominion Square (now Dorchester Square), around Phillips Square, and along Bleury Street began to transform the city's skyline. These included the Dominion Square Building, the Sun Life Building, the Acadia apartments, the Ritz-Carlton Hotel, the Unity Building, and many more. Montreal's downtown core was taking shape. Then the economic events triggered by the stock market crash of 1929 hit Montreal hard - particularly downtown businesses - and Toronto quickly began to pick up the slack.

Image : HM_ARC_003428

Windsor Station and Dominion Square

18.9 cm
24 cm
© HEC Montréal, © Héritage Montréal


1882-1938

The downtown core shifts

The railway network grew more complex with competition between the Grand Trunk Railway and the new Canadian Pacific (CP), founded in 1881. CP built Windsor Station, its head office and most imposing station, and then the prestigious Windsor Hotel. Montreal became the rail metropolis of Canada.

Following in the wake of Morgan's in 1891, major stores and businesses began to move from Saint-Jacques Street and Square Victoria (in what is now Old Montreal) to be closer to their wealthy customers, newly established in sumptuous new homes. Beginning in 1900, luxury apartments were built for members of the upper class, who wished to live in a convenient, centrally located, and sought-after location. Like hotels, elegant apartment buildings such as the Marlborough and Bishop Court offered shared services such as a telephone exchange and a service elevator. The Montreal Museum of Fine Arts (first built in Phillips Square), hotels, private clubs, churches, banks, elegant concert halls, and luxury businesses sprang up on and around Sherbrooke Street.

In the early 20th century, competition was still stiff between the railroads. Between 1910 and 1912, CP renovated and expanded Windsor Station, while in 1938 Canadian National (a merger of the Grand Trunk Railway and the Canadian Northern Railway), began to build Central Station. Electricity had come to the area in 1886, and the service sector now began to grow in importance. Skyscrapers built around Dominion Square (now Dorchester Square), around Phillips Square, and along Bleury Street began to transform the city's skyline. These included the Dominion Square Building, the Sun Life Building, the Acadia apartments, the Ritz-Carlton Hotel, the Unity Building, and many more. Montreal's downtown core was taking shape. Then the economic events triggered by the stock market crash of 1929 hit Montreal hard - particularly downtown businesses - and Toronto quickly began to pick up the slack.

Image : HM_ARC_002583

Windsor Station
1896
© Ville de Montréal, Gestion de documents et archives (D-51-2), © Héritage Montréal


Image : HM_ARC_002596

Dominion Square with view of the river
End of the 19th century
12.7 cm
17.7 cm
© Ville de Montréal, Gestion de documents et archives (Collection Gariépy G-1449), © Héritage Montréal


Image : HM_ARC_001928

Windsor Hotel, Dominion Square, Montreal

9 cm
13.7 cm
© Dinu Bumbaru, © Héritage Montréal


Image : HM_ARC_001164

Morgan's Store, St. Catherine Street, Montreal, QC, about 1900
About 1900, 19th century or 20th century
16 cm
21 cm
© McCord Museum, (MP-1985.31.78), © Héritage Montréal


Image : HM_ARC_001184

The Marlborough Flats, Milton Street, Montreal, QC, 1902
1902, 20th century
20 cm
25 cm
© McCord Museum, (II-142552), © Héritage Montréal


Image : HM_ARC_001176

Art Association building, Phillips' Square, Montreal, QC, about 1890
About 1890, 19th century
20 cm
25 cm
© McCord Museum, (VIEW-2543.A), © Héritage Montréal


Image : HM_ARC_004668

Front view of the Mount Stephen Club

12.7 cm
17.8 cm
© Ville de Montréal. Gestion de documents et archives (R-3350.2(1440).006), © Héritage Montréal


Image : HM_ARC_002872

St.James Club

© Dinu Bumbaru, © Héritage Montréal


Image : HM_ARC_003471

Windsor Station, expansion (corner of Peel)

© Canadian Pacific Railway Archives (# A-11 339), © Héritage Montréal


Image : HM_ARC_003612

Central Station (CN)

© Bibliothèque et Archives nationales du Québec, © Héritage Montréal


Image : HM_ARC_003027

Sun Life building, first phase of construction
July 18 1914
© Sun Life Financial, © Héritage Montréal


Image : HM_ARC_003029

Sun Life building after the second phase of construction
1926
© Sun Life Financial, © Héritage Montréal


Image : HM_ARC_003429

The Ritz Carlton and Sherbrooke Street

19 cm
23.8 cm
© HEC Montréal, © Héritage Montréal


1939 2008

1939-2008

A modern city

After a few bleak years, the downtown core began to be rebuilt. With the growing importance of the automobile, Dorchester Street (now René-Lévesque Boulevard) was widened in 1943. In the late 1950s, developers could erect buildings higher than ten stories, and significant infrastructure was built or completed in the 1960s. Canadian National completed its Central Station with the construction of the Queen Elizabeth Hotel (1958) and Place Ville Marie (1962); the opening of the metro (subway) system in 1966 facilitated access to the downtown core. The building of Place Ville-Marie launched the development of Montreal's underground city, an innovative network of pedestrian tunnels linking buildings, terminals, offices, restaurants, cultural institutions, and downtown metro stations stretching from the Bell Centre to Place des Arts. The head office of Hydro-Québec (1964) and Complexe Desjardins (1976), both major rental buildings, were built. After a brief slowdown, new projects began to revitalize the city centre in the early 1980s, including projects surrounding McGill College Avenue, Complexe Guy-Favreau, and office towers occupied by the National Bank and Bell Canada.

Each day, Place des Arts, the numerous museums and galleries, retail businesses, offices, department stores, and hotels draw Montrealers, commuters, tourists, and suburbanites into the heart of the city.

Image : HM_ARC_003945

Dorchester Street

8.8 cm
13.8 cm
© Dinu Bumbaru, © Héritage Montréal


1939-2008

A modern city

After a few bleak years, the downtown core began to be rebuilt. With the growing importance of the automobile, Dorchester Street (now René-Lévesque Boulevard) was widened in 1943. In the late 1950s, developers could erect buildings higher than ten stories, and significant infrastructure was built or completed in the 1960s. Canadian National completed its Central Station with the construction of the Queen Elizabeth Hotel (1958) and Place Ville Marie (1962); the opening of the metro (subway) system in 1966 facilitated access to the downtown core. The building of Place Ville-Marie launched the development of Montreal's underground city, an innovative network of pedestrian tunnels linking buildings, terminals, offices, restaurants, cultural institutions, and downtown metro stations stretching from the Bell Centre to Place des Arts. The head office of Hydro-Québec (1964) and Complexe Desjardins (1976), both major rental buildings, were built. After a brief slowdown, new projects began to revitalize the city centre in the early 1980s, including projects surrounding McGill College Avenue, Complexe Guy-Favreau, and office towers occupied by the National Bank and Bell Canada.

Each day, Place des Arts, the numerous museums and galleries, retail businesses, offices, department stores, and hotels draw Montrealers, commuters, tourists, and suburbanites into the heart of the city.

Image : HM_ARC_004694

Central station and buildings around

© Ville de Montréal. Gestion de documents et archives (VM94-A-105-6), © Héritage Montréal


Image : HM_ARC_004335

Place Ville Marie

© Courtoisie de SITQ -Place Ville Marie, © Héritage Montréal


Image : HM_ARC_004344

Shopping mall inside Place Ville Marie
1962
© Courtoisie de SITQ -Place Ville Marie, © Héritage Montréal


Image : HM_ARC_002045

Event on Place des Arts' esplanade

2.3 cm
3.4 cm


Image : HM_ARC_004728

CIBC Building

© Ville de Montréal. Gestion de documents et archives (VM94-A-618-4), © Héritage Montréal


Image : HM_ARC_002043

Place des Arts' esplanade and the Musée d'art contemporain de Montréal

2.3 cm
3.4 cm
© Fonds d’archives de la Société de la Place des Arts de Montréal, © Héritage Montréal


Image : HM_ARC_003109

Complexe Desjardins, facade (from Sainte-Catherine Street)

© Place Desjardins, © Héritage Montréal