Community garden behind the marché Maisonneuve. Photo taken on rue Rouen, Sept 20th 2008.
This market was built between 1912-1914 by Marius Dufresne, municipal engineer of Maisonneuve (then its own municipality). Many grandiose projects around that time, including purchasing the land for parc Maisonneuve, and construction of the impressive bain Maisonneuve, poste d’incendie, and Hotel-de-ville buildings, were followed by a sudden halt to local growth during the 1st world war. The municipality ended up in great debt and, in 1918, it was annexed to the city of Montreal.
The market building now houses a community centre, and the farmers’ market remains in function right next door.
5 comments
Intéressant ce jardin, j’ignorais qu’il existait. Je n’avais jamais pris la peine de faire le tour du bâtiment !
Last spring I was fortunate to go on a guided tour of H.-M. which included historical information on this marché, and I too had been ignorant of the garden’s existence until our tour approached the building from that side.
The tour included the baths, the firehouse, and the park near the river as well. Quite a legacy.
There’s an episode of ‘Montréal en 12 lieux’ dedicated to Marché Maisonneuve and the garden.
It’s a wonderful website full of interesting and eclectic stories and interviews !
http://www.mtl12.com/
I understand that ‘remained open’ isn’t quite correct; Marché Maisonneuve closed in 1959 and re-opened in 1993.
http://www.onf.ca/webextension/marchejeantalon/marche.html
It also never occurred to me to explore behind the building.
Lovely photo! It’s still a market, like Atwater market? I must check it out.