The prison located in the northern part of the island was built in 1912 and houses about 1200 male inmates serving sentences of under 2 years.
Photo du Jour : Bordeaux
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Canadian Urbanism Uncovered
Canadian Urbanism Uncovered
Read more articles by Alanah Heffez
The prison located in the northern part of the island was built in 1912 and houses about 1200 male inmates serving sentences of under 2 years.
8 comments
Interesting application of the panopticon concept.
Before roads were improved, prisoners were moved from the Montreal Courthouse to Bordeaux Jail with two purpose-built Prison streetcars over the Tramways from downtown to Ahuntsic station at LaJeunnesse and Kelly ( now Henri Bourassa ), then in a zig-zag pattern West over streets and blocks not yet built on the Tramways Bordeaux Line to a spur at the Jail.
In later years another spur was built West direct from the Kelly line to the CPR to move freight cars from the CPR to Ahuntsic clients with Tramways electric Freight Locomotives rather than the previous practice of moving freight cars North on St Denis from the CPR connection at the car barn at DeFleurimont.
Fuel for the jail was then moved via the Tramways Kelly extension.
Once roads were improved c. 1929, the prison cars were scrapped and their reuseable parts put into inventory.
The following books are invaluable! to Tramways research.
Pharand, Jacques, A la Belle Époque des Tramways, Montréal: les Éditions de l’Homme, 1997.
Binns, Richard M., Montreal’s Electric Streetcars: An Illustrated History of the Tramway Era: 1892 to 1959, Railfare Enterprises Limited, Montreal (Québec), 1973.
I think its called the Montreal detention centre now.
Is this the prison from ‘Un Zoo La Nuit’?
Isn’t “Mom” Boucher jailed in an annex nearby for a much longer sentence?
Back in the so-called ‘good old days’, when they did a hanging at Bordeaux, after, they lowered a flag to half-mast to advise those clustered around the main gate on Gouin.
for Maria:
Mom boucher is being held at the Tanguay prison for Women.
I visited someone at Tanguay once.It’s barely noticeable compared to Bordeaux, sort of tucked away on Tanguay street though you can see Bordeaux from there. Kind of weird, but certainly not the intensely intimidating thing that Bordeaux must be. It’s a spooky building and a classic prison style for sure.