History / Histoire
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Our Founding Mothers and Fathers
Gerald Tremblay and the city of Montreal has moved to officially recognize Jeanne Mance as a co-founder of the City of Montreal, along with Paul de...
By Alanah Heffez -
The Migrations of the Rich
Photo from 1850s of Beaver Hall Hill, the Anglo prestige district of the mid 19th century. The street visible in the foreground is modern-day St-Antoine...
By Devin Alfaro -
Heritage Preservation 2: Koolhaas vs Casse-Croûte
Here are a few more spin-off thoughts and bits of research from a heritage-perservation packed week in Montreal… In a 2004 talk entitled...
By Alanah Heffez -
Heritage Preservation: Procedure over Postcard
Perhaps the Redpath Mansion “victory” set the ball rolling, but heritage preservation grabbed a media spotlight in Montreal this week. On...
By Alanah Heffez -
1872: Sorry out of Wood
Long before we were concerned about fossil fuel shortages, Montreal’s grappled with a different kind of seasonal fuel shortage each winter. Most...
By Alanah Heffez -
City Hall veteran Michael Fainstat passes away
Michael Fainstat and Mayor Jean Doré upon the RCM’s victory in 1986 (photo links to La Press obituary). The passing of 2010 also saw the passing of...
By Devin Alfaro -
The Ever-so-short-lived Saint-Lawrence Ice Bridge
Bridge tolls seem unreasonable? Hey, I hear the ice is pretty thick. At least that’s what 19th century railway mogul Louis-Adélard Senécal must have...
By Alanah Heffez -
Old Montreal’s forgotten public square
When most people think of important public squares in Old Montréal, two spaces come to mind. Place d’Armes, the setting for the imposing Notre-Dame...
By Devin Alfaro -
Down in the Dumps of Pointe-Saint-Charles history
So it turns out that a good deal of Pointe-St-Charles is a dump. Literally. Historically, the edge of the Pointe was a wetland, home to thousands of geese...
By Alanah Heffez -
How Did Tramways Make it Through Montreal’s Winters?
Over on Metropolitan News, Andy Riga recently recently put a spotlight on the debate about how tramways would fare the harsh Montreal winters. I’ve...
By Alanah Heffez -
Saint-Sauveur needs a saviour
“Sauvons l’église Saint-Sauveur!” I wrote three years ago. And for three years, it seemed vaguely possible that the 145-year-old church on...
By Christopher DeWolf -
The Oldest House in Griffintown
The tiny house at 175 de la Montagne is quite probably the oldest house in Griffintown. In fact, it is so old that it was once part of a neighbourhood...
By Alanah Heffez