Montreal’s roots go way back into the seventeenth century,
but it experienced a resurgence during the Victorian era, while under British
rule. Great quantities of raw materials from the Canadian interior passed
through its port, and it became the country’s key center of finance, as well a
manufacturing powerhouse.
The period’s prosperity is reflected by the noble
architectural legacy that it bequeathed. Many of its great stone buildings,
domestic, commercial, and institutional, remain. Steeply shingled roofs, dormer
windows, and grey stone characterize the bulk of these edifices.
I was reminded of Melbourne, another city that came of age
in the late-nineteenth century. Though of course New South Wales has none of
Montreal’s French influence, its toponymy is also replete with the names of the
English, Irish, and Scottish men who made a fortune from the region’s
commodities. If I remember correctly, the Melbourne bourgeoisie built with
brick rather than granite, but the form of their houses is much the same as
those of their Montreal contemporaries (they also liked elaborate ironwork).
My favorite shot from our December trip was taken at the Place Saint-Louis, a few blocks north of our auberge. Firmly on the plateau, it seemed
very removed from the scruffy blocks by the UQAM campus. The bold trim of the
houses stood out on a grey, snowy day. I’m certainly not the first to snap a photo
of this stately block.
One other distinctive aspect of Montreal’s residential
architecture is the ubiquity of curving fire escapes in the rear of houses. I
wonder why this particular style caught on?
Next summer, we plan to return after our sojourn at Squam,
so I hope I can add a companion entry to this article.
