The Milton-Parc neighbourhood, colloquially known as the McGill ghetto, is home to many McGill students. It’s an area with a rich history: In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, it was the east end of the Golden Square Mile, an upscale residential community that was primarily home to Montreal’s anglophone elite. By the end of the Second World War, these houses had stood for almost a century, and families started moving out of the neighbourhood in pursuit of more modern accommodations.
Martin Croteau, manager of le Syndicat de la Copropriété (a union of Montreal building owners), and a resident of the Milton-Parc neighbourhood, spoke to the post-war history of the area.
“In the ’60’s, promoters bought a lot of buildings in the Milton-Parc [area] for Project Concordia, the towers on [Avenue du Parc],” Croteau said. “The citizens mobilized for a fight against this project.”
The most prominent of these property developers was a company known as Concordia Estates Ltd., who sought to rebuild the neighbourhood by constructing several high-rise apartment and commercial buildings. The residents of Milton-Parc—now a lower-middle class neighbourhood consisting of students and families—banded together to prevent the destruction of the historic buildings in the area.
Over the next few decades the activism of Milton-Parc Citizen’s committee and Quebec’s political climate—the [PQ] were a part of the provincial fabric—led to the property developers’ withdrawal.
“[After] the election of the [PQ] in ’76, the English financers feared the independence of Quebec and wouldn’t put [in the] money for building a big project,” Croteau said.
Today, the streets of Milton-Parc are mostly home to McGill students and working professionals. In fact, Croteau lives in the neighbourhood with his family.
“It's a marvelous neighbourhood,” he said. “My girls go to school at [Fine Arts Core Education School] FACE, on University, and I work on Parc Avenue [....] We can walk every day—we choose [not to] have a car. My wife is a teacher [at a] CEGEP; she takes the metro and the bus. In the neighbourhood, we have the mountain, the Parc Jeanne-Mance, two supermarkets, which both close at midnight each day [...] restaurants, [and] Place des Arts.”
The Milton-Parc neighbourhood, colloquially known as the McGill ghetto, is home to many McGill students. It’s an area with a rich history: In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, it was the east end of the Golden Square Mile, an upscale residential community that was primarily home to Montreal’s anglophone elite. By the end of the Second World War, these houses had stood for almost a century, and families started moving out of the neighbourhood in pursuit of more modern accommodations.
Martin Croteau, manager of le Syndicat de la Copropriété (a union of Montreal building owners), and a resident of the Milton-Parc neighbourhood, spoke to the post-war history of the area.
“In the ’60’s, promoters bought a lot of buildings in the Milton-Parc [area] for Project Concordia, the towers on [Avenue du Parc],” Croteau said. “The citizens mobilized for a fight against this project.”
The most prominent of these property developers was a company known as Concordia Estates Ltd., who sought to rebuild the neighbourhood by constructing several high-rise apartment and commercial buildings. The residents of Milton-Parc—now a lower-middle class neighbourhood consisting of students and families—banded together to prevent the destruction of the historic buildings in the area.
Over the next few decades the activism of Milton-Parc Citizen’s committee and Quebec’s political climate—the [PQ] were a part of the provincial fabric—led to the property developers’ withdrawal.
“[After] the election of the [PQ] in ’76, the English financers feared the independence of Quebec and wouldn’t put [in the] money for building a big project,” Croteau said.
Today, the streets of Milton-Parc are mostly home to McGill students and working professionals. In fact, Croteau lives in the neighbourhood with his family.
“It's a marvelous neighbourhood,” he said. “My girls go to school at [Fine Arts Core Education School] FACE, on University, and I work on Parc Avenue [....] We can walk every day—we choose [not to] have a car. My wife is a teacher [at a] CEGEP; she takes the metro and the bus. In the neighbourhood, we have the mountain, the Parc Jeanne-Mance, two supermarkets, which both close at midnight each day [...] restaurants, [and] Place des Arts.”
University Street takes its name from McGill University, which has many buildings on the street. Named and opened in 1842, the street originally spanned from the Royal Victoria Hospital at its northern end and the Bonaventure Expressway at its southern end. In March 2015, the portion of the street extending from the Bonaventure Expressway to Rue Sherbrooke was re-named after a previous premier of Quebec, to Boulevard Robert Bourassa. This change was controversial, as some Montrealers were not happy with the removal of an English street name.
Looking down University Street | Noah Sutton
Lorne Avenue
This street was named in 1973 after John Campbell, ninth Duke of Argyll, also known by the title Marquess of Lorne. Campbell was married to Princess Louise Caroline Alberta, the fourth daughter of Queen Victoria, and served as the governor general of Canada from 1878 to 1883. Lorne and Princess Louise helped found the Royal Society of Canada, the Royal Canadian Academy of Arts, and the National Gallery of Canada.
Lorne’s close friendships with men who were known to be gay or bisexual, including Lord Ronald Gower, a scottish politician and writer, as well as Morton Fullerton, an American journalist, led to rumours that Lorne himself was gay, although this was never publicly ascertained.
Noah Sutton
Noah Sutton
Rue Aylmer
This street was named after Matthew Whitworth-Aylmer, fifth Baron Aylmer and governor general of British North America from 1830 to 1835.
During the 1830s, British North America was comprised of several British colonies scattered throughout what is eastern Canada today. The colonies included Newfoundland, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, and Prince Edward Island to the east. The central colonies included Upper Canada, which was home to mostly anglophone Protestants, and Lower Canada, which was home to francophone Catholics. The colonies had separate governments, and Aylmer became lieutenant-governor of Lower Canada in 1830. He was not an adept military commander or politician—before his appointment as governor, he had never served in a civil capacity. The most high-ranking members of the National Assembly of Lower Canada were anglophones who didn’t listen to the needs of the francophone assembly members. Aylmer could not unite the assembly or serve the needs of his constituents. In fact, he favoured his English constituents. In 1834, members of the assembly of Lower Canada passed a resolution that asked for Aylmer’s recall.
The street was named after Aylmer in 1949.
Caption: Aylmer street is home to the Yellow Door, a community-based organisation that aims to support creative projects and local artists, in addition to advocating for social change | Credit: Noah Sutton
Noah Sutton
Noah Sutton
Rue Durocher
Historical records indicate that Simon-Hippolyte Durocher (1774-1853) married Marie-Julie Foretier at Montreal’s Notre Dame church in 1822. After Foretier died in 1827, Durocher remained a widower until his death in 1853, after which the land he owned was ceded to the City of Montreal. Rue Durocher would eventually be built on this land.
Noah Sutton
Rue Hutchison
Rue Hutchison was named in 1889 after the Hutchison family, who owned the land on which the street was built. It was previously named Rue Taylor.
Noah Sutton
Noah Sutton
Avenue du Parc
In 1883, English-speaking residents of Montreal filed a petition with the Montreal city government to officially name the street that provided access to the Parc du Mont Royal, which was colloquially called Park Avenue. In 1961, the French name of the street, Avenue du Parc, was officially recognized.
The Montreal government made two attempts to rename the street. In 1937, the suggestion that the street be renamed Marconi street was met with protests. In 2006, then-mayor Gérald Tremblay proposed to rename the entire length of the street Robert Bourassa Avenue, after the former Québec premier. The proposal was dropped after public outcry, and after Bourassa’s family expressed their reservations about the change, as they had preferred that only the name of St. Joseph Boulevard be changed to Robert Bourassa Avenue instead.
Avenue du Parc is a commercial hub for the Milton-Parc neighborhood, featuring grocery stores, cafés, and restaurants.
Notre Dame De La Salette, Catholic Church, located near Rue Milton and Avenue du Parc. | Noah Sutton
Noah Sutton
Rue Sherbrooke
Sir John Coape Sherbrooke (1764-1830) was a British soldier who was appointed lieutenant-governor of Nova Scotia in 1811, and governor general of British North America in 1816. Sherbrooke was venerated for his defence of Nova Scotia during the War of 1812. He was also an astute politician, skilled at mediating the political disputes between the anglophones and francophones, eventually garnering the trust of prominent Lower-Canada politician Louis-Joseph Papineau.
The street was named after Sherbrooke in 1817.
Video, Credit Noah Sutton
Noah Sutton
Rue Milton
Although the exact reason behind this street name is not known, according to the government of Montreal, the street is most likely named after John Milton (1608-1674), the British author who wrote Paradise Lost, an epic poem recounting the Christian story of the angel Lucifer’s fall from Heaven. The street was named after Milton some time before 1879.
Many local businesses are located on Rue Milton, including The Word, a second-hand bookstore, as well as Lola Rosa and McGill Pizza, two dining establishments.
Video, Credit Noah Sutton
The Marlborough Apartments are on Milton street. Built in 1900, the four-storey building is a striking example of Queen Anne Style architecture. | Noah Sutton
Place Milton, a popular brunch spot for residents of Milton-Parc community, located just past Rue Milton and Avenue du Parc. | Noah Sutton
Rue Prince Arthur Ouest
Prince Arthur William Patrick Albert, Duke of Connaught and Strathearn (1874-1942), was the seventh child of Queen Victoria. He was the Governor General of Canada from 1911 to 1916. Prince Arthur served as an officer in the Montreal detachment of the Rifle Brigade, an infantry rifle regiment of the British Army.
The street was named after the Prince in 1890.
Noah Sutton
Noah Sutton
Avenue des Pins
The street runs along the base of Mont-Royal, and is one of three streets designed by Frederick Olmstead to provide access to the mountain. These three streets were unofficially called Pins, Cedar, and Elm, after trees on the mountain.
The street was officially named in 1961, and is notable for the impressive architecture of the residential homes that line the street.
Looking down University Street | Noah Sutton
Noah Sutton
Noah Sutton
Caption: Aylmer street is home to the Yellow Door, a community-based organisation that aims to support creative projects and local artists, in addition to advocating for social change | Credit: Noah Sutton
Noah Sutton
Noah Sutton
Noah Sutton
Noah Sutton
Noah Sutton
Notre Dame De La Salette, Catholic Church, located near Rue Milton and Avenue du Parc. | Noah Sutton
Noah Sutton
Noah Sutton
The Marlborough Apartments are on Milton street. Built in 1900, the four-storey building is a striking example of Queen Anne Style architecture. | Noah Sutton
Place Milton, a popular brunch spot for residents of Milton-Parc community, located just past Rue Milton and Avenue du Parc. | Noah Sutton
Noah Sutton
Noah Sutton
Noah Sutton