MONTREAL | McGill Ghetto, Redpath Crescent, Golden Square Mile

[flar]

[SignalHillHiker]

So many beautiful buildings. I love that Montreal didn't skimp on accents - even if it's just contrasting stone colours. The spiral staircases, bay windows, and roofs are especially nice.

My favourite thing about Montreal, though, is how dense and urban it is. It feels much bigger than it is - like my own city. I love when it's packed together like that, without the wide open spaces or surface parking lots of other cities in North America.

She's a Helen Mirren in a world of Denise Richardsons.

[Danny]

Wonderful collection of houses. Many of them are really pretty. Thanks for this tour along those areas of Montreal, flar. Very nice pics, as usual from you.

Congrats and greetings from Madrid, Spain!

[photoLith]

Incredible architecture. I hope to get their soon.

[Jimby]

Great thread.

[TomOfBoston]

Originally Posted by SignalHillHiker

She's a Helen Mirren in a world of Denise Richardsons.

Love this comparison!

[flar]

Originally Posted by SignalHillHiker

She's a Helen Mirren in a world of Denise Richardsons.

I had to look these people up, lol

[Razor]

Great pics Flar!..You are this close to home, so may as well do up some more Ottawa pics, but go for a Mr. John style when doing Ottawa..If that's possible...Could be a challenge.

[montréaliste]

Thanks for giving us a collection of great victorian residential architecture flar.
I drive by a lot of these everyday and never tire of looking at the details.

[MolsonExport]

Lovely shots of great neighborhoods. I used to live just off "The Boulevard" (for 5 years during PhD studies) and I also spent a few months living in the McGill Ghetto.

[montréaliste]

Originally Posted by MolsonExport

Lovely shots of great neighborhoods. I used to live just off "The Boulevard" (for 5 years during PhD studies) and I also spent a few months living in the McGill Ghetto.

The Boulevard is thoroughly unshabby.

[xzmattzx]

Great pictures! "Ghetto" is obviously a relative term in Canada. The Redpath Crescent area seems to be an equivalent to the Mountain Brow along the Escarpment in Hamilton that you captured so well in threads in the past.

[MolsonExport]

re: McGill Ghetto: used in the sense of a student ghetto, in other words, lots of students. But McGill is likened to the Harvard of Canada, so it is maybe like that neighborhood (Harvard Square??) nearby the namesake university. Not your Kraft-dinner starving student body.

[flar]

Originally Posted by xzmattzx

Great pictures! "Ghetto" is obviously a relative term in Canada. The Redpath Crescent area seems to be an equivalent to the Mountain Brow along the Escarpment in Hamilton that you captured so well in threads in the past.

The setting and the homes are very reminiscent of the Durand in Hamilton

[flar]

Originally Posted by Razor

Great pics Flar!..You are this close to home, so may as well do up some more Ottawa pics, but go for a Mr. John style when doing Ottawa..If that's possible...Could be a challenge.

I'd like to do more journalistic and artistic photography, but I don't have time. I barely pick up my camera anymore. Basically every photo I take appears on here, and it's mostly when I travel to other cities, and even then I'm rushed and never changes lenses or settings. So nothing fancy, just snapshots.

[Razor]

^ np at all Flar..I will just take and enjoy your pics as they come..In all seriousness, I would love to see Mr. John do up Ottawa Mr. John style...It would be great! Is it even possible to capture Ottawa the gritty?..Would be kind of funny and satirical to see Ottawa in that light..There you go Mr. John.If you are reading this, please make the short trek.

[vanatox]

Originally Posted by Razor

Is it even possible to capture Ottawa the gritty?..Would be kind of funny and satirical to see Ottawa in that light..There you go Mr. John.If you are reading this, please make the short trek.

I don't think it would be that hard...Ottawa has plenty of grit. It certainly doesn't look like the capital of a G8 country when you walk in the neighborhoods surrounding the downtown core. Plenty of shabby buildings and houses in need of repair.

[pdxtex]

ive never been to montreal but i find it fascinating. its seems moody and lively. photogenic but in a stout kind of way. its not what i would call a gentile looking environment. stone. lots of stone. me likey!!!!

[arkitekte]

That architecture stock is unreal. Nice set.

[MTLskyline]

Great shots of a few of my favourite parts of Montreal.

The 25,000 residents of the Golden Square Mile in its heyday once controlled something like 70% of wealth of all of Canada (19th century into the early 20th). The area went into decline during the 20th century, particularly following the Great Depression. Montreal's wealthiest residents moved to nearby Westmount, and several major businesses run by the Anglo establishment moved to Toronto. A lot of the mansions were demolished and replaced with apartment buildings in the 1960s and 70s. Many of the remaining mansions are owned by institutions such as McGill University or are used as foreign consulates, etc.

An area that is linked to the Golden Square Mile is Old Montreal's St. Jacques Street, once the Wall Street of Canada. Major banks (such as the Bank of Montreal, the Royal Bank and the Molson Bank) were based along (or near) this street. Old Montreal was really downtown, while the current downtown was largely part of the Golden Square Mile.