Chimples scanned these pics sometime last year from a book about the Milton Park episode. Alas the book fell behind the Nonsectarian Community Goodness Toast Machine and can't be retrieved. So Coolopolis can't guide you to buy it at this moment. The general idea was that much of the McGill ghetto was going to be demolished for a massive housing/commercial project but a lot of young hippies fought against it. Ultimately the only thing that got built was the La Cite complex, which was still a large part of the whole thing. These various photos are semi-self-explanatory.
May 23, 1972 Prince Arthur Street
Street festival July 27, 1970.
David Williams and Nicole Durand of the Milton Park Citizens Committee deliver some kinda petition to City Hall, May 24, 1969.
Jeanne Mance, 1972, buildings were demolished soon after, although the church in the background, the First Presbyterian remains as condos.
May 24, 1969
Building occupation on Prince Arthur May 23, 1972.
May 24, 1969. 
The residents created a makeshift playground for the kids. (The portly guy, in the photo two up died of a drug overdose along with his girlfriend who was in a few local movies).
brilliant pics. thanks for sharing. i think i may have lived in the building in the first picture while i was a student at mcgill. i wish more mcgillians new about their neighbourhood's heritage: maybe then it wouldn't be covered in week-old trashbags and vomit.
ReplyDeleteNever mind Milton Park. Is that Montreal's own McGilla Gorilla in the boat with the Coolopolis lovelies?
ReplyDeleteMr. Peabody
The Mandarin Garden as shown in 1 of the demo pics....reminds me of the yummy spring rolls, the die-to-for dumplings...and the hot little hostess who needed some extra cash for her studies to continue.
ReplyDeleteWhat street was that on?
ReplyDeleteIt was on the east side of Bleury, in the 1400 block. The little hostess, her name was Vicky if I remember correctly, was the niece of the owner, Mr. Wong.
ReplyDeleteI faintly remember the ’hood before La Cité… Some aunts rented a flat there when they went to Mc-Gill, and I always liked to go to their place, so I kept some fondness for that ’hood… :)
ReplyDeleteThe book was probably "The Milton-Park Affair" by Claire Helman (Vehicule Press, 1987). A pretty good read, and an excellent record of the events.
ReplyDeleteYeah, it's surely that book. The photo credits were from the Archives of Canada.
ReplyDeleteThe author never interviewed with the developers. Their story would have been interesting to hear, cuz they were supposedly cutting edge socialists prior to that. One was named Nerenberg, some say he was related to the writer Albert Nerenberg but Albert said he wasn't related when I asked him. There's another book published by Vehicle by a salesman guy named Gerry Fortin that deals a little with the issue as well, can't remember the name. Didn't sell many copies though I'm told.
Nerenberg wasn't just a "socialist," he was a very active commie back in the day. There was a folksinger in Montreal in the 60's and 70's named Marc Nerenberg who was his son. Marc Nerenberg is now some kind of prominent lawyer.
ReplyDeletethe eighth picture is Bleury, just north of St. Cats
ReplyDelete