Montreal's famous downtown landmark Phillips Square was formerly paved over with two sets of stairs going leading to passages reserved for those who sold their souls to Satan. The space was greened over when the the dark disciples no longer felt obliged to go underground, but the demonic passages surely remain, heading to a place that only the privileged few are permitted to know about. That's our story, and we're sticking to it, until, at least, someone comes up with something better.
Sunday, December 21, 2008
The secret tunnels beneath Phillips Square
Montreal's famous downtown landmark Phillips Square was formerly paved over with two sets of stairs going leading to passages reserved for those who sold their souls to Satan. The space was greened over when the the dark disciples no longer felt obliged to go underground, but the demonic passages surely remain, heading to a place that only the privileged few are permitted to know about. That's our story, and we're sticking to it, until, at least, someone comes up with something better.
Up to about 25-30 years ago, there used to be underground public bathrooms under Phillips². The entrances were condemned and the stair pits were then filled up.
ReplyDeleteThe very same kind of bathrooms also used to be under Place d’Armes, and they have been also condemned perhaps some 5 years earlier.
Once in a while, someone floats a proposal to make an underground parking garage where the old bathrooms were, but I think that the paltry number of cars that would fit there brings back people to reality…
That's an awesome photo. Wow, I wonder where those stairs went to and what's down there now. Anyone know around what year this photo was taken? Ohh, and so that building hasn't always been The Bay? I love the ad for the cigarettes too - thankfully those ones are "throat easy" so nothing to worry about.
ReplyDeleteThanks for this.
Not quite sure if you're joking or not - I thought it was pretty widely known that those were bathrooms.
ReplyDeleteYou mean the public washrooms that were down there?
ReplyDeleteI never went down, but I can remember when the stairs
existed. And they existed into the later seventies,
if not later.
Of course, I also remember the tunnel across Park Avenue
at Duluth, that was filled in, presumably because people
used it for the same purpose.
It never made sense that they didn't put a cross-walk there.
It's a logical place to cross, and breaks up an otherwise
terribly long block. Instead, after they sealed the tunnel
about twenty years ago, they put a barrier in the middle of
Park to inhibit people from crossing there.
It's only with the demolition of the Pine interchange and
the renovation of Park Avenue around there that they put
an intersection at that logical place.
At least the Melrose tunnel in NDG is still there.
Michael
What a great photo! Pre-war? The stairs of course led down to the stately underground toilets which were still in use in the late 60s and maybe even into the 70s.
ReplyDeleteDefinitely pre-war, as the corner building diagonally from Morgan’s wasn’t built yet.
ReplyDelete(I presume the picture was taken from the top of the tower above Birk’s).
Yes, this picture would be early 30s...because of the Provincial Transport buses lined up on Phillips Square, prior to their terminal relocating to Drummond & Dorchester. The PTC terminal was where the still-empty parking lot was on the east side of the Square.
ReplyDeleteIf the toilets WERE still in operation today, they would be a hangout for drug deals and gay sex.
Morgans was acquired by HBC in 1960.
Drugs and gay sex eh? And where else are horticulturally enthused horizontal homosexuals supposed to do their nefarious deeds Mr. Dayton?
ReplyDeleteThe 10th floor of the Hall Building?
drugs and sexual acts later found a home at that empty building near the CBC. Videos also were filmed there....it's also since been demolished.
ReplyDeleteA dozen years ago, Stationnement de Montreal floated the idea of an underground garage under Philips Square. It didn't get very far.
ReplyDeleteOf course Nathan Phillips Square is beside Toronto's City Hall.
I remember those washrooms down there... I went once to take a leak when I was 15 years old..must have been 1973... and I quickly ran back up.... too many shady characters down there occupying all the corners...
ReplyDeleteThe lighting was poor and the smell was awful.They also had those toilet cabinets where you had to put in a nickel to use... The doors where made of hardwood and the stalls of white marble.
Although I never used those toilets
ReplyDeleteat Phillips Square, you just reminded me of similar underground toilets directly in front of the famous La Madeleine church in Paris.
There, one enters the male toilet chamber and as one stands to take a leak, one is amazed (and feels quite weird) to see a female attendant in a corner office presumably "supervising and/or discouraging" any "questionable behaviour"--although she can only actually see users at head level.
Takes a woman to keep a man on the straight and narrow, is that it?
In Australia, such public toilets are widespread and convenient. Having visited Downunder several times, I never heard any "horror stories" about them, however.
I was born in Montreal and moved to the "riv sud" in 1952. Yes the good old washrooms of Phillips Square. In my 20's when I use to frequent that area as all young lads did, it was always good to have a place to go instead of fighting your way into Morgans, Eaton's or Simpson's. Then back in the early 70's they had an old attendant down there. He was dressed in a white waiters jacket and black pants. I am sure he use to be a Red Cap at one time for the CPR. He had boxes of chocolate bars and candy and gum. We use to tip him a quarter as he kept the place spotless. I do not recall bad smells from any of Montreal public washrooms in that era. Then with no attendant and clean up people yes I can see then allowing that to quicken the closure of a Institution we use to find in Montreal. Thanks for the site as I enjoyed spending some time here.
ReplyDeleteCapt'n Squid
ReplyDeleteThe NW stairs, replaced by the guy who sells roasted chestnuts.
ReplyDelete