Our pa shot this St. Catherine street back in '58 or so. (It's half of a stereo-mounted Kodachrome transparency, which explains the saturation, contrast, and low ASA -- i.e., slow exposure.) Notice that French predominated on the official parking signs, which must be a mirage because we know that couldn't have happened in those godforsaken days of Protestant tyranny run amok.
Here you can see four of the big theatres -- the Loews, Strand, Capitol and Palace. There were a few more beyond. Here on the left is the Agnew Surpass shoe store. Once Canada's leading footwear chain, it was started in Ontario in 1879 and closed its 223 outlets down in August, 2000.
Cool photo. Look at all those neon lights! And I do miss (some of) those cinemas.
ReplyDeleteYa got any pics of English and Scotch Woollen in the archives?
ReplyDeletedu Pois
English & Scotch was on the south side of Ste-Catherine, and was the favourite place in town for WW II bombing ace/DFC recipient/Canadair flight engineer Gordon Campbell Nicol (uncle of hockey broadcaster Dave Hodge, card playing pal of former Blue Bonnets PR man Hans Grottke) to get his suits.
ReplyDeletereally cool photo...i love the neon reflected on the wet pavement. I remember agnew surpass...i think there was one in place vertu? \
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