That is the current location of Jean-Coutu at 5345 Queen Mary Road. A&P had scrumptious cinnamon spice cakes with white icing sold under their "Ann Parker" house brand name...and the smell of the roasted coffee bean milling machine...yummy!
Is the A&P at the corner of Walkley and Somerled (was Steinberg's now Metro)? It looks like those little side windows were bricked over and the three end ones became vents!
I grew up not far from that A&P too. Creaky wooden floors, the smell of freshly ground Eight O'Clock and Bokar coffees, A&P Calling on CJAD at noon, are all part of my childhood memories.
I also remember that in the 1970's and 1980's the second floor was rented by Les Grands Ballets Canadiens and used as a dance studio.
I once photographed some of the students there. It was a tricky assignment. I had to position myself so that I didn't appear in the reflections of the mirror walls. I couldn't use a flash with all those mirrors around.
Top one's easy, the funeral- I dunno. The A&P on Earnscliffe and Queen Mary had a bowling alley upstairs. Old timey stuff even for the 1960's: Pin boys! I seem to recall it was the small balls only. What do they call that? Duck Pins? Had about four pool tables near the stairs (Earnscliffe end), and score was kept by sliding tags along a string over the table. Downstairs at the eastern end was a drugstore called "Franklin's". Hank, one of the owners, used to complain after the bowling alley moved out and Grand Ballet moved in: It was much quieter & more peaceful in his place when it was just flying bowling balls and pins overhead. Hank later opened the Pharmaprix (or whatever it is) in Cavendish mall. Maybe that felt a bit "homier", what with Ralph's Menswear, a Queen Mary neighbor, also making the move to Cote St.Luc.
Oh that's where the ballet place was? My sister danced there and I vaguely recall going somewhere to pick her up on occasion, now I know where precisely it is. Thanks Harold for that.
The thing that struck me the most in that A&P (and the only ones I recall) was the sawdust on the floor and the air-conditionning units hanging from the ceiling.
There was another A&P on Sherbrooke between Cavendish and Benny...later became a St-Hubert BBQ, now a Pharmaprix. A&P had an outlet on Cartier Avenue in Pointe-Claire, later became LaSalle College and then an adult education campus for the Lakeshore/Pearson boards...and another on St-Charles south of the 40 in Kirkland which became an IGA and is now subdivided into SAQ outlet at one end and a Starbucks (formerly a Benjamin Moore Paints).
Other A&P's were on Park north of Sherbrooke (now a Provigo), and on Berri north of Ste-Catherine in the Show Mart (Palais du Commerce). Before the building was demolished to make way for the Grand Bibliotheque, the A&P space was used by a succession of second-hand bookstores.
I believe there was another one on Ste-Catherine near Guy. (don't have time to check Lovell's).
that fire hydrant on the northeast corner of Queen Mary and earnscliffe is still there today, as is the white-bricked building attached to its eastern wall.
Actually, Mr. John J. Snowdon beat EVERYONE to it...
he owned that long thin tract of farmland extending from the NW corner of Queen Mary Rd. west to what became Coolbrook and then north as far as today's Vezina Ave.
His brother William Comrie Snowdon owned the adjacent tract to the west of Coolbrook from as far north as Dupuis Avenue, down the centre of which would eventually run Earnscliffe Avenue, crossing what would become Snowdon Avenue and continuing as far as Cote St. Luc Rd.
J.J. Snowdon's house can be seen in old photos of Snowdon Junction just to the west of the tram shelter. His address was 165 Third Ave., later renamed Queen Mary Rd. The house later replaced by the commercial buildings which currently exist there.
W.C. Snowdon's house was at 55 Snowdon Ave., later renumbered 5391, the property having been donated to St. Antonin's Church which is there today.
A&P on Queen Mary and Earnscliffe. If you pay attention on the right site, there was a small Steinbergs store which opened in 1938 up to 1955. It was still there when the big one on Queen mary/Trans-Island opened in 1951...
Now that most us are virtual "shut-ins" due to the ongoing coronavirus epidemic, this is the perfect time to scan through previous blogs to review, inquire further, and add updates for the regulars who routinely visit your site as well as newcomers who are only now discovering the great wealth of historic material within.
Concerning the intersection of Queen Mary Road and Earnscliffe Avenue, many of us have no doubt wondered how and why that enormous high-rise on the northwest corner--namely Hampstead Towers at 5120 Earnscliffe--ever got to be built in the first place, considering the fact that it was clearly going to violate the district's presumed height restrictions. No other building in the area comes close to its enormity. For the record, Hampstead Towers, despite its name, is not actually located within the boundaries of the nearby City of Hampstead.
Hampstead Towers has its initial listing in the 1965-1966 Lovell's Directory and during the preceding months of its construction I seem to remember controversy in the local newspapers as to why building wasn't halted when it was clearly evident that the structure was rising way up into the beyond.
WHO exactly was the builder, anyway? Had the city of Montreal looked the other way or given silent yet official "special dispensation" to the project manager and his organization? Was there some secret agreement between the builder and the N.D.G's city counselor of the day? Was graft or kickbacks suspected and later proven?
Many will remember the huge radio tower (subsequently removed decades later) that soon appeared on the rooftop, but how many know that this tower included an RCMP transmitter? This is a fact. Did the RCMP have anything to do with why the building was ostensibly given carte blanche to proceed to its ultimate altitude based on the obviously exceptional wide radio coverage that the RCMP would have been handed. Certainly food for thought.
At a former workplace of mine several years ago, I happened to speak to a co-worker who coincidentally had been an early tenant of 5120 Earnscliffe and who claimed to have had some inside knowledge of "irregularities" regarding the entire project. Unfortunately, I now forget the specific details of what he said.
Concerning building height restrictions in general, there have been (and for better or worse will likely continue to be) exceptions to the rule (in particular the recent Segal Cancer Centre of the Jewish General Hospital), and another one I specifically recall: the five-storey condo at 4996 Rue Frere Andre which although initially planned by its builder to rise several floors higher was prevented from doing so by the city as it would have obstructed the view of nearby St. Joseph's Oratory.
So, Kristian, as you evidently have considerable resources when it comes to real estate, I wonder if you might be able to clear up "The Mystery of 5120 Earnscliffe"?
Love to get comments! Please, please, please speak your mind ! Links welcome - please google "how to embed a link" it'll make your comment much more fun and clickable.
That is the current location of Jean-Coutu at 5345 Queen Mary Road. A&P had scrumptious cinnamon spice cakes with white icing sold under their "Ann Parker" house brand name...and the smell of the roasted coffee bean milling machine...yummy!
ReplyDeleteIs the A&P at the corner of Walkley and Somerled (was Steinberg's now Metro)? It looks like those little side windows were bricked over and the three end ones became vents!
ReplyDeletehttp://goo.gl/maps/OgGKe
First photo is of the A&P supermarket at 5405 Queen Mary Rd., NE corner of Earnscliffe.
ReplyDeleteSnowdon Bowling was upstairs at one point.
Today, the TD Bank rents part of the building.
That Jean Coutu is on the NE corner of Queen Mary and Coolbrooke. It was preceded by Cumberland Drugs, itself preceded by Woolworth's.
ReplyDeleteForgot to mention that Peggy's Nut Shop, formerly at 5303 Queen Mary Road is currently occupied by Depanneur Queen Mary.
ReplyDeleteThe small grill beneath the window is still there. This was where the smell of hot, roasted nuts would waft and hold your attention as you walked by.
The Church looks like the Ascension of Our Lord Parish on Sherbrooke & Clarke in Westmount.
ReplyDeleteIs the church St-Ann's in Griffintown?
ReplyDeleteThe A&B at the corner of Earnscliffe & Queen-Mary.
ReplyDeleteI grew up not 100 feet from there...
https://maps.google.com/?ll=45.481882,-73.630435&spn=0.004686,0.008057&t=m&z=17&layer=c&cbll=45.481938,-73.630561&panoid=svQtLpbAoqtvPuZG9NoAaA&cbp=12,345.72,,0,-0.83
Sherbrooke and Clark - exactly.
ReplyDeleteI spotted it immediately.
I grew up not far from that A&P too. Creaky wooden floors, the smell of freshly ground Eight O'Clock and Bokar coffees, A&P Calling on CJAD at noon, are all part of my childhood memories.
ReplyDeleteI also remember that in the 1970's and 1980's the second floor was rented by Les Grands Ballets Canadiens and used as a dance studio.
I once photographed some of the students there. It was a tricky assignment. I had to position myself so that I didn't appear in the reflections of the mirror walls.
I couldn't use a flash with all those mirrors around.
A pleasant assignment, just the same.
Top one's easy, the funeral- I dunno.
ReplyDeleteThe A&P on Earnscliffe and Queen Mary had a bowling alley upstairs. Old timey stuff even for the 1960's: Pin boys! I seem to recall it was the small balls only. What do they call that? Duck Pins? Had about four pool tables near the stairs (Earnscliffe end), and score was kept by sliding tags along a string over the table.
Downstairs at the eastern end was a drugstore called "Franklin's". Hank, one of the owners, used to complain after the bowling alley moved out and Grand Ballet moved in: It was much quieter & more peaceful in his place when it was just flying bowling balls and pins overhead. Hank later opened the Pharmaprix (or whatever it is) in Cavendish mall. Maybe that felt a bit "homier", what with Ralph's Menswear, a Queen Mary neighbor, also making the move to Cote St.Luc.
Oh that's where the ballet place was? My sister danced there and I vaguely recall going somewhere to pick her up on occasion, now I know where precisely it is. Thanks Harold for that.
ReplyDeleteThe thing that struck me the most in that A&P (and the only ones I recall) was the sawdust on the floor and the air-conditionning units hanging from the ceiling.
ReplyDeleteThere was another A&P on Sherbrooke between Cavendish and Benny...later became a St-Hubert BBQ, now a Pharmaprix. A&P had an outlet on Cartier Avenue in Pointe-Claire, later became LaSalle College and then an adult education campus for the Lakeshore/Pearson boards...and another on St-Charles south of the 40 in Kirkland which became an IGA and is now subdivided into SAQ outlet at one end and a Starbucks (formerly a Benjamin Moore Paints).
ReplyDeleteOther A&P's were on Park north of Sherbrooke (now a Provigo), and on Berri north of Ste-Catherine in the Show Mart (Palais du Commerce). Before the building was demolished to make way for the Grand Bibliotheque, the A&P space was used by a succession of second-hand bookstores.
ReplyDeleteI believe there was another one on Ste-Catherine near Guy. (don't have time to check Lovell's).
Yeah sure I think the current Provigai on St.Cat and Fort (St. Marc? St. Matt? Never could remember which is which) was an A&P until the mid 80s.
ReplyDeleteI seem to recall we'd say.. "I'm going to the A.. and pee?"
The final clues:
ReplyDeletethat fire hydrant on the northeast corner of Queen Mary and earnscliffe is still there today, as is the white-bricked building attached to its eastern wall.
I got you all beat. i remember when the Jean Coutu/Cumberlands/Woolworth's was a field! So there!
ReplyDeleteActually, Mr. John J. Snowdon beat EVERYONE to it...
ReplyDeletehe owned that long thin tract of farmland extending from the NW corner of Queen Mary Rd. west to what became Coolbrook and then north as far as today's Vezina Ave.
His brother William Comrie Snowdon owned the adjacent tract to the west of Coolbrook from as far north as Dupuis Avenue, down the centre of which would eventually run Earnscliffe Avenue, crossing what would become Snowdon Avenue and continuing as far as Cote St. Luc Rd.
J.J. Snowdon's house can be seen in old photos of Snowdon Junction just to the west of the tram shelter. His address was 165 Third Ave., later renamed Queen Mary Rd.
The house later replaced by the commercial buildings which currently exist there.
W.C. Snowdon's house was at 55 Snowdon Ave., later renumbered 5391, the property having been donated to St. Antonin's Church which is there today.
A&P on Queen Mary and Earnscliffe. If you pay attention on the right site, there was a small Steinbergs store which opened in 1938 up to 1955. It was still there when the big one on Queen mary/Trans-Island opened in 1951...
ReplyDeletePost for April 26, 2020
ReplyDeleteHello, Kristian.
Now that most us are virtual "shut-ins" due to the ongoing coronavirus epidemic, this is the perfect time to scan through previous blogs to review, inquire further, and add updates for the regulars who routinely visit your site as well as newcomers who are only now discovering the great wealth of historic material within.
Concerning the intersection of Queen Mary Road and Earnscliffe Avenue, many of us have no doubt wondered how and why that enormous high-rise on the northwest corner--namely Hampstead Towers at 5120 Earnscliffe--ever got to be built in the first place, considering the fact that it was clearly going to violate the district's presumed height restrictions. No other building in the area comes close to its enormity. For the record, Hampstead Towers, despite its name, is not actually located within the boundaries of the nearby City of Hampstead.
Hampstead Towers has its initial listing in the 1965-1966 Lovell's Directory and during the preceding months of its construction I seem to remember controversy in the local newspapers as to why building wasn't halted when it was clearly evident that the structure was rising way up into the beyond.
WHO exactly was the builder, anyway? Had the city of Montreal looked the other way or given silent yet official "special dispensation" to the project manager and his organization? Was there some secret agreement between the builder and the N.D.G's city counselor of the day? Was graft or kickbacks suspected and later proven?
Many will remember the huge radio tower (subsequently removed decades later) that soon appeared on the rooftop, but how many know that this tower included an RCMP transmitter? This is a fact. Did the RCMP have anything to do with why the building was ostensibly given carte blanche to proceed to its ultimate altitude based on the obviously exceptional wide radio coverage that the RCMP would have been handed. Certainly food for thought.
At a former workplace of mine several years ago, I happened to speak to a co-worker who coincidentally had been an early tenant of 5120 Earnscliffe and who claimed to have had some inside knowledge of "irregularities" regarding the entire project. Unfortunately, I now forget the specific details of what he said.
Concerning building height restrictions in general, there have been (and for better or worse will likely continue to be) exceptions to the rule (in particular the recent Segal Cancer Centre of the Jewish General Hospital), and another one I specifically recall: the five-storey condo at 4996 Rue Frere Andre which although initially planned by its builder to rise several floors higher was prevented from doing so by the city as it would have obstructed the view of nearby St. Joseph's Oratory.
So, Kristian, as you evidently have considerable resources when it comes to real estate, I wonder if you might be able to clear up "The Mystery of 5120 Earnscliffe"?
Addendum:
ReplyDeleteThe A&P at 5405 Queen Mary Rd. was first listed in the 1942 Lovell's Directory as was the Snowdon Bowling and Billiards upstairs at 5415.
Both were last listed in the 1964-1965 Lovell's.
See the link below re. A&P Canada:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A%26P_Canada