To be more specific: this is the gabled, double-duplex housing the addresses 2495, 2497, 2499, and 2501 Park Row East. It first appears in the 1932-33 edition of Lovell's. It faces Trenholme Park which itself first appears in the 1924-25 edition. See today's image: https://maps.google.ca/maps?hl=en&tab=wl
The clue was the bluff in the left background. To the left, the photographer is facing the rear of the duplexes on Montclair Avenue which at the time this photo was taken did not yet extend all the way south downhill to Western Avenue until the 1950s, presumably because Western itself was not yet completed to its eventual entire length.
In 1938, following much opposition and debate, Trenholme Park was chosen as the location for a sports centre and not NDG Park as was originally proposed. Apparently, many residents living around NDG Park at the corner of Girouard and Sherbrooke didn't want noisy older kids and teenagers bothering their peace and tranquility--some even going so far later as to oppose the kiddy playground at the northwest corner. See: Gazette, April 5, 1938, page 10.
Therefore, in Trenholme Park the sports centre was finally built, the area re-landscaped accordingly sometime later and upgraded with a new recreation centre in 1960. See: Gazette, October 13, 1960.
Right through the 1950s, vehicular access to parts of NDG were limited, the CPR line being the main barrier. Decades before the Decarie Expressway was built, other than using Sherbrooke the alternate route from downtown was to take Western Avenue right through Westmount as far as Prudhomme Avenue where you'd have to make a short left and then a quick right back onto Western again as far as Upper Lachine Road, then further westward to Elmhurst Avenue and north to Sherbrooke.
Bear in mind that the short section of Western Avenue between Prudhomme and Hampton was later renamed Upper Lachine Road (as it remains today), for the simple reason that at some point a few buildings were expropriated to allow Western Avenue to continue in a straight line right through Prudhomme and then to run directly parallel to the north of the CPR tracks. The section of Upper Lachine Road running west from St. Remi (where it was essentially a continuation of St. Jacques) was itself later renamed St. Jacques for the sake of street name continuity.
North of the CPR tracks, there is a 1947 map which indicates that the southernmost ends of Wilson, Harvard, and Oxford were connected together just north of the railway tracks by what may have been merely unpaved laneways and which inevitably became the actual precursor of Western Avenue itself years later. Beaconsfield, Hingston, and Hampton are likewise shown linked together but on both sides of the tracks. A bit more research would be needed to determine exactly how many buildings had to be demolished at the foot of these adjacent north-south avenues in order to allow Western Avenue's advance to its eventual full length. No doubt the residents of these demolished houses would not have been too happy about it!
The adults in the photos are long deceased. The youngest kids would now be in their 80s if still alive at all. The tyranny of time! How neat it would be for someone reading this blog to see themselves as they were back then! The tales they could tell!
"Apparently, many residents living around NDG Park at the corner of Girouard and Sherbrooke didn't want noisy older kids and teenagers bothering their peace and tranquility'
That left NDG Park available many decades later for the older kids and drug-dealers who bothered peace and tranquility until the present era when the running dogs carry out that function.
NDG Park during the Depression was a hot bed for teen prostitutes, both male and female, to hang out and attempt to earn a few quarters. Sometimes hobos who roamed the tracks on the CP and CN lines would come up late at night and spend some of their panhandled cash left over after having paid the bribes to the rail cops to avoid a beating. Learned all of this from my Uncle who lived on Oxford in those days.
Interesting that in photo 4, the small building at the far right (2487-2487 Park Row East) was the southernmost one in 1938.
In subsequent years, four more buildings would be built; the last one being the white apartment building on the northeast corner with what is now de Maisonneuve (formerly Western Ave.)
The Kells building on the southwest corner of Park Row West and de Maisonneuve was built later than the duplex adjacent to its north and is therefore not in photo 3.
The building directly behind the man holding the black camera is that duplex referred to in my earlier post which includes the addresses 2350 through 2356 Park Row West.
As to your question regarding the unknown building visible to its right as seen from the park, it appears logically to be on either Mariette or Mayfair, but tricky to identify precisely from street level by using Google Maps alone.
It may be possible to identify it conclusively today, but from a bird's-eye view.
I wonder how many of those kids in the "wheelbarrow race" are still alive today?
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.
Buildings similar to the two in the centre of the photo exist on Grand Blvd.
ReplyDeleteLooking east across the park at the gabled duplex which includes the addresses 2495 and 2497 Park Row East.
ReplyDeleteThat building with the A-frame/tudor facade treatment reminds me of one on Queen Mary, near Victoria...
ReplyDeleteUncle Charlie.
To be more specific: this is the gabled, double-duplex housing the addresses 2495, 2497, 2499, and 2501 Park Row East. It first appears in the 1932-33 edition of Lovell's. It faces Trenholme Park which itself first appears in the 1924-25 edition. See today's image: https://maps.google.ca/maps?hl=en&tab=wl
ReplyDeleteThe clue was the bluff in the left background. To the left, the photographer is facing the rear of the duplexes on Montclair Avenue which at the time this photo was taken did not yet extend all the way south downhill to Western Avenue until the 1950s, presumably because Western itself was not yet completed to its eventual entire length.
In 1938, following much opposition and debate, Trenholme Park was chosen as the location for a sports centre and not NDG Park as was originally proposed. Apparently, many residents living around NDG Park at the corner of Girouard and Sherbrooke didn't want noisy older kids and teenagers bothering their peace and tranquility--some even going so far later as to oppose the kiddy playground at the northwest corner. See: Gazette, April 5, 1938, page 10.
Therefore, in Trenholme Park the sports centre was finally built, the area re-landscaped accordingly sometime later and upgraded with a new recreation centre in 1960. See: Gazette, October 13, 1960.
Right through the 1950s, vehicular access to parts of NDG were limited, the CPR line being the main barrier. Decades before the Decarie Expressway was built, other than using Sherbrooke the alternate route from downtown was to take Western Avenue right through Westmount as far as Prudhomme Avenue where you'd have to make a short left and then a quick right back onto Western again as far as Upper Lachine Road, then further westward to Elmhurst Avenue and north to Sherbrooke.
Bear in mind that the short section of Western Avenue between Prudhomme and Hampton was later renamed Upper Lachine Road (as it remains today), for the simple reason that at some point a few buildings were expropriated to allow Western Avenue to continue in a straight line right through Prudhomme and then to run directly parallel to the north of the CPR tracks. The section of Upper Lachine Road running west from St. Remi (where it was essentially a continuation of St. Jacques) was itself later renamed St. Jacques for the sake of street name continuity.
North of the CPR tracks, there is a 1947 map which indicates that the southernmost ends of Wilson, Harvard, and Oxford were connected together just north of the railway tracks by what may have been merely unpaved laneways and which inevitably became the actual precursor of Western Avenue itself years later. Beaconsfield, Hingston, and Hampton are likewise shown linked together but on both sides of the tracks. A bit more research would be needed to determine exactly how many buildings had to be demolished at the foot of these adjacent north-south avenues in order to allow Western Avenue's advance to its eventual full length. No doubt the residents of these demolished houses would not have been too happy about it!
The adults in the photos are long deceased. The youngest kids would now be in their 80s if still alive at all. The tyranny of time! How neat it would be for someone reading this blog to see themselves as they were back then! The tales they could tell!
Absolutely fascinating and well written, Urban Legend.
ReplyDeleteThank you.
"Apparently, many residents living around NDG Park at the corner of Girouard and Sherbrooke didn't want noisy older kids and teenagers bothering their peace and tranquility'
ReplyDeleteThat left NDG Park available many decades later for the older kids and drug-dealers who bothered peace and tranquility until the present era when the running dogs carry out that function.
I have mentioned elsewhere that the small red-brick building in the centre of NDG Park was originally a police station.
ReplyDeletePresumably, this was to keep the peace and discourage "rampaging youth"?
NDG Park during the Depression was a hot bed for teen prostitutes, both male and female, to hang out and attempt to earn a few quarters. Sometimes hobos who roamed the tracks on the CP and CN lines would come up late at night and spend some of their panhandled cash left over after having paid the bribes to the rail cops to avoid a beating. Learned all of this from my Uncle who lived on Oxford in those days.
ReplyDeleteAnybody have an idea what that building is in the distance behind the guy with the camera on the right side of picture #3?
ReplyDeleteCould it be the apartment bldg. currently on the southwest corner of Sherbrooke and Park Place West?
The building with the triple white brick design above the windows is on Park Row West and comprises addresses 2350-2356.
ReplyDeleteThe building to its right would be on Mariette or Mayfair.
It would be a stretch to say it's the Institute for the Blind building further west on Sherbrooke.
Interesting that in photo 4, the small building at the far right (2487-2487 Park Row East) was the southernmost one in 1938.
ReplyDeleteIn subsequent years, four more buildings would be built; the last one being the white apartment building on the northeast corner with what is now de Maisonneuve (formerly Western Ave.)
Do you mean 2467-2469 was the southernmost one in 1938?
DeleteUrbanLegend
ReplyDeleteYou're right about the background triple white brick building being the current Kells Academy on Park Row West, corner de Maisonneuve.
That building now is so modern looking. Who would have guessed that it was actually built in 1925, according to the Montreal evaluation rolls?
Not me.
The Kells building on the southwest corner of Park Row West and de Maisonneuve was built later than the duplex adjacent to its north and is therefore not in photo 3.
ReplyDeleteThe building directly behind the man holding the black camera is that duplex referred to in my earlier post which includes the addresses 2350 through 2356 Park Row West.
See: https://maps.google.ca/maps?hl=en&ll=45.45973,-73.631334&spn=0.000004,0.002411&t=m&z=19&layer=c&cbll=45.459795,-73.631502&panoid=p2IjuVBL2mciCkryyxHfvw&cbp=12,175.19,,0,0.4
As to your question regarding the unknown building visible to its right as seen from the park, it appears logically to be on either Mariette or Mayfair, but tricky to identify precisely from street level by using Google Maps alone.
It may be possible to identify it conclusively today, but from a bird's-eye view.
I wonder how many of those kids in the "wheelbarrow race" are still alive today?