Answers: 1- the Hall of Nonsense was at Dominion Park, a Montreal amusement park that sat on the waterfront in the east end, a spot that's no longer accessible due to the presence of the port. The attraction apparently thrived until July 31, 1909 when someone named Gunner Ellis broke a leg falling through a trap door that someone had mistakenly left ajar. He was awarded $1,000 plus hospital fees and you didn't hear much about the attraction after that.
This is the Windsor Hotel at the southwest corner of Peel and Dorch. 
These are the stables atop Mount Royal Park.
The Laval Motel sat on St. James St. W. (then called Upper Lachine) until it was demolished just a couple of years ago.
1) Attractions at either Belmont or Dominion Park
ReplyDelete2) Chalet on the mountain
3) ?
4) Laval motel on St. Jacques - demolished about 10 years ago.
5) ?
6) Hotel Dorchester now the Women's Y.
The top one is from Dominion Park. (I did a bunch of research on Montreal amusement parks for an Openfile story, and they didn't want most of it, but it was still fun to do.)
ReplyDelete#2 must be the Lookout.
ReplyDelete#3 is the original Windsor Hotel before the fire.
#6 used to be at the southeast corner of Dorch and Crescent, I think. Not sure.
this is the first: Dominion Park, Montreal, QC, about 1910 https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fichier:House_of_Nonsense_Dominion_Park_Montreal_1910.jpg
ReplyDeleteThe second looks like the chalet on Mount Royal
Motel Laval, 6710 Rue Saint-Jacques, Montreal More pictures here: http://www.uer.ca/locations/show.asp?locid=25148
RIENO RESTAURANT, somewhere on Sherbrooke East
That's all I know
Motel Laval was on St-Jacques W, west of Cavendish, south side, near the famed South Seas Room (where the "beautiful Tania" was the hostess, per their ads read by Ted Tevan) and The Donut King...it was adjacent to the West-End Motel, where my buddy went for an afternoon of repose with escort Josee Mailloux.
ReplyDeleteThe Hotel Dorchester was on the south side of Dorchester a block or 2 east of Guy (you can see the Northern Electric building in the background).
Cursory, incomplete research brings up:
ReplyDelete1) House of Nonsense, Dominion
Park.
2) Chalet on Mount Royal
3) Laval Motel, 6710 St. Jacques
West, Montreal
What IS interesting in the centre rear of the Laval Motel photo @ 6710 St. Jacques is the North end tower of the Hydro Quebec's transmission line from Poste LaSalle, a steam electric generating plant adjacent to LaSalle Coke on the South side of Lachine Canal.
ReplyDeleteThis power line was impressive as it had to be high enough to clear the masts on canallers transiting the Canal and then swoop across and up over Turcot Yard to terminate at the S W corner of Rose Bowl Lanes @ Cavendish.
Poste LaSalle with whitish smoke stack beyond oil tanker in canal.
http://stlawrencepiks.com/seawayhistory/BeforeSeaway/Lachine/SHLC025.html
LaSalle Coke crane, coal transfer railway and plant in background..
Hydro Tower at Rose Bowl Lanes can be seen to middle left in this view from CNR Turcot West.
http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=281204&nseq=133
Turcot West.
http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=280309&nseq=117
The Small station to left, 'Turcot West' was at the original bottom of Brock Ave which then crossed 2/17 just to the North at grade. Scotia went West from Brock to Ballantyne and there was another East/West road to the North named Roman which was on the South side of 2/17.
We used to 'Watch Trains' here in the Fifties.
Montreal Tramways 91 Lachine would be to right to the North of Canadian Car and Foundry and the Lachine Canal.
These streets became an 'island' when 2/17 was constructed c. 1940.
In 1939, what is now know as Avon by Elmhurst Dairies was named Western.
CNR had a Junction at Turcot West. The North branch, then single-track, crossed 2/17 at grade and then passed Des Erable and Consumers Glass in VSP and curved North to cross the CPR at Ballantyne Jct. at grade, then went East to cross the CNR electric line from Central Station near Vertu and connected with the CPR at Jacques Cartier Jct. South of Bordeaux Jail.
In 1944 CNR extended this line out to Pointe aux Trembles.
At one time the North branch split and traveled West direct to Dorval.
The single-track via Consumers Glass was 4-tracked c. 1960 and an overpass built at 2/17.
The South branch at Turcot West traveled West to Rockfield and Lachine Wharf, and was later extended thru Dixie to Dorval.
In the photo then-almost-new Motel Raphael Ruffo would be just out of frame to left of photo across 2/17 at the foot of present-day Brock.
Thank You.
The Rieno "Hill Bar" was right here.
ReplyDeleteAs of hydro towers above the canal, there are two that still stand to this day, but sans wires.
Makes you curious as to what kind of "nonsense" went on in that House of Nonsense.
ReplyDeleteSuch turn-of-the-century playgrounds like Dominion and Sohmer Park must have been all the rage.
In winter there were also some pretty steep toboggan slides in the city which would likely not be permitted today in this age of over-caution and insurance claims.
I am always amused to see photos of the men wearing tight, button-down collars and women draped in layers during our hot, humid summers.
No doubt their children must have rebelled against such clothing during those strict, Victorian days.
Does anyone have photos or memorabilia of the original Dagwood's Restaurant which was located at 995 Mtee. St. Laurent, the former name of what is today Marcel-Laurin where Route 117 begins and with a side entrance at 1850 Cote Vertu.
ReplyDeleteOriginally, the address was listed as 110 St. Mathieu, the former street name of Cote Vertu.
The spot is currently occupied by an Ultramar service station at address 975; the Northeast corner with Edouard-Laurin. The Cartierville-bound route 17 streetcar line used to turn at this junction.
Dagwood's was first listed in the 1948 edition of Lovell's directory and was last listed in 1969-70 edition where it indicated a management change from the previous proprietor Lionel Paquette.
Not sure who decided to resurrect the Dagwood's name or if it has anything to do with the family of any of the earlier proprietors.