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130-642: From the 1790s, the business leaders of Montreal looked beyond Old Montreal for spacious sites upon which to build their country homes. They developed the farmland on the slopes of Mount Royal north of Sherbrooke Street , creating a neighbourhood famous for its grandeur and architectural audacity. At the Square Mile's peak (1850–1930), its residents included the owners and operators of the majority of Canadian rail, shipping, timber, mining, fur and banking industries. From about 1870 to 1900, 70% of all wealth in Canada

260-547: A McGill graduate and professor. However, threats to the built heritage of the Square Mile remain. The buildings formerly occupied by the Royal Victoria Hospital and the remaining property on which they stand have been empty since 2015, when the hospital itself moved into the new 'McGill Superhospital' in the Glen Yards. The Royal Vic, a veritable Montreal landmark, has been expanded several times since it

390-549: A complement to home or architecture, but conceived as independent spaces, arranged to grow and display flowers and ornamental plants. Gardeners demonstrated their artistry in knot gardens , with complex arrangements most commonly included interwoven box hedges , and less commonly fragrant herbs like rosemary . Sanded paths run between the hedgings of open knots whereas closed knots were filled with single colored flowers. The knot and parterre gardens were always placed on level ground, and elevated areas reserved for terraces from which

520-405: A descendant of R.B. Angus and an heir as the grand-niece of Lord Mount Stephen , has been fighting to maintain not just the wishes but the conditions set down by the founders to the city, and find use for the land and its buildings as a research facility . Heritage Montreal are also supporting her in her efforts. In 2014, McGill University released a proposal for the integration of the site into

650-482: A few significant gardens were found in Britain which were developed under the influence of the continent. Britain's homegrown domestic gardening traditions were mostly practical in purpose, rather than aesthetic, unlike the grand gardens found mostly on castle grounds, and less commonly in universities. Tudor Gardens emphasized contrast rather than transitions, distinguished by color and illusion. They were not intended as

780-483: A high terrace under the mountain, looking southwards and laid out in pleasure-grounds in the English style. The view from the drawing room windows of this large and beautiful mansion is extremely fine, too rich and fair, I foolishly thought, to be out of my native England. Close beneath you are scattered elegant country retreats embowered in plantations, succeeded by a crowd of orchards of delicious apples, spreading far to

910-623: A knowledge and experience of using plants. Some professional garden designers are also landscape architects , a more formal level of training that usually requires an advanced degree and often an occupational license . Elements of garden design include the layout of hard landscape, such as paths, rockeries, walls, water features, sitting areas and decking, as well as the plants themselves, with consideration for their horticultural requirements, their season-to-season appearance, lifespan, growth habit , size, speed of growth, and combinations with other plants and landscape features. Most gardens consist of

1040-511: A large concentration of wooden houses (with fireplaces) led to many devastating fires. In 1721, Montreal received a royal order from France to ban wood construction; buildings were to be constructed using stone, but the ban was never fully respected. Canada (New France) became a British colony in 1763 after the Seven Years' War . British rule radically changed the face of Old Montreal, partially due to significant fires that destroyed much of

1170-494: A little too much expense devoted to them; and this prevents all but the wealthy from indulging in such hospitalities. The Upper parts of the town are of more recent growth, and contain commodious and detached houses, belonging to the men of business and persons of fortune. The streets in this part of the town are as yet incomplete, showing at present certain gaps, which will ere long be filled up with handsome houses. They are all flanked by trees, chiefly maples (which) greatly add to

1300-612: A mixture of natural and constructed elements, although even very 'natural' gardens are always an inherently artificial creation. Natural elements present in a garden principally comprise flora (such as trees and weeds ), fauna (such as arthropods and birds), soil, water, air and light. Constructed elements include not only paths, patios , decking, sculptures, drainage systems, lights and buildings (such as sheds , gazebos , pergolas and follies ), but also living constructions such as flower beds , ponds and lawns . Garden needs of maintenance are also taken into consideration. Including

1430-689: A package of cheap land (their land holdings were equal in size to the Province of Alberta ) with a cheap ticket from Britain through to the Canadian West . Together they had built a nation, seeing over a million immigrants settle in the west, and by exploiting the mineral resources included in their land grants, they and their shareholders would see their net earnings grow year on year to $ 46 million in 1913. Unprecedented amounts of capital now flowed in from Britain to build Western Canada , and Montreal , where every major company had its headquarters,

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1560-465: A place of residence, to almost any town that I have ever seen." Oxenden particularly enjoyed the "picturesque city's cheerfulness (and the) kindness of its inhabitants": There is an abundance of charitable institutions at Montreal (and) all well managed.. among the Roman Catholics especially there are many institutions on an enormous scale.. I have hardly seen a beggar in the streets or in

1690-758: A small enclosed area of land, usually adjoining a building. This would be referred to as a yard in American English . A garden can have aesthetic , functional, and recreational uses: The earliest recorded Chinese gardens were created in the valley of the Yellow River , during the Shang dynasty (1600–1046 BC). These gardens were large enclosed parks where the kings and nobles hunted game, or where fruit and vegetables were grown. Early inscriptions from this period, carved on tortoise shells, have three Chinese characters for garden, you , pu and yuan . You

1820-641: A splendid style, and keep expensive tables". They kept townhouses on St. James Street, Notre-Dame Street and overlooking the Champ de Mars ; enjoying among other entertainments the German Orchestra and Viennese dances held at the Hayes House theatre on Dalhousie Square. In 1795, Isaac Weld commented that "the people of Montreal, in general, are remarkably hospitable and attentive to strangers; they are sociable also amongst themselves, and fond in

1950-635: A symbol for a plantation or a pomegranate tree. A famous royal garden of the late Shang dynasty was the Terrace, Pond and Park of the Spirit ( Lingtai, Lingzhao Lingyou ) built by King Wenwang west of his capital city, Yin . The park was described in the Classic of Poetry this way: Another early royal garden was Shaqui , or the Dunes of Sand , built by the last Shang ruler, King Zhou (1075–1046 BC). It

2080-640: A third of Canada's invested wealth, and the great majority of them were based in Montreal . The Square Mile had reached its peak in the Edwardian era , both in spirit and substance. What followed was a steady decline as aggressive American-style corporations took control of the family businesses whose origins laid with the Scots-Quebecers and the Beaver Club. 'New money' swept into Montreal from

2210-518: A trend among his boardroom colleagues, as Oxenden had correctly predicted, filling the gaps within the Square Mile. From the 1890s into the Edwardian era the city enjoyed a gilded age. Stephen Leacock recalled, "the rich in Montreal enjoyed a prestige in that era that not even the rich deserve". The men of the CPR retired in the 1890s, having created "the world's greatest transportation system," selling

2340-466: A view of downtown Montreal and Chinatown . It is notable due to its location and its archaeological remains. The two parallel lines of stone are one of the few spots in present-day Montreal where you can still see physical evidence of the fortified settlement from colonial times. Old Montreal is accessible from downtown via the Underground City and is served by several STM bus routes and

2470-512: A vigorous public debate regarding conservation of historical buildings, and the reasons for which a building should be preserved. The demolition of the Van Horne mansion led to the establishment of Heritage Montreal to protect historic buildings at the provincial level. The architectural character of the neighbourhood stabilized, but the original Square Mile as it had been had already changed beyond recognition. Modern architecture has emphasised

2600-617: A visit offering sympathy and supplying any basic needs. When Martha Allan trained as a nurse and bought an ambulance which she drove in France , her mother was inspired to set up a hospital in England for Canadian soldiers. Economically, Montreal would emerge from the war nearly unscathed, due in a large part to the steady hand of the president of the Bank of Montreal, Sir Vincent Meredith . In 1919, fifty families were said to have controlled

2730-462: A winding stream". Korean gardens are a type of garden described as being natural, informal, simple and unforced, seeking to merge with the natural world. They have a history that goes back more than two thousand years, but are little known in the west. The oldest records date to the Three Kingdoms period (57 BC – 668 AD) when architecture and palace gardens showed a development noted in

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2860-446: Is control . The garden can incorporate both natural and artificial materials. Gardens often have design features including statuary, follies , pergolas , trellises , stumperies , dry creek beds, and water features such as fountains , ponds (with or without fish ), waterfalls or creeks. Some gardens are for ornamental purposes only, while others also produce food crops, sometimes in separate areas, or sometimes intermixed with

2990-512: Is a residential or public garden, but the term garden has traditionally been a more general one. Zoos , which display wild animals in simulated natural habitats, were formerly called zoological gardens. Western gardens are almost universally based on plants, with garden , which etymologically implies enclosure , often signifying a shortened form of botanical garden . Some traditional types of eastern gardens, such as Zen gardens , however, use plants sparsely or not at all. Landscape gardens, on

3120-458: Is home to many structures dating back to the era of New France . The 17th century settlement lends its name to the borough in which the neighbourhood lies, Ville-Marie . In 1964, much of Old Montreal was declared a historic district by the Ministère des Affaires culturelles du Québec . In 1605, Samuel de Champlain established a fur - trading post at Place Royale (Old Montreal) at

3250-691: Is located at Bolsover Castle in Derbyshire , but is too simple to attract much interest. During the reign of Charles II , many new Baroque style country houses were built; while in England Oliver Cromwell sought to destroy many Tudor, Jacobean and Caroline style gardens. Garden design is the process of creating plans for the layout and planting of gardens and landscapes. Gardens may be designed by garden owners themselves, or by professionals. Professional garden designers tend to be trained in principles of design and horticulture, and have

3380-710: Is my home". The best households were not always necessarily run by Canadians, but by governesses, butlers, cooks, nursemaids and maids sourced from Britain, who were used to working in large houses. The men associated with the Beaver Club, the predecessors of the Square Milers, had almost all served in the Canadian Militia and on the outbreak of the First World War the next generation did not hesitate to take up arms. At his own expense, Hamilton Gault raised Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry ,

3510-541: Is perhaps no wealthier city area in the world than that comprised between Beaver Hall Hill and the foot of Mount Royal , and between the parallel lines of Dorchester and Sherbrooke Streets in the West End. The wealth inherited and managed by the next generation of Square Milers continued to grow, but while many were successful as businessmen they were less entrepreneurial. They financed and worked closely with newcomers such as Sir Edward Beatty , Sir Herbert Samuel Holt and

3640-456: Is rich and rare, in shrub or flower . Completed in 1863, Sir Hugh Allan's new house, Ravenscrag , was to be the jewel of the Square Mile, as he intended. He purchased fourteen acres from the decaying McTavish estate and built a sumptuous home of 72 rooms that excelled "in size and cost any dwelling-house in Canada ," surpassing Dundurn Castle . By the 1860s, Montreal had come of age, which

3770-664: The Beaver Club and had housed the first public library in Montreal. It was replaced by the British-American Hotel, which contained the John Molson -built Royal Theatre, the city's first permanent theatre. The hotel burned in 1833, and was rebuilt in 1845 at the Bonsecours Market . In 1849, a riot caused a fire with political consequences when, protesting against a law, a Tory crowd burned down

3900-469: The Catholic character of the settlement. The original fortifications of Montreal, erected in 1717 by Gaspard Chaussegros de Léry, formed the boundaries of Montreal at the time. De Léry had the fortifications constructed to secure the settlement from a British invasion and to allow future expansion inside the walls. Though the walls may have provided security from invasion, they created a different problem:

4030-484: The Champ-de-Mars , Place-d'Armes , and Square-Victoria-OACI Metro stations. Ferries to the south shore city of Longueuil are available during the summer, as are a network of bicycle paths . Garden A garden is a planned space, usually outdoors, set aside for the cultivation, display, and enjoyment of plants and other forms of nature. The single feature identifying even the wildest wild garden

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4160-517: The Château de Blois . Beginning in 1528, King Francis I created new gardens at the Château de Fontainebleau , which featured fountains, parterres, a forest of pine trees brought from Provence , and the first artificial grotto in France. The Château de Chenonceau had two gardens in the new style, one created for Diane de Poitiers in 1551, and a second for Catherine de' Medici in 1560. In 1536,

4290-533: The Great Depression began in 1929. During the Depression, the relocation of port facilities further east deprived Old Montreal of many companies related to the maritime trade, leaving many abandoned warehouses and commercial buildings. The downtown-area relocation several blocks to the north, and the near-complete absence of residents, (there were only a few hundred in 1950), had the effect of emptying

4420-616: The Montreal Exchange North America 's oldest brewery , Molsons , but others moved their headquarters elsewhere, such as the Bank of Montreal , Sun Life Financial , the Royal Trust and The Guarantee Company of North America . Toronto had surpassed Montreal as the financial capital of Canada in 1934, and the move of these companies out of Montreal marked the end of an era. By the end of World War II ,

4550-664: The Mount Royal Club . In 1899, finding that the St. James' Club had become "too overcrowded," the Square Mile's leading businessmen, led by the likes of Strathcona and Angus , established the Mount Royal Club that overnight became Montreal's most prestigious. Lord Birkenhead found it to be "one of the best clubs I know in the New World , with the indefinable atmosphere about it of a good London club". As much as

4680-473: The Old Masters collection belonging to James Ross was frequently loaned out for public exhibition around the world. Ashton Oxenden was Bishop of Montreal from 1869 to 1878. As an Englishman , previously well travelled in France , Italy , Germany , Switzerland and Spain , he paid a high complement to "this flourishing and wealthy city" when he stated that, "upon the whole, I prefer Montreal, as

4810-692: The Old Port (Vieux-Port), whose maritime facilities are surrounded with recreational space and a variety of museums and attractions. The Iberville terminal on the Alexandra Pier serves as the cruise terminal for about 50,000 passengers annually from large cruise ships plying the Saint Lawrence Seaway. Champ de Mars is a large public space located between Montreal City Hall and the Ville-Marie Expressway . It offers

4940-596: The Old Port of Montreal , the neighbourhood is bordered on the west by McGill Street , on the north by Ruelle des Fortifications, on the east by rue Saint-André, and on the south by the Saint Lawrence River . Following recent amendments, the neighbourhood has expanded to include the Rue des Soeurs Grises in the west, Saint Antoine Street in the north, and Saint Hubert Street in the east. Founded by French settlers in 1642 as Fort Ville-Marie , Old Montreal

5070-750: The Saint-Sulpice Old Seminary and Notre Dame Church (replaced later by the Notre-Dame Basilica ). In the early 18th century, the name "Montreal" (which originally referred to the mountain Mont-Royal ) gradually replaced that of Ville-Marie. The arrival in 1657 of Marguerite Bourgeoys (who founded the Congregation Notre-Dame ) and the arrival of the Jesuits and Recollets in 1692, helped to ensure

5200-730: The Saint-Sulpice Seminary (the oldest extant building in Montreal). The other sides of the square are devoted to commerce; to the north is the former Bank of Montreal Head Office and to the west, the Aldred Building and the 1888 New York Life Building , the oldest skyscraper in Canada. The rest of Saint Jacques Street is lined with old bank buildings (like the Old Royal Bank Building ) from its heyday as Canada's financial centre. The southwest of

5330-623: The confluence of the Saint Lawrence River and the Petite Rivière St-Pierre , a former river in the area. It was adjacent to present-day Place D'Youville and the Pointe-à-Callière Museum . However, the settlers were later forced to abandon the outpost due to incursions by the Iroquois . The original settlement of Montreal was founded in 1642. It was known as Ville-Marie , and was located in roughly

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5460-470: The country . There is a great absence of poverty , except perhaps among the lowest French population.. Happily there is at present (1871) a kindly feeling between the Roman Catholics and Protestants , each pursuing their own course without molesting the other. The general cost of living (is) much the same as in an ordinary English town.. Dinner parties are frequent in Montreal. There is perhaps

5590-409: The ornamental plants . Food-producing gardens are distinguished from farms by their smaller scale, more labor-intensive methods, and their purpose (enjoyment of a hobby or self-sustenance rather than producing for sale, as in a market garden ). Flower gardens combine plants of different heights, colors, textures, and fragrances to create interest and delight the senses. The most common form today

5720-455: The 1850s, the mercantile elite turned its interest to railways and shipping. By the mid-19th century, the Montreal mercantile elite, residing in the Square Mile, firmly held the reins of Canada's economy. The merchants successfully connected Canada by building a network of railroads and exploiting maritime routes and the port of Montreal, which l remained the principal port through which immigrants arrived, and also through which Canada's produce

5850-713: The British Empire. A strong British influence predominated in the Golden Square Mile during this era. This was recognised in London by increasingly frequent Royal visits . "The Union Jack flew from Ravenscrag (since inherited by Sir Montague Allan)" where the Montreal Hunt now met, and Lady Drummond was heard to reflect the sentiments of the Square Mile by stating, "the Empire is my country. Canada

5980-594: The French gardening traditions of Andre Mollet and Jacques Boyceau , from which the latter wrote: "All things, however beautiful they may be chosen, will be defective if they are not ordered and placed in proper symmetry." A good example of the French formal style are the Tuileries gardens in Paris which were originally designed during the reign of King Henry II in the mid-sixteenth century. The gardens were redesigned into

6110-643: The Korean History of the Three Kingdoms . Gardening was not recognized as an art form in Europe until the mid 16th century when it entered the political discourse, as a symbol of the concept of the "ideal republic". Evoking utopian imagery of the Garden of Eden , a time of abundance and plenty where humans didn't know hunger or the conflicts that arose from property disputes. John Evelyn wrote in

6240-524: The McGill campus. Built in 1886, it was designed by the noted architect Sir Andrew Taylor and was one of the last of his residential projects still standing in the city. In 1986, the Sochaczevski family, the new owners of Francis Redpath's house, began demolition in order to replace it with yet another a vista-changing condominium block. A portion of the house was destroyed before a court injunction

6370-557: The Mount Royal), but this only served to further alieniate the declining enclave . Changing attitudes, the war , the introduction of income tax and the invasion of commerce in the streets below Sherbrooke all played their part in the decline. The Wall Street Crash of 1929 affected a great number of Square Milers, though not as badly as it did their American counterparts. Art collections were sold and some tried to sell their houses, but there were no takers. The J.K.L. Ross House

6500-863: The Old Court House and the Customs House designed by John Ostell , the Bonsecours Market and even the Notre-Dame Basilica (whose façade is the work of an Irish Protestant from New York, James O'Donnell ). The only notable exception is the Montreal City Hall, which was inspired by the Hotel de Ville de Rennes . The character of the Victorian style of the late-19th-century buildings was a significant change from

6630-529: The Parliament building in the old Marché Saint-Anne on Place d'Youville. The site of the Parliament fire housed Montreal's first fire station in 1903; the building still exists as the Centre d’histoire de Montréal. Colonial authorities decided upon the first radical transformation of the area in 1804, with the destruction of the fortifications surrounding the heart of Montreal. Completed in 1815, this enlarged

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6760-482: The Square Mile had been built, moved to Toronto . In this period, the Square Mile evolved to gradually become the central business district, and many of its grand houses were demolished. The face of the Square Mile was altered, leading to the formation of Heritage Montreal to preserve historic architecture in the city. By 1983, only 30% of the mansions in the northern half of the Square Mile had survived demolition; and only 5% survived south of Sherbrooke Street. Many of

6890-419: The Square Mile in its infancy: The scenery I find remarkably pretty, and, moreover, the city has an air of comfort, and to a certain extent of antiquity, rarely to be seen in the States .. The view from ( Mount Royal 's) summit is most picturesque, - green undulating land dotted with country houses and cottages, with beautiful gardens and trees.. The scene of the terrible fire which occurred here three years ago

7020-423: The Square Mile's General Sir Arthur Currie . The Ladies of the Square Mile raised money for the troops and some like Lady Meredith , the Gaults and the Baumgartens opened their houses to injured soldiers returning from Europe . The personal services in England of the Canadian Red Cross were under the charge of Lady Julia Drummond who saw that each Canadian soldier returned to an English hospital received

7150-539: The United States, Western Canada and, such as the Bronfman family , from different ethnic backgrounds. Similarly to the Canadiens of the Ancien Régime a century before, the Square Milers with their old-fashioned British ideals and business principles did not adapt to the changes in society and held themselves aloof. Newcomers, who neither knew nor cared about the old guard and their traditions were more often than not barred from entry into Square Mile society (such as membership to Montreal's most prestigious men's club,

7280-441: The advent of the locally owned North West Company . In the 1760s, the men of the Beaver Club , a gentlemen's dining club, provided the financial backing and necessary management to take control of the fur trade . The new merchants were associated with the North West Company , the Hudson's Bay Company and the agents of the East India Company , and eventually dominated the fur market in most of British North America . As many of

7410-440: The architect Philibert de l'Orme , upon his return from Rome, created the gardens of the Château d'Anet following the Italian rules of proportion. The carefully prepared harmony of Anet, with its parterres and surfaces of water integrated with sections of greenery, became one of the earliest and most influential examples of the classic French garden. The French formal garden ( French : jardin à la française ) contrasted with

7540-426: The area, including a waterfront terrasse called Les Terrasses de la Marina in the Old Port. Old Montreal also saw its first major supermarket chain open within walking distance of the area when IGA opened its doors on Robert-Bourassa Boulevard in August 2021. Old Montreal is a major tourist attraction. With some of its buildings dating to the 17th century, it is one of the oldest urban areas in North America. In

7670-400: The beauty of the town. The Montreal builders are excellent. They not only run up their houses at an indescribable speed, but they build them well and substantially. Aside from the men at the very top, the CPR had also brought about another housing boom to the Square Mile: In 1885, Sir John Abbott , the company's chief lawyer, built his new home on Sherbrooke Street and Peel, and in doing so set

7800-420: The best form of London life — even in the circle beneath the very first class of official families. But I may be pardoned; for I had seen in the capital of another great colony ( Cape Town ) considerable primitiveness of manners.. (In Montreal) at an evening party at Mr Richardson 's the appointments and service were admirable; the dress, manners, and conversation of the guests, in excellent taste. Most of

7930-404: The chronicle recorded: "The Emperor Keikō put a few carp into a pond, and rejoiced to see them morning and evening". The following year, "The Emperor launched a double-hulled boat in the pond of Ijishi at Ihare, and went aboard with his imperial concubine, and they feasted sumptuously together". In 486, the chronicle recorded that "The Emperor Kenzō went into the garden and feasted at the edge of

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8060-405: The city and provided the British with a mandate to rebuild it. In May 1765, fire destroyed about 110 houses before destroying the old Hôtel de Callière and the former General Hospital. In April 1768, 88 houses between rue Saint-Jean-Baptiste and Hotel Vaudreuil were burned, including the Congregation Notre-Dame convent. Between the two fires, nearly half of the buildings in the city were destroyed. In

8190-441: The closure of bars downtown, Old Montreal and its many Airbnbs have become a playground for criminals." The Old Port of Montreal then imposed a 12am to 6am curfew for the Old Port area (all properties south of De La Commune Street ) in response. However, once the violence in the area receded, Old Montreal became a tourism hub once again, even though the Old Port area kept its 12am to 6am curfew in place. New restaurants opened in

8320-421: The course for the Quiet Revolution. The social divide between anglophones employers and French Canadian workers in Quebec had existed for a long time, but the economic turmoil of the Great Depression led to calls for change from the status quo. For the next four decades the Union Nationale government, with the support of the Catholic Church , dominated Quebec politics, undermining anglophone domination. In 1977,

8450-1245: The death of living beings outside the garden, such as local species extinction by indiscriminate plant collectors ; and climate change caused by greenhouse gases produced by gardening. Gardeners can help to prevent climate change in many ways, including the use of trees, shrubs, ground cover plants and other perennial plants in their gardens, turning garden waste into soil organic matter instead of burning it, keeping soil and compost heaps aerated, avoiding peat, switching from power tools to hand tools or changing their garden design so that power tools are not needed, and using nitrogen-fixing plants instead of nitrogen fertiliser. Climate change will have many impacts on gardens; some studies suggest most of them will be negative. Gardens also contribute to climate change. Greenhouse gases can be produced by gardeners in many ways. The three main greenhouse gases are carbon dioxide , methane , and nitrous oxide . Gardeners produce carbon dioxide directly by overcultivating soil and destroying soil carbon , by burning garden waste on bonfires , by using power tools which burn fossil fuel or use electricity generated by fossil fuels , and by using peat . Gardeners produce methane by compacting

8580-430: The design principles of the English landscape garden ( French : jardin à l'anglaise ) namely, to "force nature" instead of leaving it undisturbed. Typical French formal gardens had "parterres, geometrical shapes and neatly clipped topiary", in contrast to the English style of garden in which "plants and shrubs seem to grow naturally without artifice." By the mid-17th century axial symmetry had ascended to prominence in

8710-516: The desired stylistic genres, and the way the garden space will connect to the home or other structures in the surrounding areas. All of these considerations are subject to the budget limitations. Budget limitations can be addressed by a simpler garden style with fewer plants and less costly hard landscape materials, seeds rather than sod for lawns, and plants that grow quickly; alternatively, garden owners may choose to create their garden over time, area by area. Gardeners may cause environmental damage by

8840-491: The district when businesses closed at the end of the day. At that time, the lack of nightlife gave the district a reputation for being dangerous at night. Old Montreal increasingly found itself changing to accommodate the rise of the automobile. Several prestigious locations, such as the Place d'Armes , the Place d'Youville , and Place Jacques-Cartier, were snarled with traffic in the mid-20th century. For municipal authorities, unaware of its potential heritage value, Old Montreal

8970-412: The dominating force in the areas of banking, manufacturing, commerce, and finance. St. James Street became the financial centre of Montreal, with large banks such as the Bank of Montreal and the Royal Bank of Canada , insurance companies and the stock exchange. Most of the financial buildings on St. James Street were designed by anglophone architects. The same is true for institutional buildings such as

9100-456: The early 17th century, "there is not a more laborious life then is that of a good Gard'ners; but a labour full of tranquility and satisfaction; Natural and Instructive, and such as (if any) contributes to Piety and Contemplation." During the era of Enclosures , the agrarian collectivism of the feudal age was idealized in literary "fantasies of liberating regression to garden and wilderness". Following his campaign in Italy in 1495, where he saw

9230-429: The eastern part of the old city (near Place Jacques-Cartier) the following notable buildings can be found: Montreal City Hall, Bonsecours Market and Notre-Dame-de-Bon-Secours Chapel , as well as preserved colonial mansions, such as the Château Ramezay and the Sir George-Étienne Cartier National Historic Site of Canada . Further west, Place d'Armes is dominated by Notre-Dame Basilica on its southern side, accompanied by

9360-568: The east–west axis, from south to north: Sherbrooke Street West, McGregor Street (now Doctor Penfield Avenue ) and Pine Avenue. The architects of the Square Mile included Robert Findlay , Bruce Price , Sir Andrew Taylor , William Thomas , John Hopkins and the brothers Edward and William Maxwell . The architecture was an eclectic mix of the Neo-classical , Neo-Gothic , Romanesque , Second Empire , Queen Anne and Art Nouveau , though other styles also figured prominently, sometimes within

9490-491: The extreme of convivial amusements". But lively as it was, Old Montreal with its frequent fires and swelling population was becoming less desirable. The wealthy merchants in particular began to seek large plots of land on which to build homes worthy of their success while remaining close to their business interests; and, their eyes turned to the fertile farmland under Mount Royal . John Duncan observed in 1818 that, "a number of very splendid mansions have lately been erected on

9620-538: The following years, the city was rebuilt even more densely. On June 6, 1803, a massive fire destroyed the prison, the church and the dependencies of Jesuits, a dozen houses and the Château Vaudreuil . Two speculators bought the Château's gardens, offered one-third to the city, and divided the rest into seven lots of their own. The city's oldest public monument, Nelson's Column , was erected in 1809 on part of

9750-538: The formal French style for the Sun King Louis XIV . The gardens were ordered into symmetrical lines: long rows of elm or chestnut trees, clipped hedgerows, along with parterres, "reflect[ing] the orderly triumph of man's will over nature." The French landscape garden was influenced by the English landscape garden and gained prominence in the late eighteenth century. Before the Grand Manner era,

9880-543: The former garden plot and given to the city. This space became the new market square, called Marché Neuf (New Market) before assuming its present name of Place Jacques-Cartier in 1845. The space occupied by the church of the Jesuits became the Place Vauquelin and Montreal City Hall arose from the old Jesuit gardens in 1873. In 1812, a fire destroyed the luxurious Mansion House hotel, which had been popular with

10010-493: The gardens and castles of Naples, King Charles VIII brought Italian craftsmen and garden designers , such as Pacello da Mercogliano , from Naples and ordered the construction of Italian-style gardens at his residence at the Château d'Amboise and at Château Gaillard, another private résidence in Amboise. His successor Henry II , who had also travelled to Italy and had met Leonardo da Vinci , created an Italian garden nearby at

10140-473: The historical legacy of Old Montreal is its major asset. Aided by redevelopment, it is now the leading tourist destination in Montreal. During the COVID-19 pandemic , tourism was absent from the district, which then became a centre of both civil protest against curfews and other public health measures, and of street celebrations as restrictions lessened. In June 2021, The Toronto Star reported that "With

10270-575: The homes within the Square Mile were for the most part left empty or only partially occupied. Montreal's central business district had shifted northwest toward Sherbrooke Street, in the area of the Square Mile. From 1945 to 1965, many of the great mansions were acquired by commercial and civic institutions and demolished or repurposed beyond all recognition. The majority of the mansions were demolished and replaced with high-rise office or residential developments, but some two dozen other homes were also transformed into university or commercial offices. Ravenscrag

10400-447: The integration of older buildings with new developments. An example is Maison Alcan , formerly the home of Lord Atholstan , which became the headquarters of Alcan in the early 1980s. Another example is Lady Meredith House , home to McGill 's Centre for Medicine, Ethics and Law, which was broken into and set on fire in the 1990s. McGill subsequently renovated and retrofitted the old house to its original elegance, hiring Julia Gersovitz,

10530-557: The intricacy of the gardens could be viewed. Jacobean gardens were described as "a delightful confusion" by Henry Wotton in 1624. Under the influence of the Italian Renaissance , Caroline gardens began to shed some of the chaos of earlier designs, marking the beginning of a trends towards symmetrical unified designs that took the building architecture into account, and featuring an elevated terrace from which home and garden could be viewed. The only surviving Caroline garden

10660-664: The land. In 1665, Louis XIV sent 1,200 men from the Régiment de Carignan-Salières. The Sulpicians organized seigneuries at the centre of the island. François Dollier Casson established the first grid of streets in the colony, following the paths of existing trails. These early streets included the Rue Notre-Dame , the Rue Saint-Paul and Rue Saint-Jacques . Buildings of the era include the Hôtel-Dieu de Montréal ,

10790-400: The largest, most decorative homes. The city's lively reputation had not diminished, as Charles Goodrich suggested with a hint of disapproval: "If you wish to enjoy good eating, dancing, music and gayety, you will find an abundance of all (at Montreal)". While staying at Donegana's Hotel in 1853, Clara Kelly wrote to her father, Sir Fitzroy Kelly , describing her impressions of the city and

10920-563: The last of the great Square Mile tycoons, J.W. McConnell . These men had easily integrated themselves into Square Mile society, but there was a new and hungrier generation of anglophones coming to Montreal, epitomised by Sir Henry Thornton , who were not as readily accepted by the older generation, which jealously guarded over the dominance of their cornerstones, the CPR and the Bank of Montreal . Notably, this new group included Max Aitken and Isaac Killam , who were 'pilled' (barred) from entry into

11050-576: The last privately raised regiment in the British Empire. He was injured three times leading his regiment into battle, and even after losing a leg he still returned to the Front. Lord Strathcona's Horse , raised by that Canadian peer for the Boer War , was once again returned to action. The British Prime Minister David Lloyd George claimed to his biographer that had the war continued into 1919, he would have sought to replace Field Marshal Douglas Haig with

11180-540: The latter is less bold than the former in its scenery, it possesses much richness and delicate beauty, which need nothing but wealth and taste to display them to advantage; the former already exists in Montreal to a great extent, and there are also very respectable proofs of the existence and growth of the latter. Following the strikes and the Burning of the Parliament Buildings in Montreal , the new decade

11310-480: The long winters. The streets of the Square Mile were lined with elm , spruce and maple trees, but an outbreak of Dutch elm disease in the 1970s destroyed those that had once lined Sherbrooke Street. In 1642, a fort named Ville Marie was founded on the Island of Montreal by Paul de Chomedey de Maisonneuve . Ville Marie became a centre for the fur trade and French expansion into New France until 1760, when it

11440-399: The luxuries and comforts of high civilisation as Montreal. Before the 1840s, the landed, political and wealthier merchant classes of Montreal lived on their seigneuries during the summers and came to the city only for Parliament or to conduct business during the winter. In 1816, Francis Hall, then a young officer with the 14th King's Hussars , observed that Montreal's gentry "live in

11570-519: The new Vice-regal couple, while Montreal was attracting celebrities of the day such as Charles Dickens , Rudyard Kipling , Mark Twain and Abraham Lincoln . At the same time in London, the likes of Emma Albani and Sir Gilbert Parker were representative of Quebec's culture. In the 1880s, the Canadian Pacific Railway was completed under the direction of Lord Mount Stephen , Lord Strathcona and R.B. Angus , after which it

11700-717: The newly elected Parti Québécois (PQ) government passed the Charter of the French Language (known as Bill 101), making the use of French language mandatory for medium and large-scale companies when communicating with French-speaking staff. This law, the election of the PQ, and the threat of Quebec independence caused instability in the province's business environment, and accelerated the move of some companies' headquarters from Montreal to other Canadian cities, including Calgary and Toronto. Some companies remained in Montreal, including

11830-564: The next generation spent their money on parties, new houses, grand refurbishments and summer homes, they also continued to pour money back into education , health , and culture ; albeit for the most part to the benefit of Montreal's anglophone community. Giving an estimated $ 100 million to charity in his lifetime, McConnell followed in the magnanimous steps of some of Montreal's best remembered philanthropists, such as Lord Strathcona, to whom King Edward VII referred as "Uncle Donald" in recognition of his generosity towards charitable causes across

11960-534: The old city contains important archeological remains of Montreal's first settlement (around Place d'Youville and Place Royale) in the Pointe-à-Callière museum. Architecture and cobbled streets in Old Montreal have been maintained or restored to keep the look of the city in its earliest days as a settlement, and horse-drawn calèches help maintain that image. The old town's riverbank is taken up by

12090-537: The old city. In 1964, most of Old Montreal was classified as a historic district; despite this, the Quebec government razed several 19th-century buildings to build a new courthouse. In addition to the return of a residential base, the area has become attractive to the hotel industry. While in the 19th century all major hotels were in Old Montreal, by 1980 there were none. In 2009, there were about 20 hotels, mostly in restored older buildings. A steady stream of tourists and

12220-980: The other hand, such as the English landscape gardens first developed in the 18th century, may omit flowers altogether. Landscape architecture is a related professional activity with landscape architects tending to engage in design at many scales and working on both public and private projects. The etymology of the word gardening refers to enclosure : it is from Middle English gardin , from Anglo-French gardin , jardin , of Germanic origin; akin to Old High German gard , gart , an enclosure or compound, as in Stuttgart . See Grad (Slavic settlement) for more complete etymology. The words yard , court , and Latin hortus (meaning "garden", hence horticulture and orchard), are cognates—all referring to an enclosed space. The term "garden" in British English refers to

12350-503: The owner of his obligation to keep it in good condition—the Sochaczevski family had signed an agreement with the Montreal City Council to maintain the house when they bought it in 1986, but did nothing to maintain, protect or stabilize it. Old Montreal Old Montreal ( French : Vieux-Montréal ) is a historic neighbourhood within the municipality of Montreal in the province of Quebec , Canada . Home to

12480-607: The park in the Vana-krida chapter. Shilparatna , a text from the sixteenth century, states that flower gardens or public parks should be located in the northern portion of a town. The earliest recorded Japanese gardens were the pleasure gardens of the Emperors and nobles. They were mentioned in several brief passages of the Nihon Shoki , the first chronicle of Japanese history, published in 720 CE. In spring 74 CE,

12610-498: The perimeter of Old Montreal and improved access to suburban communities. The 19th century witnessed the emergence of a bourgeoisie of mostly Scottish merchants. The growing activity of the port changed the urban landscape. Old Montreal became less residential, as the rich Scottish and English merchants built extravagant homes closer to Mount Royal (in what would become the Golden Square Mile ). Anglophone influence became

12740-420: The persons there, though country-born, had been educated in England ( Britain ), and everything savoured of Kensington . There was much good music.. Some of the show-shops rival those of London in their plate-glass windows, and its inns are as remarkable for their palatial exterior as they are for their excellent accommodation within.. Montreal is a stirring and opulent town.. Few places have so advanced in all

12870-461: The presence of new residents encourage nightlife and entertainment. In addition, municipal authorities have invested large sums to renew the area's infrastructure. The Place Jacques-Cartier and part of the Place d'Youville have been redesigned, and a restoration of the Place d'Armes is in progress. A lighting plan was also developed to highlight the different façade styles. There is now a consensus that

13000-478: The remaining mansions, such as the James Ross House, today known as Chancellor Day Hall, are today owned by McGill University . Nevertheless, the mansions of the Golden Square Mile represent a prosperous period during which Montreal was the cultural and financial capital of Canada. The neighbourhood had precise borders measuring roughly a square mile , covering the area between Dorchester Boulevard at

13130-410: The right and left, and hedging in the glittering churches, hotels, and house-roofs of Montreal... The early residents of the Square Mile enjoyed marked benefits from being the first to settle there: The houses were surrounded by acres of parkland, with long carriage drives, vineries , orchards , fruit and vegetable gardens . The surveyor Joseph Bouchette noted that the produce from these gardens in

13260-504: The roasted meat from the trees. Later Chinese philosophers and historians cited this garden as an example of decadence and bad taste. During the Spring and Autumn period (722–481 BC), in 535 BC, the Terrace of Shanghua , with lavishly decorated palaces, was built by King Jing of the Zhou dynasty . In 505 BC, an even more elaborate garden, the Terrace of Gusu , was begun. It was located on

13390-445: The same home. By World War I , simpler houses were built, such as Herbert Molson 's. Maison Cormier was one of only a few examples of Art deco . Scottish sandstone and local granite were commonly used materials, and most homes had substantial grounds, atria and large conservatories . A great many of the Square Milers were keen horticulturalists and aside from their gardens , they enjoyed keeping hothouse flowers through

13520-526: The same location as the trading post set up by de Champlain. The founder, Paul Chomedey de Maisonneuve , built a fort in 1643 which would serve as the headquarters for the Société Notre-Dame de Montréal , an organization whose mission was to convert members of First Nations to Christianity and establish a Christian settlement in New France . The company in charge of managing the settlement

13650-515: The side of a mountain, and included a series of terraces connected by galleries, along with a lake where boats in the form of blue dragons navigated. From the highest terrace, a view extended as far as Lake Tai , the Great Lake. Manasollasa is a twelfth century Sanskrit text that offers details on garden design and a variety of other subjects. Both public parks and woodland gardens are described, with about 40 types of trees recommended for

13780-420: The slope of the mountain, which would be regarded as magnificent residences even by the wealthy merchants of the mother country". In 1820, John Bigsby described the view from Château St. Antoine, then said to be 'the most magnificent building in the whole city and standing within 200 acres of parkland roughly at the end of Dorchester Street: I had the pleasure of dining with (William McGillivray) at his seat, on

13910-448: The soil and making it anaerobic, and by allowing their compost heaps to become compacted and anaerobic. Gardeners produce nitrous oxide by applying excess nitrogen fertiliser when plants are not actively growing so that the nitrogen in the fertiliser is converted by soil bacteria to nitrous oxide. Some gardeners manage their gardens without using any water from outside the garden. Examples in Britain include Ventnor Botanic Garden on

14040-680: The southern end, Pine Avenue at the foot of Mount Royal at the northern end, University Street at the eastern end, and Guy Street (along with Côte-des-Neiges Road ) at the western end. In effect, however, the 'Square Mile' was contained within a far smaller area, between Sherbrooke Street and Pine Avenue, and Côte-des-Neiges and University, covering scarcely nine streets on the north–south axis. From east to west: McTavish Street , Peel Street , Stanley Street , Drummond Street , Mountain Street , Ontario Avenue (now Avenue du Musée), Redpath Street, Simpson Street and Guy Street ; and three streets on

14170-486: The stone masonry used during the French era and affected the appearance of Old Montreal. The district continued to grow during the early 20th century, evidenced by construction of prestigious buildings such as the Aldred Building (1929–1931), La Sauvegarde Building (1913), and the first Stock Exchange (1903–1904). Port activities, the financial sector, and the municipal government helped to maintain activity until

14300-467: The summer months was "excellent in quality, affording a profuse supply... in as much, or even greater perfection than in many southern climes". In 1822, Sir Richard Phillips commented that, A number of handsome villas now make their appearance around the town, and there are numerous sites still unoccupied, which will probably be hereafter crowned with elegant seats. Few places in the world possess more capabilities of this kind than Quebec and Montreal; if

14430-418: The time or funds available for regular maintenance, (this can affect the choices of plants regarding speed of growth) spreading or self-seeding of the plants (annual or perennial), bloom-time, and many other characteristics. Garden design can be roughly divided into two groups, formal and naturalistic gardens. The most important consideration in any garden design is how the garden will be used, followed closely by

14560-533: The way they garden, or they may enhance their local environment. Damage by gardeners can include direct destruction of natural habitats when houses and gardens are created; indirect habitat destruction and damage to provide garden materials such as peat , rock for rock gardens, and by the use of tapwater to irrigate gardens; the death of living beings in the garden itself, such as the killing not only of slugs and snails but also their predators such as hedgehogs and song thrushes by metaldehyde slug killer;

14690-463: The wealthy French Canadians moved from Canada to France following the Conquest, British merchants were able to cheaply purchase vast tracts of land upon which to build factories, and take control of the banking and finance of the new Dominion . The growing fortune of the Montreal mercantile elite of this era was consolidated through marriage and company mergers. After the collapse of the fur trade in

14820-466: Was "like the arrival of a Montreal spring , prosperity and stability invigorated the city in the early 1850s". Sir Hugh Allan was elected President of the Montreal Board of Trade in 1851 and work on railways and steamships was evident everywhere, bringing with it a surge of construction. There were now a dozen architects practising in the city and the newly rich competed with one another for

14950-448: Was a royal garden where birds and animals were kept, while pu was a garden for plants. During the Qin dynasty (221–206 BC), yuan became the character for all gardens. The old character for yuan is a small picture of a garden; it is enclosed in a square which can represent a wall, and has symbols which can represent the plan of a structure, a small square which can represent a pond, and

15080-587: Was an anomaly. City planners considered wider streets, which would have meant razing many older buildings. A proposed elevated highway along the river over the rue de la Commune spurred a movement to preserve the district. Dutch-born architect and urban planner Daniel van Ginkel played a major role in saving the district from destruction during the early 1960s. As assistant director of the City of Montreal's newly formed planning department, he persuaded authorities to abandon plans for an expressway that would have cut through

15210-485: Was built in 1893, and the changes have never before been cause for concern. In 1891, the public-spirited Lords Mount Stephen and Strathcona purchased the land and gave the necessary funds to the City of Montreal for which to build the hospital. However, they attached a caveat to their donation, stating that the land and its buildings must only ever be used for education and healing. From 2010, Elspeth Angus (born in 1929),

15340-633: Was composed of an earth terrace, or tai , which served as an observation platform in the center of a large square park. It was described in one of the early classics of Chinese literature, the Records of the Grand Historian ( Shiji ). According to the Shiji , one of the most famous features of this garden was the Wine Pool and Meat Forest (酒池肉林). A large pool, big enough for several small boats,

15470-401: Was constructed on the palace grounds, with inner linings of polished oval shaped stones from the seashore. The pool was then filled with wine. A small island was constructed in the middle of the pool, where trees were planted, which had skewers of roasted meat hanging from their branches. King Zhou and his friends and concubines drifted in their boats, drinking the wine with their hands and eating

15600-495: Was continued by Lord Shaughnessy and Sir William Cornelius Van Horne . Celebrating their success, they spared no expense on their homes, with interiors decked in detailed mahogany and private art galleries housing works of the likes of Raphael , Rembrandt , Cézanne , Constable and Gainsborough etc. Van Horne's collection of Japanese pottery brought connoisseurs from Britain , the United States and Japan ; and

15730-633: Was founded by the Sulpician Jean-Jacques Olier and by Jérôme Le Royer (Sieur de La Dauversière) . After the Société Notre-Dame dissolved on March 9, 1663, the Sulpicians (who arrived in 1657) became the Seigneurs of Montreal, as King Louis XIV of France took personal control over the colony . The new system gave them the island of Montreal, with the obligation to live there and ensure its development by cultivating

15860-501: Was held by this small group of approximately fifty men. By the 1930s, multiple factors led to the neighbourhood's decline, including the Great Depression , the dawn of the automobile , the demand for more heat-efficient houses, and the younger generations of the families that had built these homes having largely moved to Westmount . During the Quiet Revolution , some of the businesses created in Montreal , on whose fortunes

15990-497: Was left by Sir Montague and Lady Allan to the Royal Victoria Hospital in 1942. The sumptuous residence was converted into the Allan Memorial Institute , and McGill University used its fourteen acres of grounds to erect subsidiary buildings. Some demolitions were controversial. The Van Horne Mansion , the centre of Square Mile society since the 1930s was demolished by promoter David Azrieli in 1973, igniting

16120-512: Was once again at the centre of this latest web of prosperity - "those who thought that the government of Canada was in Ottawa were mistaken, it was here ". In perhaps no section of the Colonies have Englishmen and Scotsmen made more of their opportunities than in Montreal. There is an air of prosperity about all their surroundings which at once impresses the visitor. Taken all in all, there

16250-470: Was pointed out to us. It has fearfully devastated a great part of the town. It seems difficult to understand how such a fire could have lasted so long a time and have done so much mischief, as the houses were not built of wood, which I had always imagined to be the case.. (We visited) a most beautiful and wonderful garden, belonging to a Montreal merchant (probably John Torrance of St. Antoine Hall), whose name I forget but who has collected here everything which

16380-623: Was recognised by three Royal visits from the future Edward VII , Prince Alfred and Prince Arthur , the most of any colony. Following the Confederation of Canada , the mercantile elite was led by the Allan brothers (Sir Hugh and Andrew ), described by the Gazette as the "pioneers of our commercial greatness". In 1878, the Marquis of Lorne and Princess Louise were posted to Canada as

16510-418: Was shipped to and from Britain and the Empire . For decades, the wealth accumulated from the fur trade, finance, and other industries made of Montreal's mercantile elite a "kind of commercial aristocracy, living in lordly and hospitable style," as Washington Irving observed. In 1820, John Bigsby penned his impressions of the city: I found, but did not expect to find, at Montreal a pleasing transcript of

16640-606: Was sold for $ 50,000 in 1930, only a few years after it had been valued at $ 1 million. Those who had relied on investments moved to smaller, more heat-efficient houses in Westmount or took apartments at the Ritz-Carlton Montreal , whereas others like Sir Herbert Samuel Holt , who never dealt on margin, emerged untouched. The Great Depression in Canada during the 1930s fueled the Quebec nationalist movement and set

16770-646: Was surrendered to the British army, following the French defeat of the Battle of the Plains of Abraham . British immigration expanded the city. The British immigrants who came to Montreal after the Conquest tended to be from well-connected mercantile families and immigrated to Canada as a means to further their fortunes, unlike earlier British immigrants who came to North America to escape religious or political persecution. The city's golden era of fur trading began with

16900-521: Was taken out and its destruction was temporarily halted. In 2001, Mayor Pierre Bourque granted immediate demolition of the house. In 2002, following intervention by Heritage Montreal , Projet Montréal and local citizens, the Commission d'arbitrage de la Ville de Montréal refused the demolition permit granted by the Bourque administration, on the grounds of the solidity of the house and reminding

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