Misplaced Pages

#877122

93-555: The McLennan Library Building stands on the site of Jesse Joseph's former mansion, named Dilcoosha , in the Golden Square Mile . Joseph was a prominent Montreal businessman, philanthropist and member of the city's Jewish community, and he died in 1904. The mansion later served as a Canadian Officers' Training Corps headquarters during World War I and afterwards as the first home of the McCord Museum . The mansion

186-410: A residents' committee ; these are subdivided into residents' small groups of fifteen to forty families. In most urban areas of China, neighbourhood , community , residential community , residential unit , residential quarter have the same meaning: 社区 or 小区 or 居民区 or 居住区 , and is the direct sublevel of a subdistrict ( 街道办事处 ), which is the direct sublevel of a district ( 区 ), which

279-609: 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

372-406: 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

465-800: A high level of regulation of social life by officials. For example, in the Tang period Chinese capital city Chang'an, neighbourhoods were districts and there were state officials who carefully controlled life and activity at the neighbourhood level. Neighbourhoods in preindustrial cities often had some degree of social specialisation or differentiation. Ethnic neighbourhoods were important in many past cities and remain common in cities today. Economic specialists, including craft producers, merchants, and others, could be concentrated in neighbourhoods, and in societies with religious pluralism neighbourhoods were often specialised by religion. One factor contributing to neighbourhood distinctiveness and social cohesion in past cities

558-483: 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

651-424: A larger city , town , suburb or rural area , sometimes consisting of a single street and the buildings lining it. Neighbourhoods are often social communities with considerable face-to-face interaction among members. Researchers have not agreed on an exact definition, but the following may serve as a starting point: "Neighbourhood is generally defined spatially as a specific geographic area and functionally as

744-494: 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

837-485: 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 was held by this small group of approximately fifty men. By the 1930s, multiple factors led to the neighbourhood's decline, including

930-690: 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,

1023-466: 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

SECTION 10

#1732793663878

1116-572: A reinforced concrete frame. It is attached to the adjacent Redpath Library Building by a bridge walkway. The main entrance to the McLennan library is now at the south end of the concrete terrace, on account of the Redpath library's entrance being closed after the terrace renovations ended in January 2014, due to a lack of funding by McGill's administration. All traffic between floors is controlled by

1209-449: A set of social networks. Neighbourhoods, then, are the spatial units in which face-to-face social interactions occur—the personal settings and situations where residents seek to realise common values, socialise youth, and maintain effective social control." In the words of the urban scholar Lewis Mumford , "Neighborhoods, in some annoying, inchoate fashion exist wherever human beings congregate, in permanent family dwellings; and many of

1302-420: A small area within a town or city. The label is commonly used to refer to organisations which relate to such a very local structure, such as neighbourhood policing or Neighbourhood watch schemes. In addition, government statistics for local areas are often referred to as neighbourhood statistics, although the data themselves are broken down usually into districts and wards for local purposes. In many parts of

1395-481: A space for students to engage in mental and physical breaks while studying; this is proven to help reduce overall stress while boosting energy levels and mental wellness. The spin Garden is a space for everybody, no biking experience is required. 45°30′12″N 73°34′34″W  /  45.5033°N 73.5760°W  / 45.5033; -73.5760 Golden Square Mile The Golden Square Mile , also known as

1488-643: 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

1581-641: 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

1674-520: 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

1767-490: A unit of analysis. In mainland China , the term is generally used for the urban administrative division found immediately below the district level, although an intermediate, subdistrict level exists in some cities. They are also called streets (administrative terminology may vary from city to city). Neighbourhoods encompass 2,000 to 10,000 families. Within neighbourhoods, families are grouped into smaller residential units or quarters of 100 to 600 families and supervised by

1860-512: 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

1953-617: 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

SECTION 20

#1732793663878

2046-711: 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 ,

2139-542: 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

2232-458: 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

2325-597: Is the direct sublevel of a city ( 市 ). (See Administrative divisions of the People's Republic of China ) The term has no general official or statistical purpose in the United Kingdom, but is often used by local boroughs for self-chosen sub-divisions of their area for the delivery of various services and functions, as for example in Kingston-upon-Thames or is used as an informal term to refer to

2418-546: 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 the Square Mile had been built, moved to Toronto . In this period, the Square Mile evolved to gradually become

2511-616: 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 ,

2604-667: 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

2697-473: 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

2790-557: The Square Mile , is the nostalgic name given to an urban neighbourhood developed principally between 1850 and 1930 at the foot of Mount Royal , in the west-central section of downtown Montreal in Quebec , Canada. The name 'Square Mile' has been used to refer to the area since the 1930s; prior to that, the neighbourhood was known as 'New Town' or 'Uptown'. The addition of 'Golden' was coined by Montreal journalist Charlie Lazarus, and

2883-470: 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

McLennan Library Building - Misplaced Pages Continue

2976-399: The 1850s, and now constituting rich and highly diverse research collections. These collections are used to aid teaching, learning and research for McGill students and the general public from all fields of study. The books held in the collection cover disciplines of Canadian literature, history of ideas, arts and architecture, history, and travel. Critical scientific holdings can be found in both

3069-455: 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

3162-461: The 18th c. with an emphasis on the circle of Fanny Burney ; and on book history including printing history, type specimen books and significant examples of printing. Première Moisson , a chain of artisanal bakeries in Quebec, was located in the basement of McLennan Library until the end of the 2018/19 school year. For the 2019/20 school year, Bento Sushi moved in, offering poke bowls and sushi, while

3255-565: The 1900s, Clarence Perry described the idea of a neighbourhood unit as a self-contained residential area within a city. The concept is still influential in New Urbanism . Practitioners seek to revive traditional sociability in planned suburban housing based on a set of principles. At the same time, the neighbourhood is a site of interventions to create Age-Friendly Cities and Communities (AFCC) as many older adults tend to have narrower life space. Urban design studies thus use neighbourhood as

3348-715: 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

3441-482: 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 the southern end, Pine Avenue at

3534-525: 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

3627-619: The McLennan building, is a quiet zone to ensure productive and no disruptive environment. Spin Bike Garden The Spin Bike Garden (SBG) is a project with aim of bringing mental health and wellbeing to McGill. The project has equipped the McLennan Library / Redpath Library 1st floor (group study area) with two silent spin bikes surrounded by plants and meditative art. The Spin Bike Garden provides

3720-557: 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

3813-471: 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

McLennan Library Building - Misplaced Pages Continue

3906-603: 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

3999-563: The UK wards are roughly equivalent to neighbourhoods or a combination of them. In the United States and Canada , neighbourhoods are often given official or semi-official status through neighbourhood associations , neighbourhood watches or block watches. These may regulate such matters as lawn care and fence height, and they may provide such services as block parties , neighbourhood parks and community security . In some other places

4092-776: 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,

4185-688: 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

4278-466: 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

4371-420: 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

4464-403: The cafe that operated alongside Premiere Moisson continues to offer coffee, baked goods, and other snacks and packaged meals similar to those offered in the McGill dining halls. McLennan Tranquility-Zone The Arts Undergraduate Improvement Fund supported the creation of the McLennan Library's new relaxing work space. The new space is located on the 6th floor of the McLennan Library building and

4557-403: 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 the remaining mansions, such as

4650-512: The central stairwell and elevator core. The sixth floor houses the McGill University Archives , and the fourth floor is dedicated to McGill's Rare Books and Special Collections. The library building was named in honour of Isabella McLennan, who had made a large donation to McGill in order to purchase books. The Rare Book Collection is located on the fourth floor of Mclennan Library. McGill began collecting rare materials in

4743-719: The control of city or state officials. In some preindustrial urban traditions, basic municipal functions such as protection, social regulation of births and marriages, cleaning and upkeep are handled informally by neighbourhoods and not by urban governments; this pattern is well documented for historical Islamic cities. In addition to social neighbourhoods, most ancient and historical cities also had administrative districts used by officials for taxation, record-keeping, and social control. Administrative districts are typically larger than neighbourhoods and their boundaries may cut across neighbourhood divisions. In some cases, however, administrative districts coincided with neighbourhoods, leading to

SECTION 50

#1732793663878

4836-683: 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,

4929-435: The early 2000s, Community Development Corporations, Rehabilitation Networks, Neighbourhood Development Corporations, and Economic Development organisations would work together to address the housing stock and the infrastructures of communities and neighbourhoods (e.g., community centres). Community and Economic Development may be understood in different ways, and may involve "faith-based" groups and congregations in cities. In

5022-568: 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

5115-493: 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

5208-645: 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

5301-585: The functions of the city tend to be distributed naturally—that is, without any theoretical preoccupation or political direction—into neighborhoods." Most of the earliest cities around the world as excavated by archaeologists have evidence for the presence of social neighbourhoods. Historical documents shed light on neighbourhood life in numerous historical preindustrial or nonwestern cities. Neighbourhoods are typically generated by social interaction among people living near one another. In this sense they are local social units larger than households not directly under

5394-587: The general and special collections. The Rare Book Collections of the Blackader-Lauterman, the Blacker-Wood, Islamic Studies and Macdonald Campus libraries are housed with the general rare book collection. Collection development is focused on all aspects of Canadiana including literature, history, maps, travel and popular culture; on philosophy and in particular David Hume and the late 17th and 18th centuries; on English and French literature of

5487-575: 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

5580-448: 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,

5673-402: 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

SECTION 60

#1732793663878

5766-565: 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

5859-577: 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

5952-525: 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 ,

6045-480: 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

6138-400: 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

6231-424: The name has connections to contemporary real estate developments, as the historical delimitations of the Golden Square Mile overlap with Montreal's contemporary central business district. 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

6324-431: The neighbourhood as a small-scale democracy , regulated primarily by ideas of reciprocity among neighbours. Neighbourhoods have been the site of service delivery or "service interventions" in part as efforts to provide local, quality services, and to increase the degree of local control and ownership. Alfred Kahn, as early as the mid-1970s, described the "experience, theory and fads" of neighbourhood service delivery over

6417-520: 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

6510-484: The new decade 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

6603-718: 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

6696-564: 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

6789-471: 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. Neighbourhood A neighbourhood (Commonwealth English) or neighborhood (American English) is a geographically localized community within

6882-420: 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

6975-571: The prior decade, including discussion of income transfers and poverty. Neighbourhoods, as a core aspect of community, also are the site of services for youth, including children with disabilities and coordinated approaches to low-income populations. While the term neighbourhood organisation is not as common in 2015, these organisations often are non-profit, sometimes grassroots or even core funded community development centres or branches. Community and economic development activists have pressured for reinvestment in local communities and neighbourhoods. In

7068-412: 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

7161-445: 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

7254-421: 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

7347-468: 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

7440-463: 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

7533-486: 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),

7626-433: 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

7719-505: Was demolished in 1955. The current seven-storey reinforced concrete structure was built between 1967 and 1969. It was designed in the Brutalist style by the firm of Dobush, Stewart and Bourke, who designed McGill's Stewart Biological Sciences Building and Ernest Rutherford Physics Building. The firm also worked on designing the city's Cadillac Metro station . The exterior consists of identical precast concrete panels that are attached to

7812-548: Was designed with the user preferences in mind. The tranquility zone is aimed to foster a conductive learning yet relaxing environment. The space was designed to differ from other conventional study spaces throughout the library; it encompasses reclining lounge chairs, square side tables, and multiple exercise balls to create a calm environment. The centre of the tranquility zone showcases a Zen Garden which contains stress relieving activities for students to engage with in between periods of work. The work space, like all most spaces in

7905-497: 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

7998-513: 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

8091-470: 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

8184-624: 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

8277-419: 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

8370-554: 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

8463-700: 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

8556-522: 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

8649-482: Was the role of rural to urban migration. This was a continual process in preindustrial cities, and migrants tended to move in with relatives and acquaintances from their rural past. Neighbourhood sociology is a subfield of urban sociology which studies local communities Neighbourhoods are also used in research studies from postal codes and health disparities , to correlations with school drop out rates or use of drugs. Some attention has also been devoted to viewing

#877122