| My exciting long weekend in Montreal | | | | railway station in 1887 to serve Canada's |
| unfortunately had to come to an end. After an | | | | transcontinental railroad. Price had already |
| exciting day of exploration yesterday that | | | | gained lots of experience from constructing |
| ended with an absolutely delicious dinner at | | | | skyscrapers in Manhattan, he had also built |
| Nuances, the fine dining restaurant at the | | | | the Chateau Frontenac in Quebec City, the |
| Casino de Montreal, capped by an impressive | | | | Banff Springs Hotel and other chateau-style |
| pyro-musical performance at La Ronde, I | | | | buildings across Canada and was the prime |
| rested up so I would be able to squeeze in a | | | | candidate to build this project. The railway |
| few more hours of discovery this morning. One | | | | station opened in 1889 and was enlarged in |
| more exploration of the city before I would | | | | 1916 with a 15-story main tower. Windsor |
| have to had back to Toronto on the train | | | | Station, built in a solid Richardson |
| before noon. With all my suitcases duly | | | | Romanesque revival style, witnessed a big |
| packed I went off for one more urban | | | | expansion in rail travel in the early 20th |
| adventure. Fortunately checkout wasn't until | | | | century. In 1979 Windsor Station was |
| noon, so I was able to leave my luggage at | | | | abandoned in favour of Montreal's Gare |
| the hotel and just head off with my camera | | | | Centrale for transcontinental passenger |
| and my backpack. I started walking west on | | | | traffic, but continued to house local |
| Rue De La Gauchetière Ouest which starts | | | | commuter trains until 1993. Today it holds a |
| off as a fairly small street surrounded by | | | | hotel, a variety of stores and offices and |
| five or six story high older buildings. The | | | | the beautifully preserved central concourse |
| first major sight I came across was St. | | | | still features the original arrivals and |
| Patrick's Basilica. This gothic revival | | | | departure board and is used as a venue for |
| building, a designated Canadian heritage | | | | major events. A major beer festival is also |
| site, is one of the most magnificent examples | | | | held at the Station annually. In recognition |
| of this style in all of Canada. The massive | | | | of its historic and architectural |
| arrival of Irish immigrants in the early | | | | significance Windsor Station was named the |
| 1800s created the need for more houses of | | | | first heritage train station in Canada in |
| worship and construction of St. Patrick's was | | | | 1990. After my explorations on Dorchester |
| started in 1843 with the first mass being | | | | Square I strolled to the north-east end of |
| celebrated in 1847. The interior of this | | | | this grand public space to enter one of |
| church features 150 oil paintings of saints | | | | Montreal's most popular streets: Rue |
| and is known for the "St. Patrick's Chimes", | | | | St-Catharines. This street stretches for a |
| a chime system composed of ten bells, the | | | | length of 15 km and is Montreal's main |
| oldest of which dates back to 1774. I | | | | commercial artery. Hundreds of stores and |
| continued west past increasingly modern | | | | fashion retailers are located along this busy |
| buildings until I happened across a major | | | | street and it also is the main location of |
| urban square: Dorchester Square, formerly | | | | the Montreal Jazz Festival. Since the 1960s |
| known as Dominion Square. This wide open | | | | several shopping centres have sprouted up and |
| public space is a former cemetery which held | | | | replaced some of the older townhouses that |
| the victims of the 1832 cholera epidemic. | | | | used to flank this historical thoroughfare. |
| Today it holds several statues, including a | | | | Montreal's Eaton Centre is the most recent |
| monument commemorating the victims of the | | | | addition to the shopping centres on St. |
| Boers War, a statue of Robert Burns - a | | | | Catharines. This street also features a |
| Scottish poet, and another statue of Sir | | | | wealth of historic buildings including Christ |
| Wilfried Laurier, a former Canadian prime | | | | Church Cathedral. This impressive Neo-Gothic |
| minister. The south side of the square is | | | | church was built in 1858 and consecrated in |
| called Place du Canada, which is the setting | | | | 1867 in the growing Gold Square Mile area. |
| for the annual Remembrance Day ceremony which | | | | The architect Frank Mills used the cathedral |
| honours Canadians that were killed in the | | | | of Salisbury, his home town, as a model for |
| First and Second World Wars as well as the | | | | this building. The church features a |
| Korean War. Dorchester Square is surrounded | | | | beautiful stained glass window and |
| by several magnificent buildings. The north | | | | surprisingly, the church itself rests on the |
| end holds the Dominion Square Building which | | | | roofs of an underground mall. Prior to the |
| is also the location of the Centre | | | | construction of the mall, the church was |
| Infotouriste, Montreal Tourism's | | | | actually sinking into the soft ground. Indeed |
| headquarters. The east side of Dorchester | | | | the original steeple had to be removed in |
| Square is adorned by one of Montreal's most | | | | 1927 due to its heavy weight and a much |
| astounding buildings: Mary Queen of the World | | | | lighter steeple made of aluminum was |
| Cathedral. This impressive church is one of | | | | constructed in 1940. Today the underground |
| two surviving local churches from the era | | | | shopping centre, whose 1987 excavation |
| before 1875. It illustrates the power that | | | | required the church to be supported by |
| the church wielded before the Quiet | | | | concrete beams in mid-air, provides adequate |
| Revolution of the 1960s. One of Montreal's | | | | structural support for the church. The |
| catholic bishops, Ignace Bourget, devised a | | | | 34-story office tower behind the church is |
| grandiose plan to outshine the Notre Dame | | | | topped by a crown of thorns and makes for a |
| Basilica. He decided to commission a church | | | | popular photo motif. I continued to walk east |
| that would be a replica of Rome's St. Peter's | | | | on St. Catherines and happened upon Phillips |
| Cathedral with a location right in the middle | | | | Square, a beautiful urban space where the |
| of a Protestant neighbourhood. Construction | | | | retail trade began in Montreal. Rue St. |
| lasted from 1870 to 1894 and the copper | | | | Catharines had formerly been a purely |
| statues of thirteen patron saints of | | | | residential area. Henry Morgan, a Scottish |
| Montreal's parishes were installed in 1900. | | | | immigrant with excellent connections in the |
| The church underwent extensive modernization | | | | dry goods retail trade in Glasgow, had moved |
| in the 1950s. In recent years there has been | | | | a retail store to a new location at St. |
| significant reconstruction and the statue of | | | | Catharines and Phillips Square after the old |
| Bishop Ignace Bourget outside the cathedral | | | | city , location of most of the retailers |
| was restored in 2005. Mary Queen of the World | | | | warehouses, had suffered a devastating flood |
| was named a National Historic Site of Canada | | | | in 1886. This store, built in the solid |
| on May 14, 2006. Further north on Place du | | | | Richardson Romanesque style, later became |
| Canada is the Sun Life Building which was | | | | "The Bay", for the "Hudson's Bay Company", |
| finished in 1931 after three stages of | | | | which is a chain of about 100 fashion |
| construction. It was built exclusively for | | | | department stores operating throughout Canada |
| the Sun Life Assurance Company and measures | | | | whose origins date back to the fur traders of |
| 122 meters in height and counts 24 stories. | | | | the 1600s. The centre of Phillips Square is |
| Although the new head office of the Royal | | | | home to a monument of King Edward VII, and a |
| Bank of Canada at 360 Saint Jacques Street in | | | | Birks jewellery store, located in an |
| Montreal was taller by several floors, the | | | | attractive sandstone building, flanks the |
| Sun Life Building was at the time the largest | | | | square on the west side. It was getting close |
| building in terms of square footage anywhere | | | | to departure time so I speeded up my walk |
| in the British Empire. The Sun Life Building | | | | back to the hotel. There was one more major |
| has historic significance: during World War | | | | architectural attraction on my way: St. James |
| II the basement vaults of the Sun Life | | | | United Church. Completed in 1889, the present |
| Building were the secret hiding place of the | | | | St. James Church is the fourth home of the |
| Crown Jewels of England and the gold bullion | | | | St. James congregation and due to its |
| of the Bank of England. Today it stands as | | | | impressive size it used to be known as the |
| Montreal's 17th highest building. On the West | | | | Cathedral Church of Methodism. The two towers |
| side of Place du Canada are also several | | | | anchored around a central large rose window |
| historic buildings, starting with St. | | | | are reminiscent of great French Gothic |
| George's Anglican Church, a Gothic | | | | cathedrals. As a matter of fact, St. James |
| Revival-style church, which was opened for | | | | United Church was hidden by commercial |
| worship in October of 1870. Its main features | | | | storefronts from 1926 onwards in order to |
| include the magnificent double hammer-beam | | | | raise revenue. The church remained concealed |
| roof, one of the largest of its type in the | | | | for more than 78 years and after the |
| world. The unique column-free interior | | | | demolition of the commercial buildings it was |
| combines elements of both English and French | | | | finally uncovered again in 2005 and is |
| Gothic plans, and the church features | | | | currently undergoing some exterior |
| magnificent wood carvings in the chancel. The | | | | renovations. On my way back to the hotel I |
| original bells of the church had to be sent | | | | thought what amazing architectural wealth and |
| out to a country church since the sound of | | | | beauty Montreal has to offer. From Old |
| the 13 bells was considered too loud for a | | | | Montreal and the Old Port, first and foremost |
| city church. A new set of 10 bells of a lower | | | | led by Notre-Dame Basilica, to its stunning |
| tone was installed in 1901 and the new sound | | | | Second Empire City Hall area to the historic |
| was deemed to be beautiful. The original | | | | centres of commerce on Rue St-Jacques or St. |
| architect considered to include a clock in | | | | James Street to the magnificent public and |
| the clock tower but was concerned about a | | | | religious buildings that can be seen all over |
| clock spoiling the appearance. In addition, | | | | the downtown core, Montreal dazzles with its |
| with the church facing Windsor Station, the | | | | architectural heritage. Any architecture and |
| architect was afraid of the wrath of railway | | | | history buff can't help but love this city |
| passengers in the event that the clock was | | | | and I realized that three and a half days in |
| going to be inaccurate. Nevertheless, the | | | | this city are barely enough to scratch the |
| clock was installed, only losing 6 seconds a | | | | surface. As I settled into my comfortable |
| year. A public clock was extremely important | | | | seat in the Via Rail coach back to Toronto I |
| to people at the time since wrist watches had | | | | concluded that this trip was just an |
| not been invented yet and pocket watches were | | | | introduction, a mere overview, a brief taste |
| difficult to access under thick winter | | | | of a diverse, multi-faceted city, with so |
| apparel. Right across the Street from St. | | | | many more places to explore in detail next |
| George's is Windsor Station - one of | | | | time I come back. |
| Montreal's historic railway stations. | | | | |
| Cornelius Van Horne, the famous chairman of | | | | Susanne Pacher is the publisher of a web |
| Canadian Pacific, asked well-known architect | | | | portal for unconventional travel & |
| Bruce Price to draw up plans for a modern | | | | cross-cultural connections. |