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