A New Look For Old Montreal Part 2

By Emily Saladino

 

Fresh, youthful energy spread throughout the area. In 2012, historic square Place d’Armes, which was created as a town square in 1836 and is located two blocks from Rue Saint Paul Ouest, unveiled a C$15 million renovation. The sleekly redesigned plaza now has unadorned benches filled with lunch-breaking locals, 20-somethings on iPads and, of course, travellers – ducking into the Gothic Revival Notre Dame Basilica or taking selfies in front of the 1895 statue of Paul de Chomedey. 

Nouveau Vieux Montreal truly came into its own, though, with the June 2012 debut of arts institution Centre PHI. Located around the corner from Olive + Gourmondo, a few steps from Rue Saint Paul Ouest on Rue Saint Pierre, Centre PHI is a multimedia gallery and event space. It hosts free exhibitions by the likes of Canadian politico Gátean Nadeau and filmmaker Denis Villeneuve, as well as fashion shows, filmmaking master classes, children’s theatre workshops and neighbourhood parties with late-night DJ sets.

 

Now, young artists and entrepreneurs abound in Old Montreal’s sloping streets. Denis Gagnon, an award-winning Canadian fashion designer with a branded Lancôme beauty line, opened a flagship store on Old Montreal’s Rue Saint Paul in 2011. Swell Fellow, a hip boutique selling one-of-a-kind neckwear and carefully curated objects of art – including sculptures made from repurposed parking meters by painter Erik Furer – debuted a few blocks away in April 2013. Four months later Maison Christian Faure opened, bringing perfectly brewed espresso and haute French pastries like macaroons, Bordelais canelé (miniature cakes) and sugar-topped brioche – not to mention cooking classes in both French and English – to Place Royale, the former fur-trading square that dates back to 1892. Guide Vieux-Montreal, a free iPhone app created by SDC, helps locals and travellers alike keep track of the area’s activity. 

More is yet to come. Bonaventure Highway, an elevated eyesore that cuts between Old Montreal and its southwestern neighbour Griffintown, is currently being dismantled. A more bicycle- and pedestrian- friendly roadway will replace it within the next three to four years. Citywide initiatives include the C$8 million, Unesco-approved Promenade Smith project, which will transform a previously desolate area of Griffintown into a public park.

Artist Erik Furer lives in Griffintown now, but he plans to move to Old Montreal. “This is where my business is,” he said, gesturing around his shop. His atelier is one story upstairs. “I want to be here too.”