Saint-Laurent District

Vieux Saint-Laurent

In the Vieux Saint-Laurent as well as in other parts of the city, the one-family house is a residence whose architecture is defined in the context of a village in the process of being urbanized.

The house offers a large gallery on two of its sides, exterior walls are often covered with bricks, the base is rectangular and the roof is flat.

Because of the constraints brought by its expansion, the neighbourhood eventually evolved towards an urban habitat. The houses were then made out of units that could shelter more than one family. They were not designed by architects and they didn’t have any special style.

Their shape is simple or cubic and they have two floors. Wood or bricks cover the walls, the roof is flat, and there are few common walls since the density in the area was then still low.

The urban landscape was eventually refined. The use of staircases, balconies, balustrades, stained glasses and a variety of bricks of different colors and textures ultimately prevailed.

The type of habitat with two or three floors - the "plex" with up to six residences contributed to augment the density of the territory. The urban picture is now characterized by adjoining duplex or triplex with typical Montreal exterior stairs. In those days the staircases were built outside the residences so as to maximize the heated space.

During the times when the Vieux Saint-Laurent was being developed, a middle class appeared. Well-to-do lawyers, doctors and entrepreneurs built simple but elegant residences. Those residences are located on the most prestigious avenues like de l’Église and St-Germain, and part of du College. They still exist and they still are characterized by their gray stones, a building material nobler than brick or wood.

Rare examples of rural settlements can still be found, especially in the centre. In addition, the height of the trees is an indication of the age of the neighbourhood. Several of them go back to the 18th century. As a result, people go shopping, go to work or simply go for a walk, but mostly, they go back to a village ambiance full of conviviality.

As for the St-Croix Boulevard, its role results in the concentration of great institutions like the college, the museum, the library and various churches. The area offers many examples of old buildings that are now used for activities for which they were not built for originally.

Thank you for visiting Vieux Saint-Laurent.
More to come soon.

Saint-Laurent District / Saint-Laurent Borough
Local Street Map of the Borough (PDF)