Golden Square Mile

The Golden Square Mile, also called the Square Mile, is a special area in downtown Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It is located at the foot of Mount Royal and was built mainly between 1850 and 1930. This neighborhood was once home to some of the richest and most powerful people in Canada.

During its most important years, from about 1870 to 1900, the people living in the Golden Square Mile controlled about 70% of all the wealth in Canada. They owned big businesses like railroads, shipping companies, banks, and mines.

Many things changed for the Golden Square Mile by the 1930s. The Great Depression, the rise of the automobile, and new housing needs caused many of the grand houses to be left behind. As time passed, the area became more of a business district, and many of the old mansions were torn down. Today, only a few of these amazing homes remain, and they remind us of when Montreal was a very important city in Canada.

Borders

Duncan McIntyre's Craguie, built on 10 acres off McGregor Street c. 1880, demolished in 1930

The Golden Square Mile was a special area in downtown Montreal. It was about the size of a square mile, with borders along Dorchester Boulevard to the south, Pine Avenue near Mount Royal to the north, University Street to the east, and Guy Street and Côte-des-Neiges Road to the west. In reality, the most important part of this area was smaller, between Sherbrooke Street and Pine Avenue, and between Côte-des-Neiges and University Street. It included streets like McTavish, Peel, Stanley, Drummond, Mountain, and Guy, along with Sherbrooke Street West, Doctor Penfield Avenue, and Pine Avenue.

Architecture

The Golden Square Mile had many talented architects who designed beautiful homes. Some of these architects were Robert Findlay, Bruce Price, Sir Andrew Taylor, William Thomas, John Hopkins, and the brothers Edward and William Maxwell. Their buildings used many different styles, like Neo-classical, Neo-Gothic, Romanesque, Second Empire, Queen Anne, and Art Nouveau.

Builders often used sandstone from Scotland and granite from nearby places. Many homes had big gardens, special indoor spaces called atria, and large rooms for growing plants called conservatories. The streets were lined with elm, spruce, and maple trees, though a disease called Dutch elm disease damaged many of the elm trees in the 1970s.

Montreal's mercantile community (1642-1930)

In 1642, a fort named Ville Marie was founded on the Island of Montreal by Paul de Chomedey de Maisonneuve. It became a key spot for the fur trade and French growth into New France until 1760, when it was taken over by the British army after the Battle of the Plains of Abraham. British settlers then helped the city grow.

Surrender of Montreal to the British, 1760

British people who moved to Montreal after this time often came from important business families looking to grow their wealth. They were different from earlier British settlers who had come to escape trouble in their home countries. The city's most successful time for fur trading started with the local North West Company. In the 1760s, members of the Beaver Club, a special dining club, helped manage and fund the fur trade. These new merchants worked with big companies like the North West Company, the Hudson's Bay Company, and the East India Company, and they became very powerful in most of British North America.

After the fur trade slowed down in the 1850s, these wealthy business leaders turned their attention to building railways and shipping goods. By the middle of the 19th century, the rich business leaders living in the Square Mile controlled Canada's economy. They built railroads and used Montreal's port to connect Canada with Britain and the rest of the Empire. Their wealth from fur trading, banking, and other businesses made them very influential, living in grand style.

The Montreal townhouse of David Ross on the Champ de Mars, circa 1812

Periods

Early estates

Before the 1840s, wealthy families in Montreal spent summers on their country estates and only came to the city for business or special events during the winter. They had comfortable homes on streets like St. James Street and Notre-Dame Street. Life was social and lively, with music and dancing.

View of a fire in Old Montreal – Hayes House burning on Dalhousie Square (1852), up until then a favourite meeting place of the early Square Milers

The wealthy started looking for larger plots of land to build grand homes, choosing areas near Mount Royal. These homes were surrounded by gardens, orchards, and parks. The early residents enjoyed the beauty and space around them. Many fine homes were built, each reflecting the success and taste of their owners.

1850 to 1869

The mid-1800s brought growth and prosperity to Montreal. New railways and steamships brought more people and wealth to the city. Architects were busy building large, decorated homes for the growing number of wealthy families. The city felt lively and full of activity.

Montreal in 1832, showing the farmland on which the Square Mile was built

Montreal welcomed visitors and royalty, showing off its beauty and wealth. New homes continued to be built, each more impressive than the last. The area became known for its grand mansions and beautiful gardens.

1870 to 1889

After Canada became a country, Montreal’s wealthy families grew even more prosperous. Famous visitors from around the world came to see the city. The Canadian Pacific Railway brought more wealth, and the city’s leading families built even larger and more elegant homes. These homes often had beautiful paintings and special collections.

Beaver Hall, built in 1792 for Joseph Frobisher, destroyed by fire in 1847; the Beaver Club held many dinners here

The area remained a place of great wealth and tradition. New homes were built, and the community continued to grow. The wealthy supported education, health, and culture, mostly for English-speaking Montrealers.

1890 to 1914

From the 1890s to the early 1900s, Montreal experienced a golden age of wealth and prosperity. The city was at the center of Canada’s growth, with many important companies based there. Wealthy families continued to build grand homes and support charitable causes.

Simon McTavish's house, Mount Royal, built in 1800

New generations of wealthy families emerged, bringing fresh ideas but also facing challenges in fitting into the traditional ways of the older families. Despite these changes, the area remained a symbol of wealth and elegance.

World War I

When World War I began, many men from Montreal’s wealthy families joined the war effort. They served in various roles and supported soldiers in many ways. Women from these families also helped by raising money and providing care for injured soldiers.

The war did not harm Montreal’s economy greatly, thanks to strong leadership. After the war, the area began to change as new businesses and ideas emerged, marking the start of a new era.

The End of an Era

The early 1900s marked the peak of Montreal’s golden age. After that, changes began to reshape the city. New businesses and ideas from outside Montreal started to shift the way things were done. The wealthy families, used to their traditional ways, found it hard to adapt.

Events like the Great Depression and changes in language laws caused many companies to move away from Montreal. This marked the end of the area’s dominance as a center of wealth and tradition.

Demolition

After World War II, many big homes in the Square Mile were empty or not fully used. The main business area of Montreal moved northwest toward Sherbrooke Street, near the Square Mile. Between 1945 and 1965, many of these large homes were bought by businesses and either torn down or changed so much they were no longer recognizable.

Most of the homes were torn down to make way for tall office buildings or apartments, but about two dozen homes became university or business offices. One famous home, Ravenscrag, was given to the Royal Victoria Hospital in 1942. It was turned into the Allan Memorial Institute, and McGill University built other buildings on its large grounds.

Some tear-downs caused a lot of discussion. The Van Horne Mansion, a very important home in the Square Mile since the 1930s, was torn down by a developer named David Azrieli in 1973. This led to big debates about saving old buildings and why some should be protected. Because of this, Heritage Montreal was created to help save important buildings in the province. Even though the neighborhood's look changed, the way it looked overall stopped changing after this.

Prospect of further demolition

Modern architecture often tries to blend old buildings with new developments. For example, Maison Alcan, once the home of Lord Atholstan, became Alcan's headquarters in the early 1980s. Another example is Lady Meredith House, which belonged to McGill and was damaged by a fire in the 1990s. McGill worked to restore it beautifully.

However, protecting the historic buildings in the Square Mile is still a challenge. The buildings that used to be the Royal Victoria Hospital have been empty since 2015, when the hospital moved to a new location. Some people want to use these buildings for research.

The Francis Redpath Mansion, built in 1886, faced demolition plans to make way for new buildings. After many efforts to save it, the mansion was torn down in 2014.