In the heart of the Square Mile

The Square Mile originally extended from Mount Royal, sloping down its south face, to what is now René-Lévesque Boulevard, and from Côte-des-Neiges/Guy on the west to Parc Avenue/Bleury Street on the east. In the 1950s, journalists embellished the name of the neighbourhood and called it the Golden Square Mile, although the area was already transforming at the time. This article will focus on the heart of the Square Mile, the most intact area, bounded by Mount Royal Park and Sherbrooke Street, from Côte-des-Neiges to McTavish. Two major institutional complexes, McGill University and the old Royal Victoria Hospital form the eastern border.  

The Square Mile residential neighbourhood was developed beginning in the 1860s, with the construction of Sir Hugh Allan’s luxurious Italianate residence Ravenscrag, now Allan Memorial Institute. From 1880 until the Depression in 1930, business leaders in transport, finance and manufacturing, many now considered important Canadian historical figures, built opulent elegant homes. At one time, the Square Mile was the most affluent neighbourhood in Montreal and even in all of Canada.

The Square Mile included many villa style residences (demeures bourgeoises) and their out- buildings that were custom-built by the leading architects of the time in a rich diversity of architectural styles. There were also more modest semi-detached and row houses such as those that still exist on Stanley and Peel Streets between Docteur-Penfield and Sherbrooke. From 1900 to 1940, apartment-style living replaced some of the original Square Mile mansions, including the historic Linton, Acadia, and Chateau apartments that line Sherbrooke Street today.    

After the Second World War, the Square Mile was considerably transformed as the large residences became unmanageable and land values in the downtown area increased. Many stunning mansions were demolished in the 1960s and 1970s and replaced by generic high-rise apartment buildings out of scale with the low-rise pavilion architecture of the neighbourhood. Other mansions became consulates, religious properties or assumed other compatible non-residential functions, such as education.

After the war, McGill University acquired, by purchase or gift, many Square Mile residences, including the Hosmer and Davis houses, as well as Chancellor Day Hall, the former home of James Ross. Today, McGill owns some 15 residences, making it the largest owner of Square Mile homes above Docteur-Penfield. For half a century, McGill's administration has kept these irreplaceable buildings running and protected them from land pressures. However, McGill indicates in its 2019 Master Plan that about half of these mansions will soon be "vacated", which will probably change their educational function. These potential changes in ownership and function, combined with rising land values in the Square Mile, threaten the historic residential architecture and associated landscape on the south side of Mount Royal.

The architecture and history of the Square Mile is well documented through many books and articles, and by the photography collection at the McCord Museum's collection of photographs. I have chosen two of my personal favourite residences, both relatively intact, to highlight the impressive residential architecture and craftsmanship of the Square Mile.

The Charles Hosmer House, 1901   

3630 Drummond Street, located in the Site Patrimonial du Mont-Royal    

Hosmer House and its coach house are situated on a block with two other Square Mile houses still in their original pavilion style setting. Uphill is the James Thomas Davis House completed in 1909 (with its coach house) and downhill is the Alice Graham House at 3605 de la Montagne completed in 1926. A fourth residence on the south-east corner was demolished in 1968 and the site is currently a parking lot. McGill owns this entire block between Drummond and de la Montagne and above Docteur Penfield, the last remaining block of historic Square Mile houses and landscape, with no newer buildings. McGill’s 2019 Masterplan calls for the release of this block, including all three residences.

Hosmer House was designed by renowned Montreal architects Edward and William Maxwell who later built the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts in 1912. 
The residence was completed in 1901 for self-made entrepreneur Charles Hosmer. The heavily ornamented exterior of the red sandstone house and coach house was designed in a French Beaux Arts style. (William Maxwell had recently graduated from the Ecole des Beaux-Art de Paris.) Each room of the exuberant interior was elaborately decorated in a different style allowing for the owner to display his extensive collections. For example, the reception room was Rococo, the dining room was Gothic Revival and the library was Late French Renaissance. The opulent entrance hall and grand staircase were Baroque. The exterior and interiors were of the finest craftsmanship of the time. Although the interiors were later modified to suit the requirements of McGill’s current users, the School of Physical and Occupational Therapy, there is still much evidence of the original interiors. Many of the stained-glass windows were relocated to the Macdonald-Harrington Building in the 1980s. Hosmer House, including its coach house, is part of the Site Patrimonial du Mont-Royal, but the property has no Quebec heritage classification.  

Joseph-Alderic Raymond House, 1930   

1507 Docteur-Penfield, classified as a heritage building in 1975, located in the Site Patrimonial du Mont-Royal   

The Raymond House, like the Hosmer House, was built for a very successful entrepreneur in a French Beaux-Arts Style. This residence was one of the last grand houses built in the Square Mile; it was completed after the financial crash in 1929 but without compromise. The house was designed by prestigious Montreal architects Robert and his son Francis Findlay for J.A. Raymond who was a prominent businessman and hotelier. (The family owned the Montreal Canadiens for 20 years.) In contrast to the Hosmer House, both the exterior and much of the interior of the Raymond House were classified by Quebec in 1975. In addition, it still retains its original function as a residence. The exterior of this elegant Beaux-Arts style house is clad in buff limestone with Doric columns framing the front entrance and a balustrade crowning the facades. The main rooms, featuring stunning craftsmanship and extensive woodwork in different styles, open onto a large garden on the west side. There is also a handsome coach house at the rear of the property.

Classification is only one tool to help preserve the remaining historic Square Mile houses. Finding compatible functions for these invaluable buildings is critical, as is developing urban planning policies that promote the conservation and enhancement of the Square Mile neighbourhood and its heritage architecture.

Walking the streets between Sherbrooke and Pine, you will also discover other buildings designed by the Findlays and the Maxwell brothers as well as many other architects. In addition to the mansion style buildings, there are row houses such as those on Stanley and Peel, semi-detached houses and housing developments from the 1920s such as Richelieu Place on du Musée/de la Montagne, Chelsea Place on Simpson and Redpath Place.

Enjoy your walk!