Before/After : A photographer's stroll through Rosemont-La-Petite-Patrie in 1924-25 

Walking through the neighborhood for the design of the virtual ArchitecTour of Parc Molson and its surroundings, the Héritage Montréal team was able to spatially situate many of the buildings immortalized in the 1920s by Notman Studios. Some are still standing today. These before-and-after photographs show how these buildings have evolved over time.

In the spring of 1924 and summer of 1925, the renowned Notman photography studio was hired by the Walter Molson Company. The latter was responsible for the management and sale of John Elsdale Molson's land in the Parc Molson area. In the 1920s, work was still underway to develop both the vacant subdivisions and the public infrastructure.

The studio's photographer is tasked with taking a series of promotional shots of the subdivision's beautiful homes to promote land sales. These photos are well known to historians and architects working in heritage conservation. They present magnificent examples of original, typical Montreal architecture. The shoebox house at 5972 rue Louis-Hébert, for example, has been remarkably preserved by its owners, as have the duplexes and triplexes, with their exterior staircases, painted wood balconies and refined stained-glass windows, some of which are also very well preserved today.   

The area around Parc Molson comes alive with Rosemont families. Children follow the photographer as he wanders the neighborhood, appearing in several shots. Are they the ones guiding the photographer? The same two little girls, the one with the strap of her dress pulled to one side and the other with her hair pulled back to the top of her head, steal the show in three of the shots, probably taken on the same day in 1925:   

...

Walking through the neighborhood for the Parc Molson Virtual ArchitecTour, the Héritage Montréal team was able to spatially locate several of the buildings immortalized in the 1920s by Notman Studios. Some are still standing today. These before-and-after photographs show how these buildings have evolved over time. Who knows, maybe you'll recognize the church a stone's throw from your house, your favorite café or your school?

 The shoebox house at 5972 Louis-Hébert Avenue 

The house at 2855 rue de Bellechasse est, between 5th and 6th avenues

The duplex at 2519-21 and the triplex at 2523-31 Elsdale Avenue 

Nesbitt Elementary School, 6108 8th Avenue 

Turret building at 1951-55 Rosemont Blvd., corner Chabot 

The triplex at 6343-51 and the duplex at 6337-41 rue Molson

The triplex at 6572-78 Louis-Hébert Avenue 

The triplex at 6430-38 and the duplex at 6440-44, 1st Avenue

Saint-Jean-Berchmans church and presbytery at 1871 Rosemont Blvd.

Triplex at 2801-03 Rosemont Boulevard, corner of 3rd Avenue

References : 
1 See https://forum.agoramtl.com/t/2855-de-bellechasse-3-etages/4082 

Cover photo credit: Notman Collection, McCord-Stewart, VIEW-23305