Today, Parc Molson is associated with the green space so popular with the population of Rosemont-Petite-Patrie, but at the beginning of the 20th century, it was more a reference to a real estate project to urbanize the area. Following its annexation by the City of Montreal in 1908, citizens played a central role in improving municipal services. Members of the local workers' committee also wanted to take part in the development work themselves, at a time when unemployment was rife during the First World War.
Contrary to popular belief, Molson Park is much more than just a green space. At the beginning of the 20thcentury , Parc Molson (with a capital "P") was first used to designate a real estate park, of which there were several on the island of Montreal at the time. Located on the outskirts of the city, only a handful of these still retain their name today.
Developed on the grounds of the former Molson farm in Côte-de-la Visitation in the early 20th century, the Parc Molson subdivision would gradually develop from west to east, from the Carrière Martineau, near rue Marquette, gradually moving towards avenue Papineau and beyond.
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Credit: MEM Collection, Centre des Mémoires Montréalaises
Job opportunities, proximity to Parc Molson's first parish, Saint-Jean-Berchmans, and the presence of the Papineau Street tramway explain this west-to-east development. Despite the annexation of Parc Molson to the Saint-Denis district in 1908, the services usually provided by Ville de Montréal, such as sewers and aqueducts, were slow to materialize.
With one financial crisis following another, and the expenses of the First World War putting a strain on public finances, 1915 was a particularly difficult year for the working population of Parc Molson. Most of them, owner-workers, faced unemployment; the luckier ones had their workweek reduced to 2-3 days.
The slow pace of public works in Parc Molson led to numerous complaints from these citizens. They joined forces and submitted their demands through newspapers and petitions.
In an article in La Presse of February 11, 1915, it is reported that the newly-formed municipal committee of Saint-Jean-Berchmans has learned that the much-needed public works at Parc Molson are not included in the municipal budget.
With the idea that these developments could provide work for unemployed laborers, the committee members drew up a list of the most urgent works: sewers and an aqueduct, a tunnel crossing the railroad tracks on De Lorimier and Papineau, a market, a fire station and a police station. The request is to be submitted to the alderman for the Saint-Denis district, Mr. Houle.
A few days later, a real cry from the heart was reported in Le Nationaliste.
At the Hôtel de Ville de Montréal, the citizens on the committee voice their grievances with emotion and vigor. The sum of one million dollars had just been voted by Mayor Médéric Martin's council for municipal works. But despite this, only a hundred or so workers could be hired for the summer work. Some will have to take turns sharing the work.
For the hundred or so delegated workers at Parc Molson, it's all too much! Bankruptcy looms for many of them, the imminent loss of the property they acquired after more than a decade of hard work. Determined to win their case, they are announcing their return at the next town council meeting.
And the tramway?
The following year, on March 16, 1916, some 341 residents of the neighborhood and surrounding area petitioned Ville de Montréal for a new streetcar service on d'Iberville to Saint-Zotique Street to facilitate access to Molson Park.
At the time, the area was underdeveloped. But with the inauguration of the d'Iberville tramway in the early 1920s, it became more attractive to residents, who began to settle there.
The first duplexes and triplexes were built around what is now Molson Park. But even then, it would be nearly a decade before all the public works were completed, as the Notman Studios photos clearly show.
Despite the arrival of the line on rue d'Iberville, service is not perfect, according to some residents. Waiting 20 minutes for each tramway to pass by, and connections that were sometimes miraculous! Ah, to get to and from Parc Molson in 1922, it's better to walk - it's good for your health, as Albert Alarie, a resident of 3rd Avenue, so aptly put it in the pages of Le Devoir in 19223.
Requests to improve streetcar service will remain a priority for the Parc Molson delegation in the years ahead.
References: 1 Plan of Parc Molson subdivision circa 1925, MEM 2https://www.st-jean-berchmans.org/historique_f2 .html and https://www.flickr.com/photos/155069703@N08/42770761402/ 3 Le Devoir, March 10, 1922 p.2 Cover photo credit: Detail of Rosemont Street and the "Iberville" streetcar photographed by Notman Studios for the Walter Molson Co. 1924, McCord-Stewart © V21127
2 comments
A fine portrait of the difficulties of the far suburbs in 1915!
One problem to correct: the Parc-Extension neighborhood is not a surviving example of the many subdivisions that were called Parc quelque-chose (Parc Amherst, Parc Central, Parc Champlain (Rosemont), etc.). For it wasn't a park (subdivision) called Extension, but rather the neighborhood built around an extension of Avenue du Parc - this is very clear in the original English name and in period advertisements.
A good example, which is still sometimes mentioned today, is Parc Victoria in Saint-Lambert.
Thank you Justin for that clarification! We have made the update.