Sherbrooke Street

Sherbrooke Street (officially in french: rue Sherbrooke) is a major east–west artery and at in length, is the second longest street on the Island of Montreal. The street begins in the town of Montreal West and ends on the extreme tip of the island in Pointe-aux-Trembles, intersecting Gouin Boulevard and joining up with Notre-Dame Street. East of Cavendish Boulevard this road is part of Quebec Route 138.

The street is divided into two portions. ''Sherbrooke Street East'' is located east of Saint Laurent Boulevard and ''Sherbrooke Street West'' is located west. Sherbrooke Street West is home to many historic mansions that comprised its exclusive Golden Square Mile district, including the now-demolished Van Horne Mansion, the imposing Beaux-Arts style Montreal Masonic Memorial Temple as well as several historic properties incorporated into Maison Alcan, the world headquarters for Alcan.

Sherbrooke Street East runs along the edge (both administrative and topographic) of the Plateau Mont-Royal, at the top of a marked hillside known as Côte à Baron, and continues between the Jardin Botanique de Montréal and Parc Maisonneuve to the north and Parc Olympique to the south. The street is named for John Coape Sherbrooke, the Governor General of British North America from 1816 to 1818.

A separate street of the same name exists in Lachine; it does not carry the "West" suffix and repeats numbers that are used on the longer Sherbrooke Street.

History

In 1817, Sherbrooke Street initially consisted of two sections, from de Bleury Street to Sanguinet Street. Its relative remoteness from downtown at the time made it difficult to establish industries or factories. Many nursing homes and educational institutions were established on the street in the 19th century, such as ''McGill University'', the ''École normale Jacques-Cartier'', the ''Collège Mont-Saint-Louis'', and the ''Couvent du Bon Pasteur''.

From the early 20th century to the 1930s, Sherbrooke Street was the most prestigious street in Montreal. In 1912, the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts was established on Sherbrooke Street West. Later, with the expansion of the city centre, luxurious new houses were built a little farther west in the new Garden City of Westmount.

Sherbrooke Street was extended eastward from the early 20th century and followed the urban development of Montreal eastward. It was central to the creation of several institutions and parks such as La Fontaine Park, the Notre-Dame Hospital, Maisonneuve Park, Montreal Botanical Garden and Olympic Stadium.

In 1976, the street was to be venue for an 8 km exhibit of art entitled Corridart during the 1976 Summer Olympics. However, in a controversial decision, former Mayor Jean Drapeau had the exhibition torn down two days before the Games began.Melvin Charney interview
canadianart.ca, January 21, 2002.

Educational institutions

Three of Montreal's four major universities are on Sherbrooke Street. Downtown is the main campus of McGill University, and farther west is the Loyola Campus of Concordia University. The street also has UQAM'
Complexe des sciences Pierre-Dansereau
and INRS's Montréal campus as well as Dawson College, Collège de Maisonneuve CEGEPs, and the Collège de Montréal.

Attractions

Other key attractions on the street include the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, Grand Séminaire de Montréal, McCord Museum, Ritz-Carlton Montreal, Holt Renfrew, Parc Lafontaine, and further east, the Château Dufresne, Olympic Stadium, Montreal Botanical Garden and the Montreal Biodome.

Image gallery

File:Feature. Farms in the City. Benny Farm (Sherbrooke St. W. BAnQ P48S1P07865.jpg, Sherbrooke Street West in 1842
File:Ritz montreal.jpg, The Ritz-Carlton
File:Pavillon Hornstein, Musée des beaux-arts de Montréal, Aug 31 2022.jpg, Montreal Museum of Fine Arts
File:Roddick Gates (McGill University) 2005-09-02.jpg, McGill University's Roddick Gates, on Sherbrooke
File:TemplemaconniqueMontreal060825.jpg, Montreal Masonic Memorial Temple, located on Sherbrooke Street West.
File:Le Cartier.jpg, Le Cartier Apartments on the corner of Peel Street.
File:Le Linton.jpg, Linton Apartments.
File:Le Chateau Apartments.jpg, Le Château Apartments.
File:Workman House, Sherbrooke & University, Montreal.jpg, William Workman's house on Sherbrooke in the Golden Square Mile. Built 1842, demolished 1952
File:Maison William-Notman 03.jpg, The Notman House at 51 Sherbrooke Street West was built 1843-45
File:Van Horne House, Montreal.jpg, Van Horne Mansion on Sherbrooke. Built 1869, controversially demolished 1973
File:Sir George A. Drummond's House, Sherbrooke Street, Montreal.jpg, Sir George Drummond's House, built in the 1880s on Sherbrooke, at the corner of Drummond. Torn down in 1930, the site was used as a car wash
File:Marjory Meredith Clouston at the corner of Drummond and Sherbrooke, Montreal, 1902.jpg, Marjory Clouston on Sherbrooke with Drummond Street leading up to Mount Royal behind her, 1902
File:Maison Lord-Atholstan 02.jpg, Lord Atholstan's House on Sherbrooke in the Golden Square Mile
File:WTMTL T17 DSC09740.JPG, Château Dufresne Sherbrooke East
File:McCord Museum.jpg, McCord Museum
File:Collège Dawson, façade sur Sherbrooke O, Montréal 2005-11-10.JPG, Dawson College
File:Grand séminaire de Montréal1.JPG, Collège de Montréal
File:Maison Arthur-Dubuc 02.jpg, Maison Arthur Dubuc
File:Maison William Alexander Molson 01.jpg, William Alexander Molson House
File:McGill University Music Building, Aug 31 2022.jpg, Strathcona Music Building, McGill University
File:MBAM 090.JPG, ''Jean d'Aire'' (1887) by Auguste Rodin in front of the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts
File:772 Sherbrooke Ouest Montreal.jpg, Houses on Sherbrooke Street West
File:Montreal rue sherbrooke.JPG, Houses on Sherbrooke Street East

References

External links

Heritage Montreal description
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{{Streets in Montreal

Streets in Montreal
Montreal West, Quebec
Côte-des-Neiges–Notre-Dame-de-Grâce
Westmount, Quebec
Downtown Montreal
Le Plateau-Mont-Royal
Rosemont–La Petite-Patrie
Mercier–Hochelaga-Maisonneuve
Montréal-Est, Quebec
Rivière-des-Prairies–Pointe-aux-Trembles
Shopping districts and streets in Canada