The Red-Light District (french: Quartier du Red Light) of

Montreal Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the second-most populous city in Canada and most populous city in the Canadian province of Quebec. Founded in 1642 as '' Ville-Marie'', or "City of Mary", it is named after Mount Royal, the triple ...

Quebec Quebec ( ; )According to the Canadian government, ''Québec'' (with the acute accent) is the official name in Canadian French and ''Quebec'' (without the accent) is the province's official name in Canadian English is one of the thirtee ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

was formerly centred on the intersection of

Saint Laurent Boulevard Saint Laurent Boulevard, also known as Saint Lawrence Boulevard (officially in french: boulevard Saint-Laurent), is a major street in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. A commercial artery and cultural heritage site, the street runs north–south through ...

and

Saint Catherine Street Sainte-Catherine Street (french: rue Sainte-Catherine) () is the primary commercial artery of Downtown Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It crosses the central business district from west to east, beginning at the corner of Claremont Avenue and de ...

in the borough of Ville-Marie. The neighbourhood has historically been home to

cabaret Cabaret is a form of theatrical entertainment featuring music, song, dance, recitation, or drama. The performance venue might be a pub, a casino, a hotel, a restaurant, or a nightclub with a stage for performances. The audience, often dining o ...

s and illegal businesses as early as the mid-19th century, but especially between 1925 and early 1960s. The term Red Light recalls the old lantern on the doors of brothels. Gambling, illicit taverns, and prostitution have marked the history of this area, also related to prohibition in the United States and Montreal's status as a

port A port is a maritime facility comprising one or more wharves or loading areas, where ships load and discharge cargo and passengers. Although usually situated on a sea coast or estuary, ports can also be found far inland, such as H ...

city. Today, there are still traces of this type of activity, but it is much more discreet. The variety shows that took place in the neighbourhood launched the careers of several foreign artists and was equally the starting point for many local artists. There still remain some strip clubs and cabarets in the area, such as the Café Cleopatre, threatened with demolition in 2009 by an

urban renewal Urban renewal (also called urban regeneration in the United Kingdom and urban redevelopment in the United States) is a program of land redevelopment often used to address urban decay in cities. Urban renewal involves the clearing out of blighte ...

project linked to the nearby Quartier des spectacles. The

Montreal Pool Room The Montreal Pool Room is a well-known and well-regarded greasy spoon restaurant, located in the city's former red-light district on Saint Laurent Boulevard, in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The restaurant has been open since 1912 (registered 1921) an ...

fast-food restaurant is also located there.

Description

There is no official red-light district, although the definition of the boundaries has varied according to both the source and the time period. According to Viviane Namaste in 1973, it was bordered by

René Lévesque Boulevard René Lévesque Boulevard (french: Boulevard René-Lévesque), previously named Dorchester Boulevard () is one of the main streets in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It is a main east–west thoroughfare passing through the downtown core in the borou ...

to the south, Sherbrooke Street to the north, Saint Laurent Boulevard to the west, and Saint Denis Street to the east. According to Daniel Proulx, it was defined early in the twentieth century by Sherbrooke Street to the north, Saint-Denis Street to the east, Bleury Street to the west, and by Old Montreal to the south. Proulx claims that today, it has shrunk to centre on the corner of Sainte-Catherine and Saint-Laurent, the area's historical heart. Carte des bordels montrealais.jpg, Venereal Infections acquired in the City of Montreal Anna Labelle, alias Mme Emile Beauchamp, tenanciere, 1939.jpg, Anna Labelle, alias Madam Émile Beauchamp Prostitution, gambling and drinking were more prevalent in this area because of its proximity to the city centre, which is often a major tourist attraction, and the high density of liquor shops (taverns, bars, night clubs, cabarets, etc.). The red-light district is used as a setting in the Kathy Reichs novel ''Déjà Dead'', which is the first of twenty-one Temperance Brennan novels.

References

{{Prostitution in Canada History of Montreal Neighbourhoods in Montreal Ville-Marie, Montreal Red-light districts in Canada

External links

Walking in Montreal's Red Light District

Description

See also

References

External links