Stanley Street (officially in ) is a north–south street located in

downtown ''Downtown'' is a term primarily used in American and Canadian English to refer to a city's sometimes commercial, cultural and often the historical, political, and geographic heart. It is often synonymous with its central business district ( ...

Montreal Montreal is the List of towns in Quebec, largest city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Quebec, the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-largest in Canada, and the List of North American cit ...

Quebec Quebec is Canada's List of Canadian provinces and territories by area, largest province by area. Located in Central Canada, the province shares borders with the provinces of Ontario to the west, Newfoundland and Labrador to the northeast, ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

. It links

Doctor Penfield Avenue Doctor Penfield Avenue (officially in ) is a One-way traffic, one-way eastbound street located in the Golden Square Mile neighbourhood of the Boroughs of Montreal, borough of Ville-Marie, Montreal, Ville-Marie in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Spanning ...

in the north and

De la Gauchetière Street De la Gauchetiere Street (officially in ) is a street in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, running through downtown Montreal, the International District and Chinatown. In Chinatown, it takes the form of a pedestrian zone, between Saint Laurent Boulevar ...

in the south.

History

Stanley Street opened in 1845, and was named for

Edward Smith-Stanley, 14th Earl of Derby Edward George Geoffrey Smith-Stanley, 14th Earl of Derby (29 March 1799 – 23 October 1869), known as Lord Stanley from 1834 to 1851, was a British statesman and Conservative Party (UK), Conservative politician who served three times as Prime ...

(1799–1869), the

Secretary of State for War and the Colonies The Secretary of State for War and the Colonies was a British cabinet-level position responsible for the army and the British colonies (other than India). The Secretary was supported by an Under-Secretary of State for War and the Colonies. Hist ...

at the time (and later

Prime Minister of the United Kingdom The prime minister of the United Kingdom is the head of government of the United Kingdom. The prime minister Advice (constitutional law), advises the Monarchy of the United Kingdom, sovereign on the exercise of much of the Royal prerogative ...

). The name was chosen by James Smith and Duncan Fisher, and was designated on August 23, 1845.

Frederick Stanley, 16th Earl of Derby Frederick Arthur Stanley, 16th Earl of Derby (15 January 1841 – 14 June 1908), known as Hon. Frederick Stanley until 1886 and Lord Stanley of Preston between 1886–1893, was a Conservative Party (UK), Conservative Party politician in the Un ...

, second son of

, and later Lord Stanley of Preston, was the 6th

Governor General of Canada The governor general of Canada () is the federal representative of the . The monarch of Canada is also sovereign and head of state of 14 other Commonwealth realms and resides in the United Kingdom. The monarch, on the Advice (constitutional la ...

, in office from June 11, 1888 – September 18, 1893. Molson's Bank was located on the street and at one time employed

Joachim von Ribbentrop Ulrich Friedrich-Wilhelm Joachim von Ribbentrop (; 30 April 1893 – 16 October 1946) was a German Nazi politician and diplomat who served as Minister for Foreign Affairs (Germany), Minister of Foreign Affairs of Nazi Germany from 1938 to 1945. ...

. From the 1970s, the street had been the centre of Montreal's

gay village A gay village, also known as a gayborhood or gaybourhood, is a geographical area with generally recognized boundaries that is inhabited or frequented by many lesbian, gay, bisexuality, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) people. Gay vil ...

. Open since 1974 and still operating from its basement location on Stanley Street until its closing in 2009, the

gay bar A gay bar is a Bar (establishment), drinking establishment that caters to an exclusively or predominantly lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender or queer (LGBTQ+) clientele; the term ''gay'' is used as a broadly inclusive concept for LGBTQ+ communi ...

Le Mystique was raided by police in 1976, leading to riots. Starting in the early 1980s, Montreal's gay village relocated further east.

References

{{coord, 45.49967, N, 73.574308, W, source:frwiki_region:CA, format=dms, display=title 1845 establishments in Canada Transport infrastructure completed in 1845 Streets in Montreal Gay villages in Canada LGBTQ culture in Montreal LGBTQ history in Montreal Downtown Montreal Edward Smith-Stanley, 14th Earl of Derby