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    The Main

    Montreal's Cultural Directory

    Help us improve! Share your thoughts on how we can make your experience better.

    Leave feedback

    For partnerships and collaborations:

    partnerships@themain.com

    Content

    • Articles
    • Food & Drink
    • Arts & Culture
    • History Lesson
    • Bulletin
    • Events

    Guides

    • All Guides
    • Best Restaurants
    • Best Cafés
    • Best Bars
    • Best Brunch
    • Best Bakeries

    Explore Montreal

    • Browse Directory
    • Restaurants
    • Bars
    • Cafés
    • Bookstores
    • Leaderboard
    • Editor's Picks
    • New Places

    About

    • About us
    • Subscribe
    • Shop
    • Advertise
    • Pitch us
    • RSS Feed

    Legal

    • Terms of service
    • Membership Terms
    • Privacy Policy
    Follow us
    InstagramTwitterTiktokLinkedin

    The Main Media Inc. 2026

    ✦ Built By Field Office

      Your cart

      Your cart is empty.

      --°C|Monday, June 22, 2026|
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      --°C|Monday, June 22, 2026|
      Subscribe today to get 3 free articles per month.Get 50% off your first 5 rides with Lyft
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      EN/FR
      The Main Logo
      Magazine
      Sections
      • Arts & Culture
      • Beyond Montreal
      • Design
      • Food & Drink
      • History Lessons
      • The Bulletin
      Explore
      Popular Guides
      • The Best Restaurants in Montreal
      • Best new Restaurants
      • Best Cafés
      • Unique Boutiques
      • Romantic Restaurants
      • Best Bookstores
      • See all Guides
      Neighbourhood
      • Downtown
      • Le Plateau-Mont-Royal
      • Mile End
      • Mile-Ex
      • Saint-Henri
      • See All
      Business Type
      • Restaurant
      • Café
      • Boutique / Store
      • Bar
      • Bakery
      • See All
      Near the Metro
      • Peel
      • Mont-Royal
      • Place-Saint-Henri
      • Place-d'Armes
      • Jarry
      • View all
      ShopWeather
      Subscribe
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      The Entire History of a City Told in Six Kilometres
      History Lesson
      J.P. Karwacki

      The Entire History of a City Told in Six Kilometres

      From a country road out of a fortified colony to a corridor of immigrants, artists, labour organizers, gangsters, and entrepreneurs, Saint-Laurent Boulevard tells the story of Montreal better than any other street.

      Everyone's Street, Nobody's Neighbourhood: The Story of Plaza St-Hubert
      History Lesson
      J.P. Karwacki

      Everyone's Street, Nobody's Neighbourhood: The Story of Plaza St-Hubert

      The 200-year story of a street that's always belonged to everyone and no one.

      The Last Stand of Louis Cyr, the World’s Strongest Man
      History Lesson
      J.P. Karwacki

      The Last Stand of Louis Cyr, the World’s Strongest Man

      He patrolled the streets of Montreal, packed theatres across Europe, and returned to the city for an event that felt part miracle, part funeral.

      What Happened to Frederick Law Olmsted’s Vision for Mount Royal?
      History Lesson
      J.P. Karwacki

      What Happened to Frederick Law Olmsted’s Vision for Mount Royal?

      As Mount Royal Park turns 150, the story of its creation reveals how Olmsted's vision for the mountain was compromised almost from the very beginning.

      The Strange Architectural Afterlife of Joseph-Arthur Godin
      History Lesson
      Sara Mizannojehdehi

      The Strange Architectural Afterlife of Joseph-Arthur Godin

      You may not recognize the name, but the Montreal architect’s curved facades, vanished theatres, churches, and landmark apartment buildings remain woven into the city’s everyday landscape.

      The Historic Mount Royal Hotel Is Now Home to Montreal's Best Office Space
      History Lesson
      Sponsored
      The Main

      The Historic Mount Royal Hotel Is Now Home to Montreal's Best Office Space

      Once known as the historic Mount Royal Hotel, the Les Cours Mont-Royal is seeing renewed demand as its overlooked office spaces fill up and tenants move in.

      The Entire History of a City Told in Six Kilometres
      History Lesson
      J.P. Karwacki

      The Entire History of a City Told in Six Kilometres

      From a country road out of a fortified colony to a corridor of immigrants, artists, labour organizers, gangsters, and entrepreneurs, Saint-Laurent Boulevard tells the story of Montreal better than any other street.

      Everyone's Street, Nobody's Neighbourhood: The Story of Plaza St-Hubert
      History Lesson
      J.P. Karwacki

      Everyone's Street, Nobody's Neighbourhood: The Story of Plaza St-Hubert

      The 200-year story of a street that's always belonged to everyone and no one.

      The Last Stand of Louis Cyr, the World’s Strongest Man
      History Lesson
      J.P. Karwacki

      The Last Stand of Louis Cyr, the World’s Strongest Man

      He patrolled the streets of Montreal, packed theatres across Europe, and returned to the city for an event that felt part miracle, part funeral.

      What Happened to Frederick Law Olmsted’s Vision for Mount Royal?
      History Lesson
      J.P. Karwacki

      What Happened to Frederick Law Olmsted’s Vision for Mount Royal?

      As Mount Royal Park turns 150, the story of its creation reveals how Olmsted's vision for the mountain was compromised almost from the very beginning.

      The Strange Architectural Afterlife of Joseph-Arthur Godin
      History Lesson
      Sara Mizannojehdehi

      The Strange Architectural Afterlife of Joseph-Arthur Godin

      You may not recognize the name, but the Montreal architect’s curved facades, vanished theatres, churches, and landmark apartment buildings remain woven into the city’s everyday landscape.

      The Historic Mount Royal Hotel Is Now Home to Montreal's Best Office Space
      History Lesson
      Sponsored
      The Main

      The Historic Mount Royal Hotel Is Now Home to Montreal's Best Office Space

      Once known as the historic Mount Royal Hotel, the Les Cours Mont-Royal is seeing renewed demand as its overlooked office spaces fill up and tenants move in.

      More History Lesson

      More History Lesson

      History Lesson

      The Fascinating History of Montreal's Spiral Staircases

      This history lesson explores how Montreal's exterior spiral staircases came to be and how they came to be one of Montreal’s most iconic symbols.

      ByDaniel Bromberg

      July 6, 2023 · 3 min read

      The Fascinating History of Montreal's Spiral Staircases

      The Main is reader-supported. Subscriptions are what keep us independent. Five dollars a month — the restaurants, the guides, the weekly bulletin, and what to do each weekend. Support us today.

      In a city that can accumulate up to six feet of snow in winter—not to mention the threat of major ice storms every generation or so—visitors to Montreal often wonder why our plexes (residential buildings with individual units stacked on top of another) have exterior spiral staircases, particularly in neighbourhoods like the Plateau, Rosemont, Villeray, Hochelaga, and others. That left us wondering: Do locals know the reason?

      It does seem kind of preposterous to think that in a city where a significant portion of its population is made up of renters, this means the annual ritual of Moving Day on July 1st can get pretty complicated navigating up and down those stairs—especially when you factor in things like fridges, stoves, and washing machines.  So where did they come from?

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      History Lesson

      The Fascinating History of Montreal's Spiral Staircases

      This history lesson explores how Montreal's exterior spiral staircases came to be and how they came to be one of Montreal’s most iconic symbols.

      ByDaniel Bromberg

      July 6, 2023 · 3 min read

      The Fascinating History of Montreal's Spiral Staircases

      The Main is reader-supported. Subscriptions are what keep us independent. Five dollars a month — the restaurants, the guides, the weekly bulletin, and what to do each weekend. Support us today.

      In a city that can accumulate up to six feet of snow in winter—not to mention the threat of major ice storms every generation or so—visitors to Montreal often wonder why our plexes (residential buildings with individual units stacked on top of another) have exterior spiral staircases, particularly in neighbourhoods like the Plateau, Rosemont, Villeray, Hochelaga, and others. That left us wondering: Do locals know the reason?

      It does seem kind of preposterous to think that in a city where a significant portion of its population is made up of renters, this means the annual ritual of Moving Day on July 1st can get pretty complicated navigating up and down those stairs—especially when you factor in things like fridges, stoves, and washing machines.  So where did they come from?

      Free account required

      For readers who care about Montreal

      Create a free account to read this story and access 3 articles per month, plus our weekly Bulletin.

      Independent. Local. Reader-supported.

      or

      Already a member? Sign in

      The Main

      Comments

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      Share your thoughts and join the conversation. Please be respectful and constructive.

      No comments yet. Be the first!

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      Latest from The Main

      Arts & CultureA Complete Guide to the Best Festivals of Montreal, Season by SeasonArts & CultureThings to Do in Montreal This JulyArts & CultureMontreal Is a Complete Circus, and the Whole World Knows ItHistory LessonThe Entire History of a City Told in Six KilometresArts & CultureOur Hero, Balthazar Takes Aim at the Internet’s Crisis of Masculinity

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      Arts & CultureA Complete Guide to the Best Festivals of Montreal, Season by SeasonArts & CultureThings to Do in Montreal This JulyArts & CultureMontreal Is a Complete Circus, and the Whole World Knows ItHistory LessonThe Entire History of a City Told in Six KilometresArts & CultureOur Hero, Balthazar Takes Aim at the Internet’s Crisis of Masculinity
      The Bulletin: Moving Day madness, new restaurant openings & more [Issue #32]

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      The Bulletin: Moving Day Madness, New Restaurant Openings & More [Issue #32]

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      Shopping for Wine? Head Down to Your Local Caviste.

      Shopping for wine? Head down to your local caviste.
      The Bulletin: Moving Day madness, new restaurant openings & more [Issue #32]

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      Shopping for Wine? Head Down to Your Local Caviste.

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      How Little Portugal carved out its place in the Plateau
      History Lesson
      Phylida Tuff-West

      How Little Portugal Carved Out Its Place in the Plateau

      From postwar migration to piri piri chicken, Azorean immigrants transformed an iconic Montreal neighbourhood with enduring community.

      The Flying Cathedral That Made a City Lose Its Mind
      History Lesson
      J.P. Karwacki

      The Flying Cathedral That Made a City Lose Its Mind

      In the summer of 1930, a British airship the length of two and a half Boeing 747s locked onto a mooring mast on the South Shore. Nearly a million people came to watch.

      The Day a Downtown Campus Burned and What Came After
      History Lesson
      J.P. Karwacki

      The Day a Downtown Campus Burned and What Came After

      What began as a complaint about grading bias escalated into a two-week occupation, a fire, and one of the most consequential reckonings with institutional racism in Canadian higher education.

      How the Atwater Market fed Montreal through depression and renewal
      History Lesson
      J.P. Karwacki

      How the Atwater Market Fed Montreal Through Depression and Renewal

      A civic monument, a neighbourhood anchor, and a living archive of what Montreal eats since 1933.

      When McGill med students went grave-robbing for science
      History Lesson
      J.P. Karwacki

      When McGill Med Students Went Grave-robbing for Science

      The law demanded they learn anatomy but made dissection illegal, so for nearly a century, stolen corpses were tobogganed down Mount Royal to a folk hero janitor who paid cash, no questions asked.

      Montreal's decades-long Polynesian fantasy and volcano cocktail experiment
      History Lesson
      Phylida Tuff-West

      Montreal's Decades-long Polynesian Fantasy and Volcano Cocktail Experiment

      When Kon Tiki brought post-war escapism and Hollywood's idea of the South Pacific to Peel Street, it created an exotic escape unlike any other.

      Related Classics

      From our archive.

      How Little Portugal carved out its place in the Plateau
      History Lesson
      Phylida Tuff-West

      How Little Portugal Carved Out Its Place in the Plateau

      From postwar migration to piri piri chicken, Azorean immigrants transformed an iconic Montreal neighbourhood with enduring community.

      The Flying Cathedral That Made a City Lose Its Mind
      History Lesson
      J.P. Karwacki

      The Flying Cathedral That Made a City Lose Its Mind

      In the summer of 1930, a British airship the length of two and a half Boeing 747s locked onto a mooring mast on the South Shore. Nearly a million people came to watch.

      The Day a Downtown Campus Burned and What Came After
      History Lesson
      J.P. Karwacki

      The Day a Downtown Campus Burned and What Came After

      What began as a complaint about grading bias escalated into a two-week occupation, a fire, and one of the most consequential reckonings with institutional racism in Canadian higher education.

      How the Atwater Market fed Montreal through depression and renewal
      History Lesson
      J.P. Karwacki

      How the Atwater Market Fed Montreal Through Depression and Renewal

      A civic monument, a neighbourhood anchor, and a living archive of what Montreal eats since 1933.

      When McGill med students went grave-robbing for science
      History Lesson
      J.P. Karwacki

      When McGill Med Students Went Grave-robbing for Science

      The law demanded they learn anatomy but made dissection illegal, so for nearly a century, stolen corpses were tobogganed down Mount Royal to a folk hero janitor who paid cash, no questions asked.

      Montreal's decades-long Polynesian fantasy and volcano cocktail experiment
      History Lesson
      Phylida Tuff-West

      Montreal's Decades-long Polynesian Fantasy and Volcano Cocktail Experiment

      When Kon Tiki brought post-war escapism and Hollywood's idea of the South Pacific to Peel Street, it created an exotic escape unlike any other.