History Lesson

The Day the Décarie Became a River

On July 14, 1987, two hours of rain drowned the Décarie, shut down the métro, and became the storm so many Montreal floods are still measured against.

History Lesson

Why “North” Doesn’t Mean North in Montreal

The St. Lawrence River, French colonial planning, and centuries of habit created a directional system where “north” has almost nothing to do with a compass.

History Lesson

The Century Club: Montreal's Oldest Businesses Still Standing Today

An eclectic collection of Montreal businesses approaching, reaching, and surpassing the 100-year mark.

History Lesson

Before Jazz Had Festival Stages, It Had Coffeehouses

Montreal’s jazz culture grew in the city’s espresso bars and coffeehouses. This summer, Le Café Lavazza pays tribute to that legacy at the Festival International de Jazz de Montréal.

History Lesson

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.

History Lesson

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.

History Lesson

The Day the Décarie Became a River

On July 14, 1987, two hours of rain drowned the Décarie, shut down the métro, and became the storm so many Montreal floods are still measured against.

History Lesson

Why “North” Doesn’t Mean North in Montreal

The St. Lawrence River, French colonial planning, and centuries of habit created a directional system where “north” has almost nothing to do with a compass.

History Lesson

The Century Club: Montreal's Oldest Businesses Still Standing Today

An eclectic collection of Montreal businesses approaching, reaching, and surpassing the 100-year mark.

History Lesson

Before Jazz Had Festival Stages, It Had Coffeehouses

Montreal’s jazz culture grew in the city’s espresso bars and coffeehouses. This summer, Le Café Lavazza pays tribute to that legacy at the Festival International de Jazz de Montréal.

History Lesson

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.

History Lesson

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.

History Lesson

Before "world music” was a genre, there was Club Balattou

From exile to empire, this is how a tiny St-Laurent nightclub became the global heartbeat of African music in Montreal.

History Lesson

The century-long smoked meat legacy of Schwartz's Deli

How a Romanian immigrant's recipe and stubborn refusal to change built Montreal's most iconic sandwich.

History Lesson

The rise and fall of Le Palais des Nains, the palace where tourists became giants

For over 60 years, the fully functional home of two circus veterans became a Montreal tourist attraction where everything was scaled down to their three-foot-tall size.

History Lesson

Montreal Pool Room: Serving a city's hot dogs for over a century

How a Bulgarian immigrant's billiard hall became one of Montreal's most enduring institutions, from pimp steaks to late night eats infamy.

History Lesson

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.

History Lesson

From opera house to haunted relic to hot ticket, Montreal's Rialto Theatre refuses to die

A near-forgotten movie palace that's outlasted demolition plans, disco dreams, and decades of decline to become one of Montreal’s most resilient cultural landmarks.

History Lesson

Before "world music” was a genre, there was Club Balattou

From exile to empire, this is how a tiny St-Laurent nightclub became the global heartbeat of African music in Montreal.

History Lesson

The century-long smoked meat legacy of Schwartz's Deli

How a Romanian immigrant's recipe and stubborn refusal to change built Montreal's most iconic sandwich.

History Lesson

The rise and fall of Le Palais des Nains, the palace where tourists became giants

For over 60 years, the fully functional home of two circus veterans became a Montreal tourist attraction where everything was scaled down to their three-foot-tall size.

History Lesson

Montreal Pool Room: Serving a city's hot dogs for over a century

How a Bulgarian immigrant's billiard hall became one of Montreal's most enduring institutions, from pimp steaks to late night eats infamy.

History Lesson

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.

History Lesson

From opera house to haunted relic to hot ticket, Montreal's Rialto Theatre refuses to die

A near-forgotten movie palace that's outlasted demolition plans, disco dreams, and decades of decline to become one of Montreal’s most resilient cultural landmarks.