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The Main Media Inc. 2026

✦ Built By Field Office
    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

    About

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

    Legal

    • Terms of service
    • Membership Terms
    • Privacy Policy
    Follow us
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    The Main Media Inc. 2026

    ✦ Built By Field Office
      --°C|Wednesday, March 25, 2026|
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      --°C|Wednesday, March 25, 2026|
      Subscribe today to get 3 free articles per month.ROYALMOUNT Wants to Be Your Dining Destination for a Whole MonthGet 50% off your first 5 rides with Lyft
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      Magazine
      Categories
      • Arts & Culture

        Creativity, heritage, and expression.

      • Beyond Montreal

        Travel, adventure, and global perspectives.

      • Design

        The best of Montreal design.

      • Food & Drink

        La bonne bouffe.

      • History

        Stories, lessons, and context.

      • Newsletter

        Our weekly newsletter.

      • See all original stories
      Explore Montreal
      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
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      More History Lesson

      How Montreal Built Its Own Irish Pub Culture
      History Lesson
      J.P. Karwacki

      How Montreal Built Its Own Irish Pub Culture

      The shamrock has been on Montreal's coat of arms since 1832, and the pub culture that followed has been here just as long.

      What Happened to Montreal's Red Light District?
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      J.P. Karwacki

      What Happened to Montreal's Red Light District?

      Jazz legends, burlesque queens, and organized crime made it one of the most alive corners in North America. Then Montreal decided it had a reputation to protect.

      The House That Haitian Montreal Built
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      The Main

      The House That Haitian Montreal Built

      The story of La Maison d'Haïti: Its welcome and advocacy for Montreal's growing Haitian community since 1972.

      The Woman Who Taught a City How to Play the Piano
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      The Woman Who Taught a City How to Play the Piano

      In so many ways, Montreal jazz exists because Daisy Peterson Sweeney both masters and generations of kids in Little Burgundy.

      How a Railway Porter Built Montreal's Most Storied Jazz Club
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      How a Railway Porter Built Montreal's Most Storied Jazz Club

      The story of Rufus Rockhead, the Jamaican-born railway porter who built Montreal's most legendary jazz club—and spent decades defending it.

      What Montreal's 1976 Olympics left behind, 50 years later
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      What Montreal's 1976 Olympics Left Behind, 50 Years Later

      Were the Summer Games a triumph, a total failure, or somewhere in between?

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      Vintage Photos of Montreal's Most Famous Landmarks, from the Notre-Dame Basilica to Marché Maisonneuve

      See what these iconic spots looked like over 100 years ago.

      By Daniel Bromberg

      April 13, 2023 · 11 min read

      Vintage Photos of Montreal's Most Famous Landmarks, from the Notre-Dame Basilica to Marché Maisonneuve
      Market, Jacques Cartier Square, Montreal, QC, about 1930 | Photograph: William Fowle / Notman photographic Archives - McCord Museum

      Ask most people what they think of when you say Montreal and they’ll probably say: construction, winter, construction, snow, construction, cold, construction… you get the point. And while true, those answers miss the mark: Visitors to the city often recall its thriving arts and nightlife scene, incredible food and drink culture, and the intermixing of French and English (sadly now under fire by the current Quebec government).

      De plus, Montreal is renowned for its rich history and beautiful architecture. From gigantic spheres like the skeletal remains of the Biosphere to the neo-gothic Notre-Dame Basilica in the heart of Old Montreal, the city is home to a number of famous landmarks that have withstood the test of time. And although AI-generated images are currently all the rage, there's something – dare I say magical – about vintage photos that help transport us back in time and give us a glimpse of what life was like in Montreal decades ago.

      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.

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      More History Lesson

      How Montreal Built Its Own Irish Pub Culture
      History Lesson
      J.P. Karwacki

      How Montreal Built Its Own Irish Pub Culture

      The shamrock has been on Montreal's coat of arms since 1832, and the pub culture that followed has been here just as long.

      What Happened to Montreal's Red Light District?
      History Lesson
      J.P. Karwacki

      What Happened to Montreal's Red Light District?

      Jazz legends, burlesque queens, and organized crime made it one of the most alive corners in North America. Then Montreal decided it had a reputation to protect.

      The House That Haitian Montreal Built
      History Lesson
      The Main

      The House That Haitian Montreal Built

      The story of La Maison d'Haïti: Its welcome and advocacy for Montreal's growing Haitian community since 1972.

      The Woman Who Taught a City How to Play the Piano
      History Lesson
      J.P. Karwacki

      The Woman Who Taught a City How to Play the Piano

      In so many ways, Montreal jazz exists because Daisy Peterson Sweeney both masters and generations of kids in Little Burgundy.

      How a Railway Porter Built Montreal's Most Storied Jazz Club
      History Lesson
      J.P. Karwacki

      How a Railway Porter Built Montreal's Most Storied Jazz Club

      The story of Rufus Rockhead, the Jamaican-born railway porter who built Montreal's most legendary jazz club—and spent decades defending it.

      What Montreal's 1976 Olympics left behind, 50 years later
      History Lesson
      J.P. Karwacki

      What Montreal's 1976 Olympics Left Behind, 50 Years Later

      Were the Summer Games a triumph, a total failure, or somewhere in between?

      History Lesson

      Vintage Photos of Montreal's Most Famous Landmarks, from the Notre-Dame Basilica to Marché Maisonneuve

      See what these iconic spots looked like over 100 years ago.

      By Daniel Bromberg

      April 13, 2023 · 11 min read

      Vintage Photos of Montreal's Most Famous Landmarks, from the Notre-Dame Basilica to Marché Maisonneuve
      Market, Jacques Cartier Square, Montreal, QC, about 1930 | Photograph: William Fowle / Notman photographic Archives - McCord Museum

      Ask most people what they think of when you say Montreal and they’ll probably say: construction, winter, construction, snow, construction, cold, construction… you get the point. And while true, those answers miss the mark: Visitors to the city often recall its thriving arts and nightlife scene, incredible food and drink culture, and the intermixing of French and English (sadly now under fire by the current Quebec government).

      De plus, Montreal is renowned for its rich history and beautiful architecture. From gigantic spheres like the skeletal remains of the Biosphere to the neo-gothic Notre-Dame Basilica in the heart of Old Montreal, the city is home to a number of famous landmarks that have withstood the test of time. And although AI-generated images are currently all the rage, there's something – dare I say magical – about vintage photos that help transport us back in time and give us a glimpse of what life was like in Montreal decades ago.

      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

      Advertisement

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      Latest from The Main

      Arts & CultureProject Hail Mary Makes the Case That Cooperation Beats SurvivalFood & DrinkA Day in the Life of a Montreal Wine ImporterDesignThe Story Behind the Biergarten Table That Became a Terrasse StapleMontreal, Inc.Welcome Back From the Dead, Frank And OakNewsletterThe Bulletin: The 201st St. Patrick's Day Parade, Doom-Scrolling Performance Art, and Live Jazz in a Skyscraper [Issue #173]
      Follow on Google

      Related Classics

      From our archive.

      The dining theatrics and dark history of Montreal's infamous restaurant Au Lutin qui Bouffe
      History Lesson
      J.P. Karwacki

      The Dining Theatrics and Dark History of Montreal's Infamous Restaurant Au Lutin Qui Bouffe

      Fine French cuisine, tableside photo sessions with piglets, and a botched robbery that marked the beginning of an end.

      Before the world knew his name, Montreal heard him first
      History Lesson
      J.P. Karwacki

      Before the World Knew His Name, Montreal Heard Him First

      The Harlem of the North, Little Burgundy, raised a legend. It took 100 years to say it as loudly as possible from the city's rooftops.

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

      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.

      If this factory closes, a century of Montreal's Chinatown history goes with it
      History Lesson
      J.P. Karwacki

      If This Factory Closes, a Century of Montreal's Chinatown History Goes with it

      For over a century, Wing Noodles has fed Montreal with handmade noodles, fortune cookies, and quiet defiance—one of the last family-run factories still standing in Chinatown.

      The hidden politics of Montreal's 19th-century ice palaces
      History Lesson
      Kaitlyn DiBartolo

      The Hidden Politics of Montreal's 19th-century Ice Palaces

      Built from 500-pound blocks of ice pulled from the St. Lawrence, the Neo-Gothic castles dazzled international crowds while reinforcing who really held power.

      Operation Fish: When Montreal hid Britain's fortune during WWII
      History Lesson
      J.P. Karwacki

      Operation Fish: When Montreal Hid Britain's Fortune During WWII

      Billions in gold and securities sat three storeys beneath Sun Life while 5,000 employees worked overhead, completely oblivious.

      The Bulletin: From Ice Storm 2 to Summer Weather In 7 Days or Less [Issue #20]

      Previous

      The Bulletin: From Ice Storm 2 to Summer Weather In 7 Days or Less [Issue #20]

      Next

      The Bulletin: Orange Cones as Old as You, a New Leonard Cohen TV Series, Art Fairs and Flea Markets [Issue #21]

      The Bulletin: Orange cones as old as you, a new Leonard Cohen TV series, art fairs and flea markets [Issue #21]