Lost Montreal: 3 pieces
24 Heures is doing a series on “lost Montreal” with, so far, a look at the old Montreal library on Sherbrooke Street – seems odd to call the building “une anomalie anachronique” when we have similar buildings functioning as a courthouse and a museum, among others – it’s a classic Greek form based on the Parthenon.
Also in the series is a piece about Plaza St-Hubert back in the days of neon signs – “Time Square”? – and the zoo in Lafontaine Park which existed between 1957 and 1988.
Michael Black 12:36 on 2020-12-28 Permalink
The zoo was interesting because it wasn’t square boxes. A ship, a whale, I can’t remember what else. But the forms were as exciting as the animals, maybe more. I don’t even remember the animals, and I did go again around the time it closed. And probably that concrete not so nice for the animals.
PatrickC 15:38 on 2020-12-28 Permalink
The picture of the whale/aquarium at the Lafontaine Park Zoo brought back memories for me too, but also like Michael Black I have a hard time remembering any animals I saw there. Were there ever any llamas there? I have a fuzzy image of them, if I’m not confusing this zoo with another.
Kate 15:56 on 2020-12-28 Permalink
I have a feeling I was brought there when I was a kid, but my memories are also fuzzy. I don’t think there was anything very large or wild there. I think you could put a coin into a bubblegum machine and get a handful of something like Shreddies to feed to placid animals like goats or deer.
Llamas would’ve been possible, but I doubt there were ever lions, tigers, elephants or bears. I’m surprised they even stretched to having a camel.
CE 19:10 on 2020-12-29 Permalink
I’ve heard that there was some sort of religious component to the zoo. Wasn’t the whale that’s now outside of the chalet part of something to do with the story of Jonah and the whale?
Raymond Lutz 20:21 on 2020-12-29 Permalink
Raah! Conduisant ma fille à Montréal, j’évoquais la semaine dernière le souvenir de ce zoo même en passant devant le parc! Il y avait également tout près un labyrinthe fait de pières… Au Jardin des merveilles, j’ai souvenir d’avoir adoré voir et revoir le court métrage de l’ONF où un petit garçon sculptait un petit canôt (avec un amérindien?) qui dévalait le St‑Laurent…
Kate 10:09 on 2020-12-30 Permalink
Raymond Lutz! Voilà une madeleine de Proust. Le labyrinthe, je l’ai trouvé fascinant, mais vu qu’on habitait dans Verdun à l’époque, on ne visitait pas ce coin de la ville souvent.