Montreal was the centre of the Canadian railway world. Unlike other major North American cities, Montreal's mighty train companies never co-operated by building a "Union Station", instead by the 1940's, there were two major train stations in downtown: The beautiful Richardsonian Windsor station and the minimalist Central Station, a few steps away.
The Canadian National Railway built a big development around Central Station, which actually obscured the station from view.
Since I discovered it, all squished in between office towers, Central Station has amazed me at how discrete and unimposing it is. Its bizarre mix of art deco and international architectures also stands out.
The front of the station, today completely hidden and rendered inaccessible by a 21-storey hotel.
© Bibliothèque et Archives nationales du Québec, © Héritage Montréal
The front. Someone once described the station as looking like a "soviet shoe factory." I concur.
© Dinu Bumbaru, © Héritage Montréal
CN's office developments surrounding the station, circa 1962.
© Ville de Montréal. Gestion de documents et archives (VM94-A-105-6), © Héritage Montréal
The front entrance of the station never seemed pedestrian-friendly. To this day, one only accesses the station from the underground city, or if you prefer, by the "main entrance", which is merely an ugly 4 storey parking garage, you can see this parkade in the previous picture. Its the big white blob.
© Ville de Montréal. Gestion de documents et archives (VM94-A-105-6), © Héritage Montréal
The back of the station, as seen in 1945, before the office complex obscured it from view. Today, this is the only part of the station that can still be seen by the public (though nobody does)
http://www.vieux.montreal.qc.ca/plaq...ges/11_10b.jpg
For all its uninspired shortcomings on the aesthetic level, The station does have beautiful art deco friezes, showing different scenes of the history of transportation. Though they are in bad shape and virtually ignored by everyone except me, I maintain that they are beautiful.
by dct66
http://artdecobuildings.blogspot.com...-montreal.html
by dct66
http://artdecobuildings.blogspot.com...-montreal.html
by dct66
http://artdecobuildings.blogspot.com...-montreal.html
The Hotel which was built in front of the station wasn't just built in front of it, but literally on it.
by dct66
http://artdecobuildings.blogspot.com...-montreal.html
I'll post pictures of the interior later.