This old red brick building has been abandoned since forever on rue Bridge, the main access to Victoria bridge. Traffic in the general area during peak hours is horrible. I once got stuck on a bus for 45 minutes as streets in the area were congested with drivers heading back home to the Southshore via Victoria. Straddled between the super busy Bridge St. and the huge Costco store and its parking lot, this solid-looking building is literally in the middle of nowhere.
The old building, highlighted in red, is situated in the middle of one of the oddest places in Montreal (and there are a lot of odd spots in Montreal). Delineated by the curved train track, the Lachine canal and Bonaventure autoroute, the area feels totally isolated from the rest of the city. I've walked there several times and the area is now mostly new buildings (Loto-Quebec and a huge Costco store) with a few old buildings near the autoroute. I didn't see any restaurants or coffee shops. The rue Bridge connects to the Victoria bridge. When you walk there you hardly see anyone and it seems deserted and yet there's tons of traffic with cars heading to or coming from the bridge, or shoppers going to Costco. I feel for the abandoned building. It doesn't match with any of the newer surroundings. On the far left, highlighted in orange, there's another red brick building, this
one, and it's also surrounded by a sea of big box warehouses and traffic jams for the bridge.
The area on both sides of Bridge St used to be stockyards, back when live animals were shipped in by train for local slaughter and processing. The red brick building housed administration for the yards and various livestock dealers. I'm not sure when the yards closed but I'm guessing that they survived into the 1950s.
ReplyDeleteActually my late father in law owned them. Survived much later than the 1950's.
DeleteThis used to be the administrative building for the stock yards that were located where the Costco is now. You can find historical photos of the buildings and the yards online.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the info. I wasn't aware about its history.
ReplyDeleteI read somewhere on the net that the yards lasted into the 1970s.
ReplyDeleteI've actually been inside that building. It's in pretty nice shape. The most recent signs of occupancy were from 1992.
Yes...it was the administration building for the stockyards. The stockyards were still active as late as 1975 (I worked there at the time). The stockyard buildings were huge and located in what is now the parking lot of the Costco and Costco itself. Inside were large pens where the animals were kept. Several caleche operators also used the space as storage for their carriages and stall space for their horses in the mid-1970s.
ReplyDeleteA semi-related bit of infrastructure is the long building along Wellington at Bridge. There seems to be a container marshalling yard in back of it now but it used to be a fruit distribution center. The whole area south of the canal was trans-shipment central, what with the trains, roads, and basins (some since filled in). The part of the canal above the first locks was very much an extension of the harbour.
ReplyDeleteAbandoned? but who actually owns it I have seen "for rent" signs on the building.
ReplyDeleteI recall driving across the Victoria Bridge in the 60's with my father. I recall Canada Packers was nearby.Yes a good place for it and I remember the red brick building. The stock yard buildings were wood boards and painted green. They had covered over passes for the livestock to travel over Bridge Street. in the summer in the July and August heat you could smell the stock yards. It was terrible and there were houses near by. The stench would knock a dog off a gut wagon. No way would that be allowed today. Yes it was in operation well into the 70's What recall I have of this place.
ReplyDeleteCostco has been trying to buy this building for years. They want to demolish it to add parking. They keep getting refused. I think it's considered an historical building.
ReplyDeleteMy great uncle had his offices in that building. His business was delivering sides of beef to the corner grocery stores.
ReplyDeleteThis might be a long shot but is there a Bridge in Montreal in which people could watch wrestling from in the 1950's? My grandmother had always told us a story about her and my Grandfather watching wrestling from this Bridge because they couldn't afford the price of admission.I want to get a painting done for her but would love to have a picture of this bridge to help the artist.Thanks
ReplyDeleteMy late friends father trucked many loads of cattle from Ottawa Valley and Western Quebec. Many trips on summer Friday evening to the stockyards. Could stand on roof to see Autostade , train yards and downtown. Think may have been tunnel under Bridge Street to Canada Packers. East stockyards took hogs at corner of D’Iberville and Frontenac. Both running in late 1960’s
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