 Park Avenue nearPine Avenue | |
 Interactive map of Park Avenue | |
| Native name | avenue du Parc (French) |
|---|---|
| Length | 5.7 km (3.5 mi) |
| Location | Montreal |
| South end | Sherbrooke Street |
| Major junctions |   A-40 (TCH) R-138 |
| North end | Chabanel Street Jean-Talon Street for the main stretch |
| South | Bleury Street |
Park Avenue (officially inFrench:Avenue du Parc) is one of centralMontreal's major north-south streets. It derives its name fromMount Royal Park, by which it runs. BetweenMount Royal Avenue andPine Avenue, the street separates the eastern side of the mountain park and the smallerJeanne Mance Park (formerly known as Fletcher's Field and often referenced as such in Montreal literature).[1][2][3][4]
South ofSherbrooke Street (i.e. through thedowntown core), the street's name changes to Bleury Street, and south ofSaint Antoine Street inOld Montreal, the name changes again to Saint Pierre Street. The northern end of Park Avenue is atJean Talon Street, at the location of the formerCanadian Pacific RailwayPark Avenue station, which now serves theParcMetro andcommuter train station. There is also a short stretch of Park Avenue betweenCrémazie Boulevard andChabanel Street.[5]
Once one ofMontreal's most elegantresidential avenues, Park Avenue is now a busy commercial street, home to the formerRialto Theatre. Since 1924, it has also been an important part of Montreal'sGreek community.
Park Avenue also lends its name to thePark Extension residential neighbourhood, located at its northern end.
In 1883, a request by English-speaking citizens was filed with the City of Montreal to name the street Park Avenue (in reference toMount Royal Park, inaugurated in 1876). It was always officially referred to by its English name, Park Avenue, until September 29, 1961, when its French name, Avenue du Parc, was officially recognized.
In 1937, the government planned to change the name of the street to Marconi Street, but it decided to keep its current name following protests by citizens.
A similar event occurred on October 18, 2006 when MayorGérald Tremblay proposed to rename Park Avenue (along with Bleury Street) in honour of former Quebec premierRobert Bourassa. On November 28,Montreal City Council voted in favour (40-22) of the motion.[6] If theCommission de toponymie du Québec had approved the change, Park Avenue and Bleury Street in their entirety would have been renamed Robert Bourassa Avenue. The proposal was controversial, especially in light of the historical nature of the name.[7] (TheSTM'sParc Metro andRTM commuter rail station were to remain "Parc" due to a moratorium on renaming metro stations.[8]) After Bourassa's family publicly expressed reservations about the controversy, Tremblay announced on February 6, 2007 that he would not pursue the issue further and that the council would be presented with a motion to withdraw the resolution made November 28. (A section ofUniversity Street was eventually renamed in honour of Bourassa, instead.)
In 2005, aC$25 million project began to transform the intersection ofPine Avenue and Park, known as thePine-Park Interchange. Both Park and Pine Avenues remained open while the interchange was being demolished. It was replaced in the summer of 2006 with a more traditional ground-level intersection, which is easier for pedestrians and cyclists to navigate. The interchange had been the only constructed part of the proposedAutoroute 415.
Greektown is a proposed name[by whom?] for a neighbourhood located on Park Avenue betweenMount Royal Avenue andVan Horne Avenue.[9] Historically,Greek influence has been very strong in this area along with the adjoiningPark Extension neighbourhood. There are over 61,000 Montrealers of Greek descent.[10]
Montreal's Greektown was where fans celebrated the victory ofGreece in the2004 UEFA European Football Championship.[11]
Bus routes along Park Avenue include theSTM's 80 Avenue Du Parc, 365 Avenue du Parc and 480 Express du Parc. There are bus lanes along the length of the road (except for the short stretch passing through the borough ofRosemont-La Petite-Patrie).Place-des-Arts metro station is located on the De Bleury section of the street whileParc métro and train station are located near the intersection at Jean-Talon on Hutchison street.
Due to the high volume of bus passengers in the corridor, the city of Montreal has proposed building atramway along the length of Park Avenue, which is projected to connect the city centre to theExo'sParccommuter rail station and theMontreal Metro'sParc station. TheAutorité régionale de transport métropolitain (ARTM) believes the tram has a potential ridership of 11,600 daily passengers.
45°30′54.6″N73°35′8.1″W / 45.515167°N 73.585583°W /45.515167; -73.585583
