45°30′18″N73°33′12″W / 45.505102°N 73.553235°W /45.505102; -73.553235
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| Former name(s) | rue des Commissaires (Commissioners' Street), rue Water (Water Street), rue Colborne (Colborne Street), Common Street |
|---|---|
| Owner | City of Montreal |
| Length | 2.3 km (1.4 mi) |
| Coordinates | 45°30′18″N73°33′12″W / 45.505102°N 73.553235°W /45.505102; -73.553235 |
| West end | Wellington Street,Griffintown |
| East end | Rue Atateken,Le Village |
Rue de la Commune (English:De la Commune Street) is a road inOld Montreal, Quebec, Canada which is well used both by Montrealers and by tourists, since it is the home of thePointe-à-Callière Museum and theOld Port of Montreal. It also extends eastward into theGay Village, and westward intoGriffintown, where it turns north toWellington Street and becomes the beginning ofPeel Street. The road follows the original shore of theSaint Lawrence River. The buildings along the north side of the road are former commercial buildings.
In 1651, the governor of Montréal,Paul Chomedey de Maisonneuve granted land to Jean de Saint-Père to be used aspasture. This 'commune' (commons) is a strip of land onearpent wide with 40 arpents of shoreline.
The river bank was the site of atow path, and became a road, lined with grain elevators from 1879. It became a thoroughfare forcarriages, transport wagons, and pedestrians.[1] Lower streets along the riverbank were known to flood during winter storms.[1]
A proposed elevated highway along the river over the Rue de la Commune spurred a movement to preserve the district.Dutch-born architect and urban plannerDaniel van Ginkel played a major role in saving the district from destruction during the early 1960s. As assistant director of the city of Montreal's newly formed planning department, he persuaded authorities to abandon plans for an expressway that would have cut through the old city.[2] In 1964, most of Old Montreal was classified as ahistoric district.
In 1970, the road was renamed fromrue des Commissaires, in memory of early colonial days. After thePort of Montreal was moved, the area became a recreational area in 1992.Hotels,restaurants, andcafes replaced old warehouses.[1]
