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Héritage Montréal

Around the North End Market

As at Jean Talon Market, odours, colours and flavours are the guides for this walk, from daybreak until the wee hours. The history of the neighbourhood has been forged by generations of immigrants from Europe and Asia but also by the young Montreal families that have chosen to live in Little Italy.

Sequence 1 At Daybreak

Since 1931, daybreak has found farmers and market gardeners setting up at Jean Talon Market, known as the North End Market until 1982. It quickly became the most popular market in Montreal.

Sequence 2 The Shamrock Team

Lacrosse attracted thousand of fans to the land where the market now stands. To alleviate unemployment during the Great Depression, the City of Montreal constructed the market's chalet, to replace the Shamrock Lacrosse Ground, and nearby service buildings in the Art Deco style.

Sequence 3 Little Italy!

By 1895, a neighbourhood with a rural look was developing in the northern part of the Island of Montreal, east of St. Lawrence Boulevard. Many families of Italian extraction were attracted by jobs related mainly to railways and tramways.

Sequence 4 Italian Imprints

The Italian community quickly acquired meeting places with distinctive architecture and decorative features, including Église Notre-Dame-de-la- Défense, designed by Guido Nincheri, and the Casa d'Italia by the young architect Patsy Colangelo.

Sequence 5 Catelli Products!

This family business was born in Little Italy in 1867 and still operates in Montreal. Catelli was North America's first pasta plant, producing hand- made vermicelli and macaroni.

Sequence 6 Grand Neighbourhood Theatres

On rue Saint-Denis in the first half of the 20th century, two palaces offered variety shows and movies for the many working class families moving to the city's north end. The Rivoli and the Château have kept their period architecture and a few somewhat hidden traces of their astonishing ornamentation.

Sequence 7 La Vita E Bella!

Today, Little Italy bustles with the activity of the merchants and residents who call it home. They come from Montreal neighbourhoods to the south but also from distant lands, such as Vietnam, Lebanon and South America.

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