Neighbourhood - Buildings

Montreal's English-speaking community provided itself with institutions reflecting the tendencies of the new middle class, who were drawn to the most prestigious neighbourhood in the country: the Square Mile. In 1914, after relocating five times, the High School of Montreal (founded September 25, 1843) moved into this imposing building north of Sherbrooke Street, near the McGill University campus. It was one of the first publicly-financed high schools for anglophones in the Montreal area.

Its high-level curriculum guided youth toward the liberal professions or higher education. In accordance with the ideology of the time, it maintained facilities essential to the development of both body and mind: a swimming pool, gymnasium, shooting gallery, library, auditorium, game rooms and even a planetarium, no longer extant. Girls and boys studied in separate wings but were together for extracurricular activities.

In the early 1980s, the school changed its mission. F.A.C.E. school (Fine Arts Core Education) was founded. In this unique school, the arts are integrated into the curriculum, from primary school through to completion of secondary school. The student body includes children from all social milieux who display an interest in the arts.