Parc-Extension

When Jean-Talon station opened in 1931, it drew industry and workers to the railway and accelerated settlement in Parc-Extension. The neighbourhood’s beginnings had been less well served: unpaved streets, water supply problems and no public transit. Residents formed the Park Extension Municipal Reform Association and pressed for improvements. The neighbourhood took shape around Ogilvy, Saint-Roch and Jean-Talon streets. Electric tramways also encouraged speculators to buy farmland and divide it into building lots.

Textile companies, railway employers, consumer goods manufacturers and public utilities provided work for residents. The property boom of the 1950s and 1960s supported Jean-Talon’s shops, while Ogilvy, Saint-Roch, De Liège and Jarry developed shopping streets of their own. Postwar European immigration, particularly from Greece, accompanied the neighbourhood’s growth; arrivals became more diverse around the beginning of the 1980s. Cafés, restaurants and social clubs offered meeting places for regulars and exchanges with newcomers to the city. Jean-Talon station closed in 1983, after helping to draw industry and housing into the area.

Key places

• Jean-Talon station : opening drew industry and workers.
• Ogilvy Street : street around which the neighbourhood and local commerce developed.
• Saint-Roch Street : street of settlement and local shops.
• Jean-Talon Street : shopping street supported by the property boom.