Villeray

The stone used to build the Institution des Sourds-Muets came from the quarry behind it. Built during the First World War for the Clercs de Saint-Viateur, the institution stood in a neighbourhood where quarrying and housing developed alongside each other. On Rue Saint-Denis, houses used factory-made parts ordered from catalogues, including stairs, bricks, stained glass and facade ornaments. Some owners lived on the ground floor of their plex and rented the upper floors. At street corners, angled doorways opened into local shops.

Parc Jarry provided sports grounds for neighbourhood children and adults. Montréal rented the land in 1925 and bought it in 1945. Early visitors found swings, sandboxes and slides among elms and maples; Campbell band concerts and occasional circuses brought families into the park. Elsewhere in Villeray, another excavation became recreational land: Parc Villeray opened in 1953 on the site of the Villeray Quarry. The arrival of the tramway in 1893 had encouraged residential development in the neighbourhood.

Key places

• Institution for deaf students : Clercs de Saint-Viateur building constructed with stone from the adjoining quarry.
• Saint-Denis Street : plex housing using components ordered from catalogues.
• Jarry Park : sports grounds for children and adults.
• Villeray Park : former Villeray Quarry.