Saint Catherine Street
Encyclopedia
This article is about the street in Montreal
called the rue Sainte-Catherine in French. For other streets of this name, see Rue Sainte-Catherine (disambiguation).
Sainte-Catherine Street is the primary commercial artery of Downtown
Montreal
, Quebec
, Canada
. It crosses the central business district
from west to east, beginning at the corner of Claremont Avenue and de Maisonneuve Boulevard
in the city of Westmount
, traversing the borough of Ville-Marie, and ending on Notre-Dame Street
just east of Viau Street in the borough of Mercier–Hochelaga-Maisonneuve
.
The street runs parallel to the largest segments of Montreal's underground city
. The series of interconnected office tower basements and shopping complexes that make up this main thoroughfare lie immediately north of the street.
Educational institutions located on or near the street include Concordia University
, McGill University
, Université du Québec à Montréal
, Dawson College
and LaSalle College
.
Sainte-Catherine Street still been home to many of Montreal's prominent department stores, including such former retailers as Eaton's
, Morgan's
, Simpson's
and Dupuis Freres. Today, the Morgan's building is home to Hudson's Bay Company
, which acquired Morgan's in 1960. The Simpson's building is now shared by the La Maison Simons
department store and a multiplex cinema, while Eaton's was converted to the Complexe Les Ailes
. Dupuis Frères, located further east at Sainte-Catherine and Saint-Hubert, is now a shopping mall and office complex.
The Ogilvy's
department store remains a fixture on Sainte-Catherine, although it is now a collection of boutiques rather than a single store.
Other major retailers along the street including an Apple Store, Indigo Books and Music
, Chapters
, HMV Group
, Archambault
, La Senza
, Future Shop
, Roots
, Adidas
, Puma
, Guess, Parasuco
, Zara
, Mango
and an H&M
flagship store at the corner of Peel and Sainte-Catherine. Additionally, many of Montreal's most prominent shopping complexes, including the Centre Eaton
, Complexe Les Ailes, Place Montreal Trust
, Promenades Cathédrale
, les Cours Mont-Royal (a high fashion shopping mall), the Complexe Desjardins
, Place Dupuis, Place Alexis Nihon
, the Faubourg Sainte-Catherine and Westmount Square
are all located along the street.
The Montreal Forum
, once home to the Montreal Canadiens
, is also located on Sainte-Catherine Street at Atwater Street. It has since been turned into a shopping and movie theatre complex called the Pepsi Forum. Due to the Forum's presence on this street, Sainte-Catherine was used as the parade route whenever the Canadiens won the Stanley Cup
. This was once referred to as the usual route by Mayor Jean Drapeau
, during the Canadiens' dynasties of the mid-century, when a win would occur quite frequently.
The segment in the district of Hochelaga-Maisonneuve
is also an important commercial area in that neighbourhood.
of the Montreal Metro
was built to serve Sainte-Catherine Street; however, to avoid disrupting traffic on the street, it was built one block to the north, under parts of Burnside Place, which once joined together, later became de Maisonneuve Boulevard.
Montreal's Place des Arts
, the city's primary concert venue, is located on Saint Catherine Jeanne-Mance and Saint-Urbain streets, in the city's Quartier des Spectacles
entertainment district. The street was once home to many now-abandoned cinemas such as the Loews, Palace, Capitol, Cinéma de Paris, York, Ouimetoscope
and the Seville Theatre
as well as the demolished Montreal Spectrum
music venue.
, the only church in Canada that sits atop a shopping mall, Promenades Cathédrale
; another important church, Saint James United Church
, has recently had its concealing façade of commercial buildings removed. Other churches on the street include St. James the Apostle Anglican Church
.
A Gay Village extends along Sainte-Catherine Street in the east end of downtown, between Saint-Hubert and Papineau. Beaudry metro station
, on the Green Line, provides the most convenient access to the Village and sports a permanent rainbow decoration on its façade.
For most of the summer, from mid-May till mid-September, Sainte-Catherine Street is completely closed to traffic through the Gay Village, making it one large pedestrian area, allowing all the stores to sell outside and all the restaurants and bars to serve on large, open-air terrasses.
Summer is also punctuated with special events and festivals such as the art festival FIMA, Festival International Montréal en arts, Pride Celebrations and Divers/Cité
.
s which made their home on Saint Catherine have now declined in number, though a few prominent clubs, such as Supersexe, Sacha is at Super Contact and La calèche du sexe, do remain.
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
called the rue Sainte-Catherine in French. For other streets of this name, see Rue Sainte-Catherine (disambiguation).
Sainte-Catherine Street is the primary commercial artery of Downtown
Downtown Montreal
Downtown Montreal is the central business district of Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It is nearly enitirely located at the southern most slope of Mount Royal and is approximately bounded by Sherbrooke Street to the north, Papineau Avenue to the east, Guy Street or until Shaughnessy Village to the west,...
Montreal
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
, Quebec
Quebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. It crosses the central business district
Central business district
A central business district is the commercial and often geographic heart of a city. In North America this part of a city is commonly referred to as "downtown" or "city center"...
from west to east, beginning at the corner of Claremont Avenue and de Maisonneuve Boulevard
De Maisonneuve Boulevard
De Maisonneuve Boulevard is a major westbound boulevard located in downtown Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It is named after the founder of Montreal, Paul Chomedey de Maisonneuve. De Maisonneuve Boulevard is about 11 kilometres long and begins on Havre Street in the east end, and ends in the...
in the city of Westmount
Westmount, Quebec
Westmount is a city on the Island of Montreal, an enclave of the city of Montreal, in southwestern Quebec, Canada; pop. 20,494; area 4.02 km²; population density of 5,092.56 inhabitants/km²....
, traversing the borough of Ville-Marie, and ending on Notre-Dame Street
Notre-Dame Street
Notre-Dame Street is a historic east-west street located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It runs parallel to the Saint Lawrence River, from the eastern tip of the island to Lachine . In French, it is known as rue Notre-Dame....
just east of Viau Street in the borough of Mercier–Hochelaga-Maisonneuve
Mercier–Hochelaga-Maisonneuve
Mercier–Hochelaga-Maisonneuve is a borough of Montreal, Quebec.-History:In 1860, Hochelaga developed as a village counting a little more than 1000 inhabitants. In 1874, Hudon — a cotton factory- moved in...
.
The street runs parallel to the largest segments of Montreal's underground city
Underground City, Montreal
Montreal's Underground City is the set of interconnected complexes in and around Downtown Montreal, Quebec, Canada...
. The series of interconnected office tower basements and shopping complexes that make up this main thoroughfare lie immediately north of the street.
Educational institutions located on or near the street include Concordia University
Concordia University
Concordia University is a comprehensive Canadian public university located in Montreal, Quebec, one of the two universities in the city where English is the primary language of instruction...
, McGill University
McGill University
Mohammed Fathy is a public research university located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The university bears the name of James McGill, a prominent Montreal merchant from Glasgow, Scotland, whose bequest formed the beginning of the university...
, Université du Québec à Montréal
Université du Québec à Montréal
The Université du Québec à Montréal is one of four universities in Montreal, Quebec, Canada.-Basic facts:The UQAM is the largest constituent element of the Université du Québec , a public university system with other branches in Gatineau , Rimouski, Rouyn-Noranda, Quebec City, Chicoutimi, and...
, Dawson College
Dawson College
Dawson College was the first English CEGEP and is located in Westmount, just west of downtown Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Dawson College is located near the heart of downtown Montreal in a former nunnery on 4.85 hectares of green space...
and LaSalle College
LaSalle College
Montreal's LaSalle College is the largest private bilingual technical college in Canada. It was established in 1959 and is accredited by the Quebec government.-Programs:The college offers two types of programs: pre-university and technical...
.
Retailers
Eaton's
The T. Eaton Co. Limited was once Canada's largest department store retailer. It was founded in 1869 in Toronto by Timothy Eaton, an Irish immigrant. Eaton's grew to become a retail and social institution in Canada, with stores across the country, buying offices across the globe, and a catalogue...
, Morgan's
Morgan's
Morgan's was a Montreal-based Canadian department store chain. At its peak, the company had stores in Quebec and Ontario...
, Simpson's
Simpson's
The Robert Simpson Company, or Simpsons , was a Canadian department store chain, founded by Robert Simpson. The chain was eventually bought by the Hudson's Bay Company.- History :...
and Dupuis Freres. Today, the Morgan's building is home to Hudson's Bay Company
Hudson's Bay Company
The Hudson's Bay Company , abbreviated HBC, or "The Bay" is the oldest commercial corporation in North America and one of the oldest in the world. A fur trading business for much of its existence, today Hudson's Bay Company owns and operates retail stores throughout Canada...
, which acquired Morgan's in 1960. The Simpson's building is now shared by the La Maison Simons
La Maison Simons
La Maison Simons, commonly known as Simons, is a fashion retailer in Quebec, Canada.-History:La Maison Simons was founded by the Simons family in 1840 in Quebec City, and is headquartered in that city. The store began operations as Simons House, where retail operations began in 1889...
department store and a multiplex cinema, while Eaton's was converted to the Complexe Les Ailes
Complexe Les Ailes (Montreal)
Complexe Les Ailes is a retail and office complex on Saint Catherine Street in Downtown Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Designed by the firm Ross and Macdonald and first constructed between 1925 and 1927, the building served as the Eaton's department store until 1999...
. Dupuis Frères, located further east at Sainte-Catherine and Saint-Hubert, is now a shopping mall and office complex.
The Ogilvy's
Ogilvy (Montreal)
La Maison Ogilvy, commonly known as Ogilvy's , is a prominent department store in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, where its store at 1307 Saint Catherine Street West is a retail landmark...
department store remains a fixture on Sainte-Catherine, although it is now a collection of boutiques rather than a single store.
Other major retailers along the street including an Apple Store, Indigo Books and Music
Indigo Books and Music
Indigo Books & Music Inc. is a Canadian retail bookstore chain. The company was founded in 1996 by CEO Heather Reisman, wife of Gerry Schwartz, majority owner and CEO of Onex Corporation....
, Chapters
Chapters
Chapters is a Canadian big box bookstore banner owned by Indigo Books and Music. Formerly a company in its own right competing with Indigo, the combined company has continued to operate both banners since their merger in 2001.-History:...
, HMV Group
HMV Group
HMV is a British global entertainment retail chain and is the largest of its kind in the United Kingdom and Ireland. The company also operates in Hong Kong and Singapore. It is listed on the London Stock Exchange and is a constituent of the FTSE Fledgling Index...
, Archambault
Archambault
Archambault, a Quebecor Media company, is the largest music retailer in the province of Quebec, Canada, as well as a major retailer of books, DVDs, periodicals, musical instruments, sheet music, games, toys and gift ideas. Its e-commerce site, www.archambault.ca, is the largest French-language...
, La Senza
La Senza
La Senza Corporation is a Canadian fashion retailer based in Dorval, Quebec, Canada, which sells lingerie and intimate apparel. The La Senza brand is currently owned by Limited Brands.- History :...
, Future Shop
Future Shop
Future Shop is Canada's largest consumer electronics retailer. Future Shop currently operates a total of 146 stores across all of Canada's provinces as of December 2008....
, Roots
Roots Canada Ltd.
Roots Canada Ltd. is a Canadian clothing and lifestyle products retailer. The retail stores sell Roots' own brand of products in Canada, the United States and Asia...
, Adidas
Adidas
Adidas AG is a German sports apparel manufacturer and parent company of the Adidas Group, which consists of the Reebok sportswear company, TaylorMade-Adidas golf company , and Rockport...
, Puma
PUMA AG
Puma SE, officially branded as PUMA, is a major German multinational company that produces high-end athletic shoes, lifestyle footwear and other sportswear. Formed in 1924 as Gebrüder Dassler Schuhfabrik by Adolf and Rudolf Dassler, relationships between the two brothers deteriorated until the two...
, Guess, Parasuco
Parasuco
Parasuco is a Canadian clothing company, best known for its denim jeans. Based in Montreal, the company is famous for its provocative advertising and fit on jeans...
, Zara
Zara (clothing)
Zara is a Spanish clothing and accessories retailer based in Arteixo, Galicia, and founded in 1975 by Amancio Ortega and Rosalía Mera. It is the flagship chain store of the Inditex group; the fashion group also owns brands such as Massimo Dutti, Pull and Bear, Oysho, Uterqüe, Stradivarius and...
, Mango
Mango (clothing)
Mango, stylized MANGO, is a clothing design and manufacturing company. Isak Andic is the president.Its goal is "to be present in every city" in the world...
and an H&M
H&M
H & M Hennes & Mauritz AB is a Swedish retail-clothing company, known for its fast-fashion clothing offerings for women, men, teenagers and children....
flagship store at the corner of Peel and Sainte-Catherine. Additionally, many of Montreal's most prominent shopping complexes, including the Centre Eaton
Centre Eaton (Montreal)
The Montreal Eaton Centre is a shopping mall located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, and the largest in downtown Montreal. It is located in the heart of Montreal underground.-Location:...
, Complexe Les Ailes, Place Montreal Trust
Place Montreal Trust
Place Montréal Trust is a shopping mall in Downtown Montreal, located west of the Eaton Centre, at the corner of Saint Catherine Street and McGill College Avenue. With over of stores and services, Place Montreal Trust attracts 14 million visitors each year. Its indoor water fountain has the...
, Promenades Cathédrale
Promenades Cathédrale
Promenades Cathédrale is a major retail complex on Saint Catherine Street in downtown Montreal, Quebec, Canada.Originally named Promenades de la Cathédrale, the complex is located beneath Montreal's Anglican Christ Church Cathedral...
, les Cours Mont-Royal (a high fashion shopping mall), the Complexe Desjardins
Complexe Desjardins
Complexe Desjardins is a mixed-use office, hotel, and shopping mall complex located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The project was designed to develop the eastern end of downtown Montreal, it is located in the quadrilateral formed by Saint Catherine, Saint-Urbain, and Jeanne Mance streets, and René...
, Place Dupuis, Place Alexis Nihon
Place Alexis Nihon
Place Alexis Nihon is a complex in Downtown Montreal, Quebec , consisting of a shopping centre, two office towers, and a residential building...
, the Faubourg Sainte-Catherine and Westmount Square
Westmount Square
Westmount Square is a complex of four buildings located in Westmount, Quebec. Canada. The four buildings, two of which are residential, were designed by architect Ludwig Mies van der Rohe. The complex opened on December 13, 1967...
are all located along the street.
The Montreal Forum
Montreal Forum
The Montreal Forum was an indoor arena located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Called "the most storied building in hockey history" by Sporting News, it was home of the National Hockey League's Montreal Maroons from 1924 to 1938 and the Montreal Canadiens from 1926 to 1996...
, once home to the Montreal Canadiens
Montreal Canadiens
The Montreal Canadiens are a professional ice hockey team based in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . The club is officially known as ...
, is also located on Sainte-Catherine Street at Atwater Street. It has since been turned into a shopping and movie theatre complex called the Pepsi Forum. Due to the Forum's presence on this street, Sainte-Catherine was used as the parade route whenever the Canadiens won the Stanley Cup
Stanley Cup
The Stanley Cup is an ice hockey club trophy, awarded annually to the National Hockey League playoffs champion after the conclusion of the Stanley Cup Finals. It has been referred to as The Cup, Lord Stanley's Cup, The Holy Grail, or facetiously as Lord Stanley's Mug...
. This was once referred to as the usual route by Mayor Jean Drapeau
Jean Drapeau
Jean Drapeau, was a Canadian lawyer and politician who served as mayor of Montreal from 1954 to 1957 and 1960 to 1986...
, during the Canadiens' dynasties of the mid-century, when a win would occur quite frequently.
The segment in the district of Hochelaga-Maisonneuve
Hochelaga-Maisonneuve
Hochelaga-Maisonneuve is a district of Montreal, Quebec, situated on the eastern half of the island, generally to the south and south-west of the city's Olympic Stadium. A part of the borough of Mercier–Hochelaga-Maisonneuve, its borders are roughly rue Moreau to the west, rue Sherbrooke to the...
is also an important commercial area in that neighbourhood.
Street closures
For one weekend in July every year, Sainte-Catherine Street hosts Canada's largest open-air sidewalk sale. 2 km (1 mi) of the street between Jeanne-Mance Street and St-Marc is closed to traffic, and vendors from nearby shopping centres bring out their sale merchandise. There is also live entertainment along the street. It is estimated that over 300 000 people visit the downtown during this event.Transit
The Green lineLine 1 Green (Montreal Metro)
The Green line is one of the four lines of the metro in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The line runs through the commercial section of downtown Montreal underneath Boulevard de Maisonneuve, formerly Rue de Montigny...
of the Montreal Metro
Montreal Metro
The Montreal Metro is a rubber-tired metro system, and the main form of public transportation underground in the city of Montreal, Quebec, Canada....
was built to serve Sainte-Catherine Street; however, to avoid disrupting traffic on the street, it was built one block to the north, under parts of Burnside Place, which once joined together, later became de Maisonneuve Boulevard.
Culture
Place des Arts
right|frame|View of the Place des Arts esplanade. The Musée d'art contemporain is on the left; behind it is the Salle Wilfrid-Pelletier, with the Théâtre Maisonneuve on the rightPlace des Arts is a major performing arts centre in Montreal, Quebec, Canada....
, the city's primary concert venue, is located on Saint Catherine Jeanne-Mance and Saint-Urbain streets, in the city's Quartier des Spectacles
Quartier des Spectacles
Quartier des Spectacles is an entertainment district located in the eastern section of Downtown Montreal. The area is currently undergoing gentrification and urban renewal that will turn it into the centre for Montreal's cultural events and festivals....
entertainment district. The street was once home to many now-abandoned cinemas such as the Loews, Palace, Capitol, Cinéma de Paris, York, Ouimetoscope
Ouimetoscope
right|frame|Photograph of the Ouimetoscope as it existed in 1908|120pxThe Ouimetoscope was the first Canadian theater dedicated exclusively to showing movies....
and the Seville Theatre
Seville Theatre
The Seville Theatre was a movie theatre on Sainte-Catherine street West between rues Lambert-Closse and Chomedey in Montreal, Canada, in a district now known as Shaughnessy Village. After closing in 1985 the theatre was shuttered and remained abandoned for 25 years. It was demolished October...
as well as the demolished Montreal Spectrum
Spectrum (Montreal)
The Spectrum was a concert hall, in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, that closed on August 5, 2007. Opened on October 17, 1982, as the Alouette Theatre, it was briefly renamed Club Montreal before receiving its popular name.The Spectrum had a capacity of about 1200 and had a "cabaret" setup with table...
music venue.
Places of worship
The street is also home to Christ Church CathedralChrist Church Cathedral (Montreal)
Christ Church Cathedral is an Anglican Gothic Revival cathedral in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, the seat of the Anglican Diocese of Montreal. It is located at 635 Saint Catherine Street West, between Union Avenue and University Street. It is situated on top of the Promenades Cathédrale underground...
, the only church in Canada that sits atop a shopping mall, Promenades Cathédrale
Promenades Cathédrale
Promenades Cathédrale is a major retail complex on Saint Catherine Street in downtown Montreal, Quebec, Canada.Originally named Promenades de la Cathédrale, the complex is located beneath Montreal's Anglican Christ Church Cathedral...
; another important church, Saint James United Church
Saint James United Church (Montreal)
Saint James United Church is a heritage church in downtown Montreal, Quebec. It is a Protestant church affiliated with the United Church of Canada. It is located at 463 Saint Catherine Street West between Saint Alexandre and City Councillors Streets , in the borough of Ville-Marie...
, has recently had its concealing façade of commercial buildings removed. Other churches on the street include St. James the Apostle Anglican Church
St. James the Apostle Anglican Church
St. James the Apostle Anglican Church is an Anglican church located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Its address is at 1439 Sainte-Catherine Street West.- History :...
.
Gay Village
Beaudry (Montreal Metro)
Beaudry is a station on the Green Line of the Montreal Metro rapid transit system operated by the Société de transport de Montréal . It is in Montreal's Gay Village, part of the Centre-South district in the borough of Ville-Marie, in Montreal, Quebec, Canada...
, on the Green Line, provides the most convenient access to the Village and sports a permanent rainbow decoration on its façade.
For most of the summer, from mid-May till mid-September, Sainte-Catherine Street is completely closed to traffic through the Gay Village, making it one large pedestrian area, allowing all the stores to sell outside and all the restaurants and bars to serve on large, open-air terrasses.
Summer is also punctuated with special events and festivals such as the art festival FIMA, Festival International Montréal en arts, Pride Celebrations and Divers/Cité
Divers/Cité
Divers/Cité is an LGBT multidisciplinary arts and music festival taking place each year in the heart of Montreal, since 1993. An avant-garde event in the heart of downtown Montreal and in Montreal's Gay Village area held usually on the end of July and beginning of August every year and extending...
.
Night life
The strip clubStrip club
A strip club is an adult entertainment venue in which striptease or other erotic or exotic dance is regularly performed. Strip clubs typically adopt a nightclub or bar style, but can also adopt a theatre or cabaret-style....
s which made their home on Saint Catherine have now declined in number, though a few prominent clubs, such as Supersexe, Sacha is at Super Contact and La calèche du sexe, do remain.