Saint Denis Street
 |
Saint-Antoine Street, Old Montreal | |
| Major junctions |   A-40 (TCH) R-138 |
|---|---|
| North end | Rue Sommerville, Ahuntsic |
| Construction | |
| Inauguration | 1818 |
Saint Denis Street (officially in French: Rue Saint-Denis) is a major north–south thoroughfare in Montreal, Quebec.
It extends from the
Saint Paul Street in Old Montreal to the bank of the Rivière des Prairies at the north end of the island. It is designated Route 335 from Sherbrooke Street to the Metropolitan Expressway, and is known as Bonsecours Street south of Saint Antoine Street. Along its length, it passes through the boroughs of Ville-Marie, Le Plateau-Mont-Royal, Rosemont–La Petite-Patrie, Villeray–Saint-Michel–Parc-Extension, and Ahuntsic-Cartierville
.
Saint-Denis serves as one of the primary thoroughfares of both the
Orange Line runs parallel to the street, two blocks to the east except for Berri–UQAM station which has an entrance on the street. Rosemont station is
located on Saint Denis street but doesn’t have an entrance to the street.
It is named for
Saint Denis of Paris
.
Route description
South of the
Ville-Marie Expressway, the street crosses Old Montreal and is named rue Bonsecours. North of the Ville-Marie Expressway, it becomes Saint Denis Street and crosses the Quartier Latin. In the Quartier Latin, its vocation is primarily touristic and leisure-related, with restaurants and theatres located along this stretch. Near Saint Catherine Street, it crosses the downtown Université du Québec à Montréal (UQAM) campus while a little further north, it borders the Cégep du Vieux Montréal
.
North of Sherbrooke Street, Saint Denis Street enters the borough of
Rosemont-La Petite-Patrie to the north, it is a commercial street lined with small stores. Parallel streets are mostly residential. To the west, Saint Laurent Boulevard
also serves a commercial purpose.
In the boroughs of
Crémazie Boulevard, it is a one-way northbound street with little traffic since the northbound Highway 335 continues along the Lajeunesse Street and Berri Street
.
History
Saint Denis Street opened in the early nineteenth century on land acquired by Louis-Joseph Papineau (1786−1871) and his aunt Perine Charles Cherrier, widow of Denis Viger (1741−1805).
Extended several times, Saint Denis Street developed gradually after the construction of
French Canadian
elite. Before the end of the century, it began to transform into a commercial street, ascending slowly northward.
In the early 20th century, the section of the Saint Denis Street between Dorchester Street (now
École Polytechnique de Montréal, the Saint-Sulpice Library and many bookstores. It was deserted by academics following the relocation of Université of Montreal and École Polytechnique on the northern slope of Mount Royal. From the late 1970s, the academic character of the neighbourhood returned with the construction of pavilions for the Université du Québec à Montréal
, around the steeple of the old Saint Jacques Cathedral.
See also
- Louis-Hippolyte Lafontaine who lived on Saint Denis Street
Bibliography
- Christiane Abboud (dir.), Les rues de Montréal, Répertoire historique, Montréal, Éditions du Méridien, 1995, 23 cm, 547 p. (ISBN 2-89415-139-X), p. 423.
