Modern Day St. Lambert

Pictures of modern day St. Lambert and area with descriptions of yesteryear

Gordon Park across from City Hall no longer has the bandstand that stood for many generations. Today Gordon Park is surrounded with rose bushes and several beautiful floral displays, and includes a large pool and jet fountain. St. Lambert, like so many other Eastern Canadian communities, had considerable tree-damage as a result of the early 1998 Ice Storm. (View Ice Storm). Today, St. Lambert appears to have not only fully recovered, but some streets and avenues appear to be nearly blanketed with tree overhang. Looking up Victoria Ave., or down Green St., or along L'Esperance and many others the streets, the City really has become a forested area. According to Don Nyveen who recently visited St. Lambert: "What amazed me most was how the vegetation, the trees especially, had matured along L'Esperance. Guess they hadn't stood still either during the passage of "XX" years!

Victoria Ave. Looking toward Gordon Park. (D.Syme)

 

St. Lambert Police Station at Argyle and Aberdeen. (W. Plumb)

 

Victoria Ave. Formerly The "Blue & Grey Wool Shop". (W.Plumb)

 

Victoria Ave. Old A & P and Miss Hughes Gift Shop. (D.Syme)

 

Victoria Ave. La Touche Finale took over premises and trade style from "Miss Hughes Gift Shop". (W.Plumb)

 

Victoria Ave. Block - Formerly Hughes Shoes and Ranger Hardware. (D.Syme)

 

Victoria Ave. Formerly St. Lambert Pastry and Soda Bar. (D.Syme)

 

Victoria Ave. Victoria Theatre and the J.L. Taylor Dept. Store were combined as "Taylor's". (D.Syme)

 

Victoria Ave. "Taylor's" Department Store on the right. (W.Plumb)

 

Victoria Ave. Kapetan Restaurant next to the T.D. Bank, is just below Webster St. (W.Plumb)

Victoria Ave. Kapetan Restaurant Window acknowledges C.C.H.S. (W.Plumb)

Victoria Ave. Castonguay's Cycle & Skate Sharpening, corner of Horsfall St. across from the St. L. BBQ (H. Carter)

Horsfall St. - The street was named after my great-grandfather, Joseph Horsfall, who was mayor of St. Lambert in 1894 - he was quite a prominent citizen and property owner until he lost everything for unpaid taxes in the Depression. He was also instrumental in the founding of St. Barnabas anglican church. The name is a fairly common name in Yorkshire and the family tree goes back to about 1100 - it's huge and still prospering. - Mary Wickens

The former St. Lambert Home Hospital near the corner of Stanley and Victoria Ave. (B.Smith)

Green St. St. Lambert Bowling Alley, Jazzar's and G.W. Clark Travel Agents. (W.Plumb)

Green St. Formerly "The Cave" or Cavendish Tea Room, next to Taxi Stand. (W.Plumb)

Green St. Formerly Chartrand's News Magazine, next to Snyder's South Shore Electric. (W.Plumb)

Green St. Ahern's. (H.Carter)

Green St. The Modern Shop on corner of Oak Ave. (H.Carter)

Green St. Romeo Snack Bar. (H.Carter)

Desaulniers Blvd. The Rainbow Market. (H.Carter)

Lorne Ave. The Masonic Lodge Corner of Elm St. (H.Carter)

Alexandria Park

Located at the junction of Bedford and Casgrain Avenues and also bounded by Alexandra and Queen’s Blvd., Alexandra Park originated in the mid-1950’s and was managed by Alec Storen who looked after all the newly built city sports-parks. These parks were monitored by C.C.H.S. senior students and were sometimes visited by Mr. Storen to make sure the monitors were ‘on-the-job’. Initially the parks consisted of a small changing-house, a wading pool, swings and see-saws, plus a softball diamond. Later a full-size hockey rink was added, which eventually gave-way to tennis courts with night lighting. Full-size swimming pools were also added.

The oldest boulevard in St. Lambert is Union, which runs from Riverside Drive (at the bottom), up to Victoria Ave. Prior to many streets recently being re-named, those that crossed this boulevard were First, Second and Third, now called Osborne, Prince Arthur and Queen. Aside from the gorgeous mansions that border both sides of this boulevard, the fortunate people who reside here enjoy one of the loveliest and shadiest tree-lined streets St. Lambert offers.

Many St. Lambert and Chambly County High alumni families from the earlier years included Robin and Jean Nesbitt, Marjorie and Jim Innes, Marina Myles, Ruth Townsend, Glenna, Tom and David Reid, Beverley and Fred Burton, Carol Leblanc, Jim Groundwater, Michael and Susan Rowley, Bob, Peter, Gordie, Brent and Missy (Valerie) Harrison, Barbara, Beverley and Margo MacNutt, John, Leslie and Guy Valentine, Nelson and Bill Reynolds, Michael, Steven, Rosalie and Lisa Sibalis, Rebecca Saurus, Ted Lawrence, Candice and Brad Diamond, Malcolm and Guy Balks (and a sister), Lynn Marler and Fred Mulley, and way at the top end lived Fred Atkinson (1950’s) and teacher John Murray.

Thanks to Missy Harrison C'71 for recalling and providing so many individual names.
Warren Mackenzie - mmslon@sympatico.ca

The first picture is from 1986, the second from 1999 and the last photo was taken in 2008. In case you don't know the place, it's Le Balcon d'Art on Notre Dame, who will be celebrating their 25th anniversary in October. (Photo by Natalie Beauchamp C'92)

The St. Lambert Rec. Centre as it appears today.

"In the late 1940's the St. Lambert Branch of the Canada Legion planned the construction of a recreation center and when they didn't have enough money for a completed building they dug a foundation and put a temporary flat roof over it. This gave us hockey, football and track-and-field changing rooms, with an open general-area for meetings and Saturday night dances. There was also a small kitchen where hot dogs, soft drinks and ice cream were sold when the 'Pit' was in use.

This was run by 'Tom the Greek', who also owned the 'Cave' (AKA the 'Cavendish Tea Room', our hangout across the street from the old high school). My dad installed the public address system for both outside events and inside dance music. The D.J. was Doggie Parsons, a few years older than me.

I used the 'Pit' changing rooms and attended the dances from about 1951-53. It may have been opened sooner - I'm just not sure of the exact year. I am also not sure if the Legion ran out of money or simply couldn't raise enough to build the full facility in one go. I don't know when the project was completed, but seem to recall a second story was added by the time I graduated from university - 1957." Photo by Bruce Field (C-'48) and comments provided by Andy Little (C-'53).

Harvey Carter (C-'60) "I am told the "Pit" was officially opened in 1948. Another thing I clearly remember is that one could get three plays for a nickel on the Jukebox. Also, I understand that it will soon be torn down and a bigger complex put up. The St. Lambert Recreation Department, that is now housed on Lorne Ave., will be moved to the new building."

Angus Cross (C'-60) "I remember The Pit was just the basement when I moved to St. Lambert in the summer of 1957. It was 1958 or 1959 that the second story was added, which also included an apartment that was home to Director - Eric Sharpe and his family. Eric went on to be Mayor of the town, and his 2 boys attended CCHS.

For a more in-depth recount of "Pit" history visit Andy Little's Flashback article, Tales From the Pit.

The City of St. Lambert had two mayors named Desaulniers. The first was Dr.E.M.Desaulniers who was mayor from 1904-05. The second was Edmond Desaulniers who was a notary. He was mayor from 1908-10. It was his house that is now Maison Desaulniers. The doctor lived in a house on Victoria at the corner of what is now Webster. At one time it was the building where Parkers dry cleaners were located. He opened the first drug store in St.Lambert in a small store attached to the front of his house.( that’s the part where the dry cleaners were) The two lived only a block apart. The Southern Counties railway opened Webster street from Victoria to Mercille in 1909 when they built the street car line. The street was named Desaulniers after the two mayors. It was later changed to Webster. This was probably because the city fathers felt that the two former mayors deserved a bigger street to be named after them. The notary’s house was sold to another family and again later to the Provincial Government who used it for the Roads Department. It was later sold back to City of St.Lambert and turned into Maison Desaulniers as a seniors center. (Photo and comments provided by Bruce Fileld)

It was after L. E. Waterman's death in 1901 that the company took off. Under the leadership of Waterman's nephew, Frank D. Waterman, the Waterman Pen Company expanded aggressively worldwide, and soon opened it’s very large Canadian factory in St. Lambert, which for many years was the City’s largest corporate employer. As the 20th. century wore on Waterman's conservatism allowed its younger and more innovative competitors to gain market share -- Parker, Shaffer, and Wahl-Eversharp, in particular. By the later 1920s, Waterman was playing catch-up; it continued to struggle through and beyond World War II before finally shutting down in 1954.

The Waterman factory site at the south end of Elm St. has now become the location for the City’s newest and largest condominium with little remaining to remind us of the old establishment except the impressive high tower located directly above the building’s main entrance on Rue Waterman. (Photo by Bruce Field).

Elm St. The Bell Canada Building. (H.Carter)

St. Denis St. Formerly Dupuis Freres Lumber on Left and Wallace's B/A (Gulf) Garage on Right. (H.Carter)

St. Denis St. The "Subway" Store. Original proprietor Archie James followed by Vic Hill. (H.Carter)

Second St. Up the slope to St. Lambert CNR Train Station. (H.Carter)

Lesperance St. Lesperance Park Wading Pool and The Brookline T.C. (H.Carter)

Lesperance St. The Brookline Tennis Court Club House at top of Walnut Ave. (H.Carter)

Riverside Drive The Country Club of Montreal. (W.Plumb)

The War memorial in St. Lambert