- Little Burgundy
Little Burgundy is the informal name of a
neighbourhood in the Southwest borough of the city ofMontreal ,Quebec ,Canada , known in French as "La Petite-Bourgogne".The neighborhood was founded as Sainte-Cunegonde, an independent town from the city of Montreal proper. Its approximate boundaries are Atwater Avenue to the west, Saint-Antoine to the north, Peel to the east, and the
Lachine Canal to the south. During the Industrial Revolution it was the site of many so-called "smokestack" industries, most notably the Canadian Pacific Railway yards, and the Steel Company Of Canada (orStelco ) plant, among others. Sainte-Cunegonde was absorbed into the larger city near the turn of the 20th century; the former town hall is now a public library and community centre, located on Vinet Street.As one of the most important sites for the nascent trans-Canadian railway industry, a great many African-American workers were brought in. Originally, many were recruited from the United States, and later, the Caribbean, leading to Little Burgundy's unique niche as the home of Montreal's working-class English-speaking black community. [ [http://www.arch.mcgill.ca/prof/mellin/arch671/winter2001/marcan/drm/html/littleburgundy.htm New Page 1 ] ]
The neighbourhood is famous as a centre of black culture, having produced several talented
jazz musicians. During Prohibition and the later pre-Jean Drapeau years as an 'open city,' Little Burgundy was home to many lively nightclubs featuring homegrown and international performers; one of the most famous wasRockhead's Paradise , owned byRufus Rockhead , after whom a street is named.Oscar Peterson andOliver Jones are the two best-known musicians who emerged from the bebop and post-bop era. Canada's first Afro-Canadian Governor General,Michaëlle Jean , also spent part of her childhood in the area.Today, the neighborhood has enjoyed several phases of gentrification, partly stemming from the construction of townhouses over the former railway yards through the 1980s, and then the 2002 reopening of the Lachine Canal to boat traffic, the revitalization of the Atwater Market, and towards its eastern boundary, the continued expansion of
UQAM 'sEcole de Technologie Supérieure . Little Burgundy is home to the North American arm ofNinja Tune records, many architecture and design offices, new restaurants, the Theatre Corona live-events venue, as well a longstanding antiques row along Notre-Dame Ouest, formally organized as the Quartier des Antiquaires.This neighbourhood is served by the Georges-Vanier station on the
Montreal Metro .Many young teens from the area attend Polyvalente St-Henri which is located in the adjacent neighborhood of St-Henri.Points of interest
*Black Community Centre
*Union United Church Notable people
*
Oscar Peterson , jazz pianist and composer
* Oliver Jones, jazz pianist and composeree also
*
Saint-Henri
*Le Sud-Ouest References
External links
* [http://www.littleburgundy.com/ Little Burgundy website]
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