About Little Burgundy

Little Burgundy

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Little_Burgundy

History

The neighbourhood was founded as Sainte-Cunegonde, an independent town from the city of Montreal proper. Its approximate boundaries are Atwater Street to the west, Saint-Antoine to the north, Mountain Street 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 (or Stelco) 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 from the United States. Later Caribbean blacks were also brought in, leading to Little Burgundy's unique niche as the home of Montreal's working-class English-speaking black community.^[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 was Rockhead's Paradise, owned by Rufus Rockhead, after whom a street is named. Oscar Peterson and Oliver Jones are the two best-known musicians who emerged from the bebop and post-bop era. Canada's first black Governor General, Michaëlle Jean, also spent part of her childhood in the area.
Today, the neighbourhood has endured 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's Ecole de Technologie Supérieure. Little Burgundy is home to the North American arm of Ninja Tune records, many architecture and design offices, new restaurants, as well a longstanding antiques row along Notre-Dame West, formally organized as the "Quartier des Antiquaires".
This neighbourhood is served by the Georges-Vanier station and the Lionel-Groulx station on the Montreal Metro. Many young teens from the area attend Polyvalente St-Henri which is located in the adjacent neighbourhood of St-Henri.