Named the 2nd best neighbourhood in which to live in Montreal by Journal Métro, Saint-Henri is a neighbourhood full of experiences that surprise visitors. With its rich industrial past, this constantly changing neighbourhood never ceases to surprise those who visit. Saint-Henri is a place where gastronomy, music, history and vast green spaces come together.
Under the French regime of Jean Talon, the area now known as the Saint-Henri district became a perfect location for the construction of tanneries on the fur trade route. The first tannery opened its doors in 1685.
In 1813, the small village became Saint-Henri-des-Tanneries, and by the early 19th century, most of the population was making a living from the leather trade. During the same period, the village grew from a simple craft trade to an industry, with the construction of the Lachine Canal, which opened up trade routes to Montreal.
Between 1876 and 1929, Saint-Henri embarked on a second phase of urbanisation. Thanks to the Lachine Canal and the railway that passed through the town, industry developed rapidly, and large factories opened in the town.
It was also during this period (1905) that the Saint-Henri district was annexed to Montreal. Industrialisation meant that the population grew rapidly. Working conditions were harsh, but it was here that important community resources, such as one of the first fraternal benefit societies and Les Chevaliers du Travail, a trade union group that was particularly active in the south-west, developed.
In 1930, the economic crisis hit hard, leaving one in two families unemployed. A slight upturn in activity during the Second World War gave hope to the sector, but in 1960 the Lachine Canal closed, and this was another blow to the district. Major institutions and manufacturing industries closed for good. Saint-Henri was no longer a working-class neighbourhood, but thanks to its proximity to the city centre, it became the city’s dormitory.
In the 1980s, a number of businesses, as well as artists and craftspeople, invested in Saint-Henri and transformed a number of abandoned buildings into offices and multi-tenant spaces. Saint-Henri is still an impoverished district, but since the rebirth of the Atwater market and the reopening of the Lachine Canal to pleasure boating, it has seen a gentrification movement that is changing the commercial landscape.
When you choose Quartiers du Canal, you’re setting up shop in the heart of three Montreal neighborhoods that are enjoying incredible economic growth. Thanks to the area’s strong commercial appeal, a large number of new companies decide to locate here every year.
Take a break from your visit to store, dine, learn, relax and do business.