Atwater Avenue (officially in ) is a major north–south street located in

Montreal Montreal is the List of towns in Quebec, largest city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Quebec, the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-largest in Canada, and the List of North American cit ...

Quebec Quebec is Canada's List of Canadian provinces and territories by area, largest province by area. Located in Central Canada, the province shares borders with the provinces of Ontario to the west, Newfoundland and Labrador to the northeast, ...

, Canada. It links

Doctor Penfield Avenue Doctor Penfield Avenue (officially in ) is a One-way traffic, one-way eastbound street located in the Golden Square Mile neighbourhood of the Boroughs of Montreal, borough of Ville-Marie, Montreal, Ville-Marie in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Spanning ...

in the Ville-Marie

borough A borough is an administrative division in various English language, English-speaking countries. In principle, the term ''borough'' designates a self-governing walled town, although in practice, official use of the term varies widely. History ...

to the north, and Henri Duhamel Street in the

Verdun Verdun ( , ; ; ; official name before 1970: Verdun-sur-Meuse) is a city in the Meuse (department), Meuse departments of France, department in Grand Est, northeastern France. It is an arrondissement of the department. In 843, the Treaty of V ...

borough to the south. It is named for

Edwin Atwater Edwin Atwater (September 14, 1808 – June 18, 1874) was a Canadian businessman, corporate director and municipal politician in Montreal. He started a business dealing paints, varnish and plate-glass, and was the first business to import glass i ...

. The street runs through the Atwater Tunnel near the Atwater Market in

Saint-Henri Saint-Henri () is a neighbourhood in southwestern Montreal, Quebec, Canada, in the Montreal borough, borough of Le Sud-Ouest. Saint-Henri is bounded to the east by Atwater Avenue, to the west by the town of Montreal West, Quebec, Montreal West, ...

, before climbing and straddling the border of the city of

Westmount Westmount () is a city on the Island of Montreal, in southwestern Quebec, Canada. It is an enclave of the city of Montreal, with a population of 19,658 as of the 2021 Canadian census. Westmount is home to schools, an arena, a pool, a public li ...

. The

Montreal Forum Montreal Forum () is a historic building located facing Cabot Square, Montreal, Cabot Square in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Called "the most storied building in hockey history" by ''Sporting News'', it was an indoor arena which served as the home o ...

, Place Alexis-Nihon,

Dawson College Dawson College is an English-language public college in Westmount and Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The college is situated near the heart of Downtown Montreal in a former nunnery on approximately of green space. It is the largest CEGEP in the p ...

, Atwater and Lionel-Groulx stations of the

Montreal Metro The Montreal Metro (, ) is a rubber-tired underground rapid transit system serving Greater Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The metro, operated by the Société de transport de Montréal (STM), was inaugurated on October 14, 1966, during the tenure ...

, and the

Atwater Market Atwater Market is a market hall located in the Saint-Henri area of Montreal, Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It opened in 1933. The interior market is home to many butchers and the Première Moisson bakery and restaurant. The outside market has many f ...

are located on this street. Below

downtown Montreal Downtown Montreal (French language, French: ''Centre-Ville de Montréal'') is the central business district of Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The district is situated on the southernmost slope of Mount Royal, and occupies the western portion of the ...

, it runs through the

Little Burgundy Little Burgundy (, ) is a neighbourhood in the Le Sud-Ouest, South West Boroughs of Montreal, borough of the city of Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Geography Its approximate boundaries are Atwater Avenue to the west, Saint Antoine Street, Saint-An ...

district and, by way of the Atwater Tunnel under the

Lachine Canal The Lachine Canal (, ) is a canal passing through the southwestern part of the Island of Montreal, Quebec, Canada, running 14.5 kilometres (9 miles) from the Old Port of Montreal to Lake Saint-Louis, through the boroughs of Lachine (borough), L ...

, through the

Pointe Saint-Charles Pointe-Saint-Charles (; also known in English as Point Saint Charles, and locally as The Point, or "PSC") is a neighbourhood in the Montreal borough, borough of Le Sud-Ouest in the city of Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Historically a working-class are ...

district.

History

Atwater Avenue owes its name to a local businessman and city councilor by the name of

(1808-1874), who participated in the foundation of the ''Montreal City and District Savings Bank'' (later known as

Laurentian Bank of Canada The Laurentian Bank of Canada (LBC; ) is a Schedule 1 bank that operates primarily in the province of Quebec, with commercial and business banking offices located in Ontario, Alberta, British Columbia, and Nova Scotia. LBC's Institution Number ( ...

), and the

Montreal Telegraph Company The Montreal Telegraph Company was the first significant telegraph company in Canada. In 1847, early telegraph pioneer Orrin S. Wood was recruited to be president of the company, which rapidly established telegraph lines to Toronto and Quebec City ...

.Commission de toponymie du Québec
/ref> It was in 1871, that Montreal City Council named the street after Atwater.

References

Streets in Montreal Ville-Marie, Montreal Le Sud-Ouest Westmount {{Quebec-road-stub