Parc station, also known as Park Avenue station and formerly Jean-Talon station (french: Gare Jean-Talon, links=no), is a historic railway station building in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Its western end currently houses the

Montreal Metro The Montreal Metro (french: Métro de Montréal) 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, ...

's Parc station, while businesses occupy the rest of the building. Although the main building no longer serves the railway, the Exo commuter rail Parc station is adjacent to it. It is located on Jean-Talon Street at the end of Park Avenue in the Park Extension neighbourhood of the borough of Villeray–Saint-Michel–Parc-Extension. The station was built by the

Canadian Pacific Railway The Canadian Pacific Railway (french: Chemin de fer Canadien Pacifique) , also known simply as CPR or Canadian Pacific and formerly as CP Rail (1968–1996), is a Canadian Class I railway incorporated in 1881. The railway is owned by Canadi ...

in 1931. Its traffic declined in the 1950s and it closed in 1984 when Via Rail transferred service to lines headed into Montreal Central Station. The City of Montreal purchased the building and the western end was converted as a metro station and the remainder of the building was adapted for business use. It currently houses a Joe Fresh outlet.

History

The

built the Park Avenue station, which was designed by architect Colin Drewitt and opened in 1931. It was inaugurated in the presence of Camillien Houde, the mayor of Montreal at the time. Park Avenue station replaced the Mile End railway station, which was located near the corner of Saint Laurent Boulevard and Bernard Street. In its time, all trains headed toward Quebec City,

Ottawa Ottawa (, ; Canadian French: ) is the capital city of Canada. It is located at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River in the southern portion of the province of Ontario. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the core ...

and the Laurentians, including ''Le Petit Train du Nord'', travelled through Park Avenue Station. The station's role as an important railway stop permitted the station to host many important figures. One such event occurred in 1939, when the station was the site of a royal visit by

King George VI George VI (Albert Frederick Arthur George; 14 December 1895 – 6 February 1952) was King of the United Kingdom and the Dominions of the British Commonwealth from 11 December 1936 until his death in 1952. He was also the last Emperor of Ind ...

and his wife

Queen Elizabeth Queen Elizabeth, Queen Elisabeth or Elizabeth the Queen may refer to: Queens regnant * Elizabeth I (1533–1603; ), Queen of England and Ireland * Elizabeth II Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 1926 – 8 September 2022 ...

, who were accompanied by Prime Minister William Lyon Mackenzie King. Park Avenue station was an important stop for railway passengers until the early 1950s. Following the closure of

Place Viger Place Viger was both a grand hotel and railway station in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, constructed in 1898 and named after Jacques Viger, the first Mayor of the city. Although combined stations and hotels were common in the United Kingdom in the la ...

in 1951, Park Avenue station suffered a swift decline in traffic. It was closed itself in 1984 when Via Rail Canada transferred the southern terminal of the Montreal-Quebec City ( Sainte-Foy) via Trois-Rivières train service from

Windsor Station Windsor station or Windsor railway station may refer to: Australia * Windsor railway station, Brisbane * Windsor railway station, Sydney * Windsor railway station, Melbourne Canada * Windsor Station (Montreal) * Windsor station (Nova Scotia) * W ...

to Montreal Central Station. The same year, the city of Montreal acquired the building and ceded part of the building to the Montreal Urban Community for the construction underground of the

's Parc station, which opened in 1987. In 1997, Exo's commuter rail station opened, using the name ''Jean-Talon''; but this was later changed in 2000 to Parc in order to avoid confusion with the Jean-Talon Metro station. The central portion of the building became an Indigo Books and Music store, which closed and was replaced by a

Société des alcools du Québec The Société des alcools du Québec (SAQ; ) is a provincial Crown corporation and monopoly in Quebec responsible for the trade of alcoholic beverages within the province. Organization The official legislation governing the SAQ's operations a ...

store, which itself closed in 2010.

Current use

The central portion of the building currently houses a Joe Fresh outlet. The

's Parc station occupies the western end of the building. Adjacent is the separate Parc commuter rail station.

Montreal Metro station

Parc station serves the Blue Line of the

. It is operated by the Société de transport de Montréal (STM).Parc Metro Station
/ref> The Metro station was built after the city purchased Jean-Talon station in 1984, and opened in 1987. The entrance was built in and under the building's far west end, with the entrance in the former men's smoking room. It is a normal side platform station. The platform level features a frieze by

Huguette Desjardins Huguette Desjardins (born 27 February 1938) is a Canadian artist. A printmaker, painter and public artist, Desjardins is best known for her public artwork in Montreal's Parc Avenue Metro station, installed in 1983. Her work is included in the co ...

, and the skylight at the foot of the stairs to the exit contains a sculpture called ''Métamorphose d'Icare'' by Claire Sarrasin, an homage to the local Greek community.

Commuter trains

The Exo commuter rail operates a station immediately adjacent to the historic building. Parc station is part of Exo's Saint-Jérôme line. The Exo station's platforms are built along the main line; the space between the old Jean-Talon railway station building and the railway line, where the original platforms were located, is now occupied by a Maxi & Cie.

Connecting bus routes

Nearby points of interest

* CLSC Parc Extension * IGA Stadium

References

External links

Parc station on STM website

Montreal by Metro, metrodemontreal.com

2011 STM System Map

Parc Commuter Train Station Information (RTM)

Parc Commuter Train Station Schedule (RTM)
{{Public transport Art Deco architecture in Canada Art Deco railway stations Blue Line (Montreal Metro) Exo commuter rail stations 1997 establishments in Quebec Canadian Pacific Railway stations in Quebec Disused railway stations in Canada Landmarks in Montreal Railway stations in Montreal Railway stations closed in 1983 Railway stations in Canada opened in 1931 Railway stations in Canada opened in 1997 Villeray–Saint-Michel–Parc-Extension