Parc station (), also known as Park Avenue station and formerly Jean-Talon station (), is a historic

railway station Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport using wheeled vehicles running in railway track, tracks, which usually consist of two parallel steel railway track, rails. Rail transport is one of the two primary means of ...

building in

Montreal, Quebec 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 ...

, Canada. Its western end currently houses 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 ...

's Parc station, while businesses occupy the rest of the building. Although the main building no longer serves the railway, the

Exo Exo (; stylized in all caps) is a South Korean-Chinese boy band based in Seoul formed by SM Entertainment in 2011 and debuted in 2012. The group consists of nine members: Xiumin, Suho, Lay Zhang, Lay, Baekhyun, Chen (singer), Chen, Chanyeol, ...

commuter rail Commuter rail or suburban rail is a Passenger train, passenger rail service that primarily operates within a metropolitan area, connecting Commuting, commuters to a Central business district, central city from adjacent suburbs or commuter town ...

Parc station is adjacent to it. It is located on

Jean-Talon Street Jean Talon Street (officially in ) is one of the longest streets on the Island of Montreal. It runs from Décarie Boulevard in the west through Anjou in the east to Galeries d'Anjou. Jean Talon was the first Intendant of New France. In the Tow ...

at the end of

Park Avenue Park Avenue is a boulevard in New York City that carries north and southbound traffic in the borough (New York City), boroughs of Manhattan and the Bronx. For most of the road's length in Manhattan, it runs parallel to Madison Avenue to the wes ...

in the

Park Extension Park Extension (, ) is a neighbourhood in the city of Montréal, Québec. It is located in the borough of Villeray–Saint-Michel–Parc-Extension and has a population of 33,800 and an area of 1.6 km2 (400 acres). The name derives from the fa ...

neighbourhood of the borough of

Villeray–Saint-Michel–Parc-Extension Villeray–Saint-Michel–Parc-Extension () is a borough (''arrondissement'') in the city of Montreal, Quebec. It had a population of 143,853 according to the 2016 Census and a land area of . The borough of Villeray–Saint-Michel–Parc-Extensi ...

. The station was built by the

Canadian Pacific Railway The Canadian Pacific Railway () , 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 Canadian Pacific Kansas City, Canadian Pacific Ka ...

in 1931. Its traffic declined in the 1950s and it closed in 1984 when

Via Rail Via Rail Canada Inc. (), operating as Via Rail or Via (stylized as VIA Rail), is a Canadian Crown corporation that operates intercity passenger rail service in Canada. As of December 2023, Via Rail operates 406 trains per week across eight ...

transferred service to lines headed into

Montreal Central Station Montreal Central Station (, ) is the major inter-city rail station and a major commuter rail hub in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Nearly 11 million rail passengers use the station every year, making it the second-busiest train station in Canada, af ...

. 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 Joe Fresh is a Canadian fashion brand and retail chain created by designer Joe Mimran for Canadian food distributor Loblaw Companies, Loblaw Companies Limited. It was formed in 2006. The label includes adult and children's wear, shoes, handbags, ...

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 Camillien Houde (August 13, 1889 – September 11, 1958) was a Quebec politician, a Member of Parliament, and a four-time mayor of Montreal. He is of the few Canadian politicians to have served at all three levels of government. During Worl ...

, the mayor of Montreal at the time. Park Avenue station replaced the

Mile End Mile End is an area in London, England and is located in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. It is in East London and part of the East End of London, East End. It is east of Charing Cross. Situated on the part of the London-to-Colchester road ...

railway station, which was located near the corner of

Saint Laurent Boulevard Saint Laurent Boulevard, also known as Saint Lawrence Boulevard (officially in ), is a major street in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. A commercial artery and cultural heritage site, the street runs north west–south east through the near-centre of ...

and Bernard Street. In its time, all CPR trains headed toward

Quebec City Quebec City is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Quebec. As of July 2021, the city had a population of 549,459, and the Census Metropolitan Area (including surrounding communities) had a populati ...

Ottawa Ottawa is the capital city of Canada. It is located in the southern Ontario, southern portion of the province of Ontario, at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the cor ...

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 A state visit is a formal visit by the head of a sovereign country (or representative of the head of a sovereign country) to another sovereign country, at the invitation of the head of state (or representative) of that foreign country, with th ...

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 In ...

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 (1926–2022; ), Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms * Queen B ...

, who were accompanied by

Prime Minister A prime minister or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. A prime minister is not the head of state, but r ...

William Lyon Mackenzie King William Lyon Mackenzie King (December 17, 1874 – July 22, 1950) was a Canadian statesman and politician who was the tenth prime minister of Canada for three non-consecutive terms from 1921 to 1926, 1926 to 1930, and 1935 to 1948. A Liberal ...

. 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 Via Rail Canada Inc. (), operating as Via Rail or Via (stylized as VIA Rail), is a Canadian Crown corporation that operates intercity passenger rail service in Canada. As of December 2023, Via Rail operates 406 trains per week across eight ...

transferred the southern terminal of the Montreal-Quebec City ( Sainte-Foy) via

Trois-Rivières Trois-Rivières (, ; ) is a city in the Mauricie administrative region of Quebec, Canada. It is located at the confluence of the Saint-Maurice River, Saint-Maurice and Saint Lawrence River, Saint Lawrence rivers, on the north shore of the Sain ...

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) * Wi ...

. The same year, the city of Montreal acquired the building and ceded part of the building to the

Montreal Urban Community The Montreal Urban Community (MUC) (, , CUM) was a regional government in Quebec, Canada, that covered all municipalities located on the Island of Montreal and the islands of L'Île-Dorval and Île Bizard from January 1970 (when it was created ...

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 Jean-Talon is a provincial electoral riding in the Capitale-Nationale region of Quebec, Canada. It consists of part of the Sainte-Foy–Sillery–Cap-Rouge borough of Quebec City. It was named after former French colonial administrator of New ...

Metro station. The central portion of the building became an

Indigo Books and Music Indigo Books & Music Inc., known as "Indigo" and stylized "!ndigo", is Canada's only major English-language bookstore chain. It is Canada's largest book, gift, and specialty toy retailer, operating stores in all ten Provinces and territori ...

store, which closed and was replaced by a

Société des alcools du Québec The Société des alcools du Québec (SAQ; ) is a provincial state-owned enterprise and monopoly in Quebec responsible for the trade of alcoholic beverages, and via subsidiary, cannabis, within the province. Organization The official legisla ...

store, which itself closed in 2010.

Current use

The central portion of the building currently houses a

outlet. The

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

station.

Montreal Metro station

Parc station serves the Blue Line of the

. It is operated by the

Société de transport de Montréal The Société de transport de Montréal (, STM; ) is a public transport agency that operates transit bus and rapid transit services in the urban agglomeration of Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Established in 1861 as the "Montreal City Passenger Railwa ...

(STM). 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 A side platform (also known as a marginal platform or a single-face platform) is a platform positioned to the side of one or more railway tracks or guideways at a railway station, tram stop, or transitway. A station having dual side platforms, ...

station. The platform level features a ''

tabula scalata Tabula scalata are pictures with two images divided into strips on different sides of a corrugated carrier. Each image can be viewed correctly from a certain angle. Most tabula scalata have the images in vertical lines so the picture seems to cha ...

'' frieze by Huguette Desjardins, 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. In 2022, the STM's Universal Accessibility Report noted that preliminary design work to make the station accessible was underway.

Commuter trains

The

operates a station immediately adjacent to the historic building. Parc station is part of Exo's

Saint-Jérôme line Saint-Jérôme (also designated line 12, formerly known as Blainville–Saint-Jérôme and Montreal–Blainville) is a commuter rail service in Greater Montreal, Quebec. It is operated by Exo (public transit), Exo, the organization that operate ...

. 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 CLSCs (''centre local de services communautaires'', local community service centre) in Quebec are free clinics and hospitals run and maintained by the Quebec government. They are a form of community health centre. The service was launched in the ...

Parc Extension *

IGA Stadium IGA Stadium (), originally called Du Maurier Stadium and formerly Uniprix Stadium, is the main tennis court at the Canadian Open tournament in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Built in 1996 and completed the following year, the centre court stadium cur ...

Jarry Park Jarry Park is an urban park in the Villeray–Saint-Michel–Parc-Extension borough of Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Jarry Park has total area of 36 hectares. It is considered by the City of Montreal as one of its large parks. From 1969 to 1976 ...

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 in Canada closed in 1983 Railway stations in Canada opened in 1931 Railway stations in Canada opened in 1997 Buildings and structures in Villeray–Saint-Michel–Parc-Extension