Saturday Photo: Signs of the Times on the Plateau

The Plateau district of Montreal was until about 30 years ago a working class neighborhood, full of small houses, neighborhood commerce and light industry. It was scheduled for urban renewal in the 1970s, but was saved, partly by government inertia and partly by Portuguese immigrants who bought and rebuilt the houses through sweat and community financing.

Now it is among the trendiest in Canada. Much of the basic housing/building stock remains but has been transformed. The store at the top--the sign says it's the "Butter Market"= -has been changed to condos: too bad the graffitiers have defaced the sign. The building on the left now houses a theatre troop. The sign is hard to read because of the Virginia creeper which now climbs up the wall: I had meant to take a photo of it before spring advanced too far, but once greenry starts to sprout here it advances very quickly. On the right is a more recent sign in the parking lot--one of the few on Mont Royal boulevard-- of a shoe store/factory.