Great War Memorial Hall

Last updated
Islamic Centre of Montreal
4538 rue de Verdun.jpg
The Islamic Centre of Montreal, c.2017
Religion
Affiliation Islam
Ecclesiastical or organisational status
StatusActive
Location
Location4538 rue de Verdun, Verdun, Montreal, Quebec
Country Canada
Montreal-blank.png
Red pog.svg
Location in Montreal
Geographic coordinates 45°27′32″N73°34′17″W / 45.4590°N 73.5714°W / 45.4590; -73.5714
Architecture
Architect(s) Frank R. Foster
GroundbreakingApril 20, 1929
Completed1929 (as a hall)

The Great War Memorial Hall now the Islamic Centre of Montreal since 2017, is an historic building in the Verdun neighbourhood of Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It is located on rue de Verdun across from Verdun borough hall and Verdun station. From its opening in 1929 to 2012, it was owned by the Royal Canadian Legion Branch #4. The building was then sold to the Islamic Centre of Montreal, which has used the space as a mosque and community centre. [1]

Notes left on the building following the 2017 Quebec City mosque shooting Condolence messages after Quebec City mosque shooting (34914491036).jpg
Notes left on the building following the 2017 Quebec City mosque shooting

History

The hall's design and construction were overseen by Montreal architect Frank R. Foster on land supplied by Verdun mayor J.A.A Leclair. The cornerstone was laid on April 20, 1929, and it officially opened on October 6, 1929, with a ceremony including Governor-General Freeman Freeman-Thomas, 1st Marquess of Willingdon. [2] Verdun, then an independent city, was a booming street suburb of Montreal, and approximately 20% of male residents were veterans of World War I. [3]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Concordia University</span> University in Montreal, Quebec, Canada

Concordia University is a public English-language research university located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Founded in 1974 following the merger of Loyola College and Sir George Williams University, Concordia is one of the three universities in Quebec where English is the primary language of instruction. As of the 2022–23 academic year, there were 49,898 students enrolled in credit and non-credit courses at Concordia, making the university among the largest in Canada by enrollment. The university has two campuses, set approximately seven kilometres apart: Sir George Williams Campus is the main campus, located in the Quartier Concordia neighbourhood of Downtown Montreal in the borough of Ville Marie; and Loyola Campus in the residential district of Notre-Dame-de-Grâce. With four faculties, a school of graduate studies and numerous colleges, centres and institutes, Concordia offers over 400 undergraduate and over 120 graduate programs and courses.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League</span> Junior ice hockey league in Canada

The Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League is one of the three major junior ice hockey leagues that constitute the Canadian Hockey League (CHL). Officially the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League until 2023, the league includes teams in Quebec and the Maritime provinces of Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, and Prince Edward Island.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ernest Cormier</span> Canadian engineer and architect

Ernest Cormier was a Canadian engineer and architect. He spent much of his career in the Montreal area, designing notable examples of Art Deco architecture, including the Université de Montréal original main building, the Supreme Court of Canada Building in Ottawa, and the Cormier House.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Royal Canadian Legion</span> Canadian veterans organization

The Royal Canadian Legion is a non-profit Canadian veterans' organization founded in 1925. Members include people who served in the military, Royal Canadian Mounted Police, provincial or municipal police, Royal Canadian Air, Army and Sea Cadets and direct relatives.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">LaSalle, Quebec</span> Borough of Montreal in Quebec, Canada

LaSalle is the most southerly borough (arrondissement) of the city of Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It is located in the south-west portion of the Island of Montreal, along the Saint Lawrence River. Prior to 2002, it was a separate municipality that had been incorporated in 1912.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Verdun, Quebec</span> Borough of Montreal in Quebec, Canada

Verdun is a borough (arrondissement) of the city of Montreal, Quebec, located in the southeastern part of the island.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nuns' Island</span> Neighbourhood in Montreal, Quebec, Canada

Nuns' Island is an island located in the Saint Lawrence River that forms a part of the city of Montreal, Quebec. It is part of the borough of Verdun.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Wilson McConnell</span> Canadian industrialist and philanthropist (1877–1963)

John Wilson McConnell was a Canadian sugar refiner, newspaper publisher, humanitarian and philanthropist in Quebec, Canada.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Le Sud-Ouest</span> Borough of Montreal in Quebec, Canada

Le Sud-Ouest is a borough (arrondissement) of the city of Montreal, Quebec, Canada.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Verdun Auditorium</span> Arena in Montreal, Quebec, Canada

The Verdun Auditorium is an arena located in the borough of Verdun, in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The building opened on November 28, 1939 and holds 4,114 seats. It is the largest arena in the west end of Montreal, the complex is also home to Arena Denis Savard, a small minor-hockey rink, attached to its side. The Auditorium has hosted various Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL) teams, including the Verdun Juniors, Verdun Éperviers, and Verdun Collège Français. In 1993, it hosted the Montreal Dragons for their lone season in the short-lived National Basketball League. Since 2022, it has been the home to the Montreal Alliance of the Canadian Elite Basketball League (CEBL). The Auditorium was slated to become the home arena of Les Canadiennes de Montréal in 2019; however, the CWHL folded in May of that year. In November 2023, it was announced that Verdun Auditorium would become the new home of Montréal Victoire of the Professional Women's Hockey League (PWHL) starting in 2024.

The Muslim Association of Canada is a non-profit organization which provides religious and educational services for the Muslim community in Canada.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">McGill University</span> Public university in Montreal, Canada

McGill University is an English-language public research University located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Founded in 1821 by royal charter, the university bears the name of James McGill, a Scottish merchant, whose bequest in 1813 established the University of McGill College. In 1885, the name was officially changed to McGill University.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Montreal</span> Largest city in Quebec, Canada

Montreal is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest in Canada, and the ninth-largest in North America. Founded in 1642 as Ville-Marie, or "City of Mary", it is now named after Mount Royal, the triple-peaked mountain around which the early settlement was built. The city is centred on the Island of Montreal and a few, much smaller, peripheral islands, the largest of which is Île Bizard. The city is 196 km (122 mi) east of the national capital, Ottawa, and 258 km (160 mi) southwest of the provincial capital, Quebec City.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Manon Gauthier</span> Canadian politician

Manon Gauthier is a politician and administrator in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. She served on the Montreal city council since November 2013, and was a member of the Montreal executive committee in Denis Coderre's administration throughout this time with responsibility for culture. Gauthier was previously the chief executive officer of the Segal Centre for Performing Arts from 2009 to 2013.

Alain Tassé is a politician in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. He served on the Montreal city council from 2005 to 2013, initially as a member of the Montreal Island Citizens Union (MICU)/Union Montreal (UM) party and later as an independent. From 2012 to 2013, he was a member of the Montreal executive committee. At an earlier time in his life, he held a leading position in the New Democratic Party in Quebec and was a candidate for the House of Commons of Canada.

Sterling Downey is a Canadian artist, festival organizer, and politician in Montreal, Quebec. He is a founding member and principal organizer of the Under Pressure graffiti art festival in the city and has served on the Montreal city council since 2013 as a member of Projet Montréal.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Defence Industries Limited</span>

Defence Industries Limited (DIL) was a subsidiary of Canadian Industries Limited (C-I-L), founded in 1939 to manufacture munitions for use in World War II. The company operated in number of locations in Canada, in the provinces of Ontario, Quebec, and Manitoba. Its Pickering Works shell-filling plant, along with nearby housing, grew into the town of Ajax.

The boroughs of Montreal, like the rest of Canada and the world, have been individually impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Dominique Gaspard was an American-born creole physician who moved to Quebec in his youth and stayed until his death, having contributed greatly to the medical and black community.

References

  1. Harris, Owain (9 November 2012). "A legion hall's last days". Cult MTL.
  2. "A Gathering Place". Verdun in Wartime: An Engaged Community. communitystories.ca. Retrieved 2 March 2024.
  3. Durflinger, Serge (1 November 2011). Fighting from Home: The Second World War in Verdun, Quebec. UBC Press. p. 116. ISBN   978-0-7748-4104-7.