Milton Parc: Over a Century of Community Building

Since the opening of the Hôtel-Dieu Hospital in 1861, the Milton Parc neighbourhood has witnessed constantly renewed social and citizen engagement. When Milton Parc became the target of real estate developers in the late 1950s, residents rallied to protect the diverse character of their community. A long grassroots struggle resulted in the creation of what was at the time Canada’s largest co-operative and non-profit housing project. Residents have since continued to work together to improve and preserve their neighbourhood, for the present and the future.

The exhibition Milton Parc: Over a Century of Community Building is the result of a collaboration between the MEM – Centre des mémoires montréalaises and citizens who are passionate advocates for the preservation of the neighbourhood and its history. Growing out of a local initiative in 2020, the collaboration has taken various forms and involved many current and former Milton Parc residents. The participation of university and community partners helped bring this rich history to light.

To find out more about the neighbourhood, check out the report The Milton Park neighbourhood: theatre of a changing urban life in our online encyclopedia (in French Only).