Town of Mount Royal is designated a national historic site of Canada

(COMMUNIQUÉ) Following a favourable recommendation by the Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada, the Minister of the Environment, John Baird, has designated the Model City of Mount Royal as a national historic site.

It was in December 2005 that, on its own initiative, Mount Royal applied to the Board for recognition. The review of the application revealed many aspects in support of such a designation, in particular a rare consistency and exemplary respect of the Town’s original urban plan by the successive administrations. In the Board’s view, the enduring vision of landscape architect Frederick G. Todd today confers upon Mount Royal an uncommonly high level of achievement for an idealized planned bedroom community.

More specifically, the Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada holds that “the Model City of Mount Royal is of historic significance because:

-from a design perspective, its remarkable synthesis of urban renewal movements of the early 20th century, reflecting the influence of the City Beautiful, Garden City and Garden Suburb movements, the quality of its construction, and its high level of integrity make it an outstanding example of a planned community in Canada;

-the breadth of its realization illustrates the role of the speculative and real estate activities of the railway companies; and

-its organization and construction over decades reflect change occurring in urban planning in the early 20th century, as well as the impact of landscape architects on urban planning with their insistence on a long-term perspective.”

In recognition of its designation as a national historic site, Mount Royal will receive, in the coming months, a commemorative plaque that it will display in a strategic public location.

Mount Royal’s designation as a national historic site of Canada paves the way for the celebration of its centennial in 2012.



(Source: Town of Mount Royal)