Many large cities have their own trademark architectural styles. Amsterdam is known for its leaning brick houses, Paris for its sandstone Haussmann buildings, New York City for its fire escapes. Montreal has its own signature element as well – its twisty iron staircases. Montrealers have a love/hate relationship with these twisty stair designs. Some find them endearing, considering them unique icons of the city and part of its history. For others, they’re ugly, and hazardous to climb and descend, especially when Montreal’s winter makes everything slippy.
Montreal Plexes
In many central areas of Montreal, apartments are arranged into duplexes, triplexes, and quadruplexes. These apartments are known as (you guessed it!) plexes, a commonly used housing style in Montreal. These buildings often have steep, wrought-iron, outdoor staircases that reach to the higher levels directly from the street. While many look like slippery hazards (especially in the snow), and brutal on the knees, there’s no denying that they look, well, awesome!
Nevertheless, Montrealers find a way to make them work. Many have slip-proof pads fixed to each step, or rough carpet pieces to provide grip in the snow.
Staircases of Montreal come in all manner of shapes. Long and straight staircases that look like fire engine ladders; S-shaped snakes that turn and turn again; pairs of mirrored L-shapes that rise up together and turn sharply to neighbouring doors on each side; helical staircases that look like iron models of DNA. Their designs are striking, especially when rows of plexes all together create a jumble of metal.
Origin of Montreal’s Twisted Staircases
Between 1850 and 1900, Montreal’s population quadrupled from around 58,000 to 267,000. The influx of people were mainly English and Scottish immigrants, as well as rural Quebecers attracted to opportunities in the big city. Plexes were appearing all around Montreal, thought to have been inspired by British housing styles. Because of the high density of the city, space was becoming more of an issue, so the city began placing width restrictions on new plexes, and stipulating that each building should have room for green space in front of each.
A golden opportunity arose to save space. With limited living area on the inside, residents built their access staircases on the outside so that the buildings no longer wasted space on common areas. Heating apartments became more efficient, and the stairs served as safer fire escapes. To fit them between the tight gap of the road and the front door, the staircases became steep and non-linear, resulting in the eye-catching twisty forms we see today. The Catholic Church weighed in as well, supporting the exterior staircases as a respectable way to enter ones home through a public space.
As Canada’s largest city and port at the time, it was also a hub for craftsmen and artists, who began adding their own stylistic touches to the stairs. Floral and organic motifs became commonplace, as did incorporating wood into the stair designs. However, over the following decades the iron stairs of Montreal fell out of fashion, being labelled ugly and dangerous, and their construction was ceased by 1940.
By the 1970s however, interest in the aesthetic and historic value of Montreal’s staircases picked up, and their construction was allowed again, as long as they conformed to new safety standards. While the newer staircases don’t have the old ‘death trap’ charm, they are still an integral part of the style of Montreal.
Montreal Staircases as an Icon of the City
Today, the staircases of Montreal are considered an architectural icon; a charming reminder of the city’s history. In 2012, a survey ran by the Pointe-à-Callière museum found that the staircases were voted Montreal’s most iconic symbol (apparently, more iconic than poutine!). What’s more, no two staircases appear to be the same, giving a unique identity to each building. Pot plants and candles are a common sight on the stairs, too.
The staircases are more commonly found in the older neighbourhoods of the city, such as Le Plateau, Villeray, Ville Émard, Rosemont, Mile End, and more. It is estimated that there are 30,000-40,000 wrought-iron staircases in Montreal.
The Problem with Montreal Stairs
The stairs built before the 1970s have a problem that newer stairs don’t – they dont meet the safety regulations of today. Sometimes referred to as deathtraps, the sentiment is valid. Lugging prams, babies, bicycles, or grocery bags up steep stairs is made all the more hazardous when they’re frozen (not to mention navigating one after too many drinks at the bar)!
Additionally, maintaining the staircases is a reality for the people who own them, with issues like rust and damage that need to be addressed. And of course, there’s the ever present task of shovelling snow off them.
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As a visitor to Montreal, I loved exploring the different styles of staircases. They are unquestionably unique and their styles are charming and interesting. But maybe you live in Montreal, and dread the thought of having to climb them every day. Let me know what you think of Montreal’s twisty, slippy, arty stairs!
StickyMangoRice 