The Gazette – Montreal Diary: St. Jacques Market has a colorful history, and there’s more to come
BY Robert N. Wilkins
MONTREAL – The first time I visited the old St. James Market at Amherst and Ontario Sts. was on Dec. 23, 1971.
I went to the historic edifice because on its second floor was housed the Department of Health of the city of Montreal. I needed to have my “International Certificates of Vaccination” booklet stamped, as I was about to undertake my first voyage overseas.
I remember thinking at the time that it was a lovely marketplace, it being just before Christmas and all.
The initial St. James Market was constructed at that very same intersection in 1872, after the city purchased the land on June 30 of the previous year.
Generally speaking, at the time, the butcher stalls were found inside the building while fruit and vegetables were sold outside during clement seasons.