March 20th, 2007
The Outdoor Staircase
Nobody really knows why outdoor staircases became so ubiquitous in Montreal. Various explanations have been put forth by various people, but the best one seems to be that the staircases gained popularity when expediency met architectural tradition: they’re cheap and they work particularly well with the plex. Perhaps one of our readers can venture a more elaborate theory.
Tags: Montreal
Chris says:
Are there any other cities with outdoor staircases like Montreal? I’ve seen a few in pictures of Quebec City but they didn’t seem to be in the same abundance they are in Montreal. Were they imported from somewhere else or are they exclusive to Montreal and Quebec?
March 27th, 2007 at 7:12 pm
Christopher DeWolf says:
Honestly, I have no idea. I’ve heard a theory that they were derived from traditional Scottish and Norman architecture, which supposedly features some outdoor staircases. But I really can’t say.
March 27th, 2007 at 8:09 pm
Chris says:
I’ve tried to do a bit of research on it before but have never been able to dig anything up. Is it true that it’s illegal to build them now?
March 31st, 2007 at 8:43 pm
Christopher DeWolf says:
It’s still legal to build them. Many new condo projects have them.
April 1st, 2007 at 2:34 am
why the outdoor staircase? « urban-ism says:
[...] cold climate, and the high likelihood of them being iced over in the wintertime. The posts over at urbanphoto have made me want to elaborate on the evolution and history of Montreal’s [...]
April 5th, 2007 at 12:46 am
Andrew Chau says:
The stairs are still legal – what’s been made illegal are the very steep stairs with narrow treads that you find in older duplexes and triplexes because of obvious safety hazards.
I just wrote a post about more of the history at my site, but the gist of the duplex’s history is this: the housing type evolved from the 2.5 storey gable roof home that was found in large numbers in Montreal. With an influx of rural workers coming into the city, however, the house became divided in two, with a side staircase leading up into the roof space so more people could be housed.
April 5th, 2007 at 12:56 am
Gina says:
It has to do with conserving space. Stairwells waste an awful amount of space better used for living areas. Back then, families were large and many bedrooms were required.
I’m sure that everyone also thought they were beautiful, with their elegant shapes and artistic wrought iron curlicues. They’re still a very aesthetic feature, and one of the things I miss the most about my home town.
November 20th, 2010 at 5:34 am