Mar 26/10 Viger Station

Mar 26/10 Viger Station, originally uploaded by susanvg.

One thing I love about my daily photographing is it often piques my interest to learn more- not just about photography, but about my subjects. I have long admired this building (shot from my car window while I was stopped at a red light). I had spent most of the day in a meeting without photo ops and the rest of the day was not likely to provide many possibilities. In the recesses of my brain I thought I remembered that this had once been a station (Daily Shoot: Think of a subject that starts with either the letter "D" or "S". Find it, and make a photo!). Later in the day I started researching.

This is what I discovered. This was once known as Chateau Viger. It was built for the CPR (Canadian Pacific Railway), with the station on the lower levels and a grand hotel above. When it was built, (1896-98), Old Montreal was still the hub of the financial district and the proximity to the port, as well, made it an ideal place for a station. As the city centre moved further north and west, the station was abandonned. The last train to leave the station left in 1951. The future of the building is still undecided.