Red-Light District, Montreal

The Red-Light District (Quartier du Red Light) of Montreal, Quebec, Canada was formerly centered on the intersection of Saint Laurent Boulevard and Saint Catherine Street in the borough of Ville-Marie.The neighbourhood has historically been home to cabarets and illegal businesses as early as the mid-nineteenth century, but especially between 1925 and early 1960s. The term Red Light recalls the old lantern on the doors of brothels. Gambling, illicit taverns and prostitution have marked the history of this area, also related to Prohibition in the United States and Montreal's status as a port-city. Today, there are still traces of this type of activity, but it is much more discreet.The variety shows that took place in the neighbourhood launched the careers of several foreign artists and was equally the starting point for many local artists. There still remains some strip clubs and cabarets in the area, such as the Café Cleopatre, threatened with demolition in 2009 by an urban renewal project linked to the nearby Quartier des spectacles. The Montreal Pool Room fast-food restaurant is also located there.