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All Canada Québec Montreal Wooden Squirrel Carvings

Wooden Squirrel Carvings

The vaulted ceiling is home to a scurry of “squirrelgoyles.”

Montreal, Québec

Added By
Matthew Hollett
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Wooden Squirrels of Mount Royal Chalet.   matthewhollett / Atlas Obscura User
Wooden Squirrels of Mount Royal Chalet.   matthewhollett / Atlas Obscura User
Wooden Squirrels of Mount Royal Chalet.   matthewhollett / Atlas Obscura User
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Stepping into Mount Royal Chalet’s cavernous foyer is like entering a cathedral. Subdued light and a soaring ceiling create a hushed, hallowed space that manages to feel both rustic and majestic. Its vast interior is mostly empty, guiding your gaze upwards to the elegant chandeliers and ceiling beams, which are inhabited by dozens of oversized wooden squirrels.

Constructed in 1932 as a make-work project during the Great Depression, the Chalet is one of the architectural highlights of Mount Royal Park. It was designed in the French Beaux-Arts style by architect Aristide Beaugrand-Champagne, and is furnished with large paintings illustrating Montreal’s colonial history by artists such as Marc-Aurèle Fortin, Paul-Émile Borduas, and Edwin Holgate.

Crouching unobtrusively in the rafters, the squirrel statues are easy to miss. There are 32 of them, finely carved from wood (a panel notes that they are “possibly by Elzéar Soucy”). They hunch with paws together as if in prayer or genuflection, bestowing a kind of sylvan sanctity on the chalet. Each clutches a nut. It’s easy to imagine them as the sentinels of the park, watching over visitors criss-crossing the lobby below.

The Chalet also features a small café, a souvenir shop, and an information kiosk for visitors. Just outside, the Kondiaronk Belvedere provides a magnificent panoramic view of downtown Montreal and the landscape southeast of the city, including the Saint Lawrence River.

Related Tags

Architectural Oddities Architecture Squirrel Parks Woodwork Statues

Know Before You Go

Mount Royal Chalet and the Kondiaronk Belvedere are located near the summit of Mount Royal, and can be reached via the park’s extensive trail system. Visitors can also park in the Smith House parking lot, then walk about 1,700 feet (600 meters) along a gravel path to reach the Chalet.

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matthewhollett

Edited By

Runawaydc

  • Runawaydc

Published

October 15, 2019

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  • https://www.mtl.org/en/what-to-do/heritage-and-architecture/chalet-du-mont-royal
  • https://www.lemontroyal.qc.ca/en/mount-royal/territory/faq
Wooden Squirrel Carvings
1196 Camillien Houde Way
Montreal, Québec, H2V 2H4
Canada
45.503949, -73.587577
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Explore the Destination Guide

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