But lively as it was , Old Montreal with its frequent fires and swelling population was becoming less desirable . The wealthy merchants in particular began to seek large plots of land on which to build homes worthy of their success while remaining close to their business interests ; and , their eyes turned to the fertile farmland under Mount Royal . John Duncan observed in 1818 that , " a number of very splendid mansions have lately been erected on the slope of the mountain , which would be regarded as magnificent residences even by the wealthy merchants of the mother country " . In 1820 , John Bigsby described the view from Château St. Antoine , then said to be ' the most magnificent building in the whole city and standing within 200 acres of parkland roughly at the end of Dorchester Street : I had the pleasure of dining with ( William McGillivray ) at his seat , on a high terrace under the mountain , looking southwards and laid out in pleasure-grounds in the English style . The view from the drawing room windows of this large and beautiful mansion is extremely fine , too rich and fair , I foolishly thought , to be out of my native England . Close beneath you are scattered elegant country retreats embowered in plantations , succeeded by a crowd of orchards of delicious apples , spreading far to the right and left , and hedging in the glittering churches , hotels , and house-roofs of Montreal ... The early residents of the Square Mile enjoyed marked benefits from being the first to settle there : The houses were surrounded by acres of parkland , with long carriage drives , vineries , orchards , fruit and vegetable gardens . The surveyor Joseph Bouchette noted that the produce from these gardens in the summer months was " excellent in quality , affording a profuse supply ... in as much , or even greater perfection than in many southern climes " . In 1822 , Sir Richard Phillips commented that , A number of handsome villas now make their appearance around the town , and there are numerous sites still unoccupied , which will probably be hereafter crowned with elegant seats . Few places in the world possess more capabilities of this kind than Quebec and Montreal ; if the latter is less bold than the former in its scenery , it possesses much richness and delicate beauty , which need nothing but wealth and taste to display them to advantage ; the former already exists in Montreal to a great extent , and there are also very respectable proofs of the existence and growth of the latter . Following the strikes and the Burning of the Parliament Buildings in Montreal , the new decade was " like the arrival of a Montreal spring , prosperity and stability invigorated the city in the early 1850s " . Sir Hugh Allan was elected President of the Montreal Board of Trade in 1851 and work on railways and steamships was evident everywhere , bringing with it a surge of construction . There were now a dozen architects practising in the city and the newly rich competed with one another for the largest , most decorative homes
Burning of the Parliament Buildings in Montreal
Burning of the Parliament Buildings in Montreal
Golden Square Mile