The History of
Mount Royal

Mount Royal’s identity was born from a push for Canadian nationalism. Originally dubbed “American Hill” around 1904 due to its wealthy U.S. settlers, the area was renamed by future Prime Minister R.B. Bennett and other elites to mirror Montreal’s prestigious Mount Royal. To cement this shift, the CPR gave the streets French-Canadian names like Champlain and Frontenac, deliberately overwriting the neighbourhood’s American roots.

Between 1904 and 1914, strict building rules ensured the community remained an enclave of grand, architect-designed estates. Today, 68 of these original homes are legally protected landmarks. The neighbourhood’s history is peppered with notable figures, from author W.O. Mitchell to R.B. Bennett himself. Curiously, Bennett’s own 1912 mansion on Prospect Avenue sat empty for three decades — a house bought for a marriage that never took place.