# La chasse aux gargouilles et affichages fantômes à Montréal #reupload Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=18cmae8Cv9M Recap page: https://rapidrecap.app/video/18cmae8Cv9M Generated: 2026-02-08T17:02:54.48+00:00 --- ## Quick Overview The video explores various examples of historical ghost signs—faded commercial advertisements painted on exterior brick or stone walls—found throughout Montreal, showcasing structures like the former La Sauvegarde building, the old Hotel Nelson, the former C.W. Lindsay building, the former J.O. C. Tigu building, the former Commercial Union Assurance Company building, the former M.E. St-Amour building, the old Singer building, the former Lewis Bros. building, the former Royal Bank building, the former St. James Church, the former L.V. Bell building, and the former J.R. Booth building, contrasting them with modern architecture and discussing the gargoyles and grotesques on the Christ Church Cathedral and the former Lewis building. **Key Points:** - The video documents numerous ghost signs in Montreal, including advertisements for John Henderson & Co. Furs (00:25), La Sauvegarde C^{ie} D'Assurance Vie (1:42), J.O. C. Tigu Poultry (3:01), Commercial Union Assurance Company (4:55), C.W. Lindsay Pianos (6:00), and M.E. St-Amour (8:54). - The author notes that many of these ghost signs, such as the one for Alfred Desjardins & Cie / Alipode Distributors Ltd (2:48), are layered, with newer advertisements painted over older ones. - The Christ Church Cathedral (10:12) features several gargoyles (6:30) and grotesques (7:54), with the author highlighting the functional gargoyles used for water spouts and the purely decorative chimeras. - The former Lewis building (7:29) on Rue St-Jacques displays grotesque sculptures, including one resembling a laughing imp or devil (8:23) and others that look like medieval figures (8:35). - The video highlights the former C.W. Lindsay building (6:00), which advertised pianos and phonographs, celebrating its 50th anniversary in 1927. - The author points out the former Royal Bank building (3:37) on Rue de la Capitale, which features an advertisement for a lighting company (3:42), and the former Singer building (8:14) on Rue Bleury, known for its Art Deco façade featuring statues resembling Greek goddesses (8:14). - The tour concludes with a look at the former J.R. Booth building (6:55), which features carved masks or grotesque faces on its upper façade (6:58). ![Screenshot at 00:25: A black and white archival image showing vintage cars and a streetcar, illustrating the era when the ghost sign for 'John Henderson & Co. Furs' was painted on the building facade.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/18cmae8Cv9M/00-00-25.jpg) **Context:** The creator of this video undertakes a walking tour through various streets in Montreal, primarily in the downtown and Old Montreal areas, focusing specifically on locating and analyzing 'ghost signs'—old, faded advertisements painted directly onto the exterior walls of historic buildings. The video mixes footage from different seasons (snowy streets in January 2021 and sunny clear days) to showcase these ephemeral traces of past commerce, contrasting them with the contemporary urban landscape. ## Detailed Analysis The video documents a search for ghost signs in Montreal, beginning with the speaker mentioning being unwell but proceeding to compile several old videos covering locations where these faded advertisements remain visible. The tour starts by showing the ghost sign for John Henderson & Co. Furs (00:25) and then moves to the building formerly housing La Sauvegarde C^{ie} D'Assurance Vie, founded in 1899 (1:42), noting that the sign is visible from far away. Next, the video examines the building on Rue de la Commune that advertised J.O. C. Tigu Poultry (3:01), pointing out overlapping advertisements. The journey continues to Rue St-Paul where the sign for a printing company at 11 St-Paul West (3:54) is found, followed by the former headquarters of Commercial Union Assurance Company (4:55). The author then shows the C.W. Lindsay building on Rue Ste-Catherine (6:00), which sold pianos and phonographs, and the nearby Lewis building (7:29), which features several grotesque sculptures. The tour also features the former Royal Bank building on Rue de la Capitale (3:37), showing an old advertisement for a lighting company, and the former Singer building (8:14) on Rue Bleury, noted for its Art Deco style and statues resembling Greek goddesses. The video pauses to examine the Christ Church Cathedral (10:12), pointing out its numerous gargoyles (6:30), distinguishing between functional gargoyles and decorative chimeras (6:45). Finally, the creator shows the former J.R. Booth building (6:55) and the former St. James Church (10:12), concluding with a general observation about the sheer volume of these historical advertisements found across the city. ### Ghost Signs Documented - John Henderson & Co. Furs (00:25) - La Sauvegarde (1:42) - J.O. C. Tigu Poultry (3:01) - Printing Co. at 11 St-Paul West (3:54) - Commercial Union Assurance Company (4:55) - C.W. Lindsay Pianos (6:00) - M.E. St-Amour (8:54) ### Architectural Sculpture (Gargoyles & Grotesques) - Christ Church Cathedral features functional gargoyles (6:30) and decorative chimeras (6:45) - Former Lewis Building features grotesque figures, including one resembling a laughing imp (8:23) and a figure holding a book (7:54) - Former J.R. Booth Building features statues on its facade (8:35) ### Other Notable Buildings - Former Singer Building (8:14) on Rue Bleury showcases Art Deco facade with statues resembling Greek goddesses - Former Royal Bank Building (3:37) on Rue de la Capitale has an old lighting company ad - Former St. James Church (10:12) also features gargoyles (10:17) ### Video Context and Structure - Video documents a tour of Montreal searching for ghost signs using footage compiled from previous weeks/years (00:04) - Filmed during winter conditions with snow present (01:36, 09:11) - Concludes with encouragement to subscribe and visit their Facebook page (11:52) ![Screenshot at 00:25: Archival image of a busy street in the era of the John Henderson & Co. Furs advertisement.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/18cmae8Cv9M/00-00-25.jpg) ![Screenshot at 01:42: Close-up of the faded red and white ghost sign for 'Édifice La Sauvegarde C^{ie} D'Assurance Vie' on a brick wall.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/18cmae8Cv9M/00-01-42.jpg) ![Screenshot at 06:30: Detailed close-up of a winged, humanoid gargoyle sculpture projecting from the stone facade of a building against a clear blue sky.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/18cmae8Cv9M/00-06-30.jpg) ![Screenshot at 08:23: Close-up of a smiling, crouching grotesque sculpture holding its knees on the facade of the former Lewis building on Rue St-Catherine.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/18cmae8Cv9M/00-08-23.jpg) ![Screenshot at 10:12: Wide-angle low shot of the Christ Church Cathedral facade against a bright blue sky, highlighting its Gothic architecture.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/18cmae8Cv9M/00-10-12.jpg)