Inside the Garment Factory

Inside the Garment Factory

Discover the dramatic history of the Main, a National Historic Site of Canada, and explore the factory where the 1912 Garment Worker’s Strike shaped the course of Montreal’s social history!

Join us on Montreal’s centuries-old vibrant immigrant artery: boulevard St-Laurent in the heart of the Plateau! Learn about the lives of early-20th century workers from all walks of life, by exploring a former garment factory and hearing the stories of those who worked there first-hand. Discover the choices Jewish, French Canadian, and other immigrant workers made as they brought their ambition and hope for a better life to the factory floor and the bustling district of the Main!

Follow your guide through the excitement of 1912 in Montreal - from out on the street of Montreal’s vibrant plateau neighbourhood to inside a former garment factory - the Vineberg building on the corner of Duluth & St-Laurent, and the home to the Museum of Jewish Montreal!

The tour begins in the Museum of Jewish Montreal, and provides an introduction to the Vineberg building and Montreal's Jewish history. A brief stop outside invites you to reimagine St-Laurent in 1912, before discovering a hidden, historical entrance to the Vineberg building. Walk the halls of a former garment factory, examine antique equipment to learn the details of garment production, and discover the traces of its past lives. You'll even have the chance to listen to Montreal garment workers and union organizers describe their experiences in this neighbourhood, and explore their history through a multimedia guided exhibition!

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