Monk station - Large image

Ligne 1 verte MONK

Ligne 1 verte  Angrignon

Left arrow Angrignon

Architect

Architects

Blais & Bélanger

Artist
Inaugurated

Start of service

September 3, 1978

Ligne 1 verte  H.-Beaugrand

Jolicoeur Right arrow

Art & Architecture

Subtlety and sudden grandeur are the hallmarks of this stunning station.

Panorama of the platforms at Monk metro station, seen from the Honoré-Beaugrand platform in the main volume.
Whether arriving at the station by train or entering from the street, the passenger’s experience starts off quietly. On the platform, the walls are covered in rustic brown brick, set vertically. The courses of bricks undulate slightly, giving a feeling of warmth, calm motion, and rhythmic life. The station’s floors are chiefly decorated with small, brown circular tiles.
The tunnelled trainroom at Monk metro station, seen from the tail of the Angrignon platform. Undulating brown brick cladding and small, circular brown floor tiles at platform level. One of the stainless steel benches at the platform level.

Similarly, the brown-brick headhouses, diagonally across from one another at the corner of Boulevard Monk and Rue Allard, are modern but unassuming, decorated only with a brick representation of the metro logo. The north headhouse, connected to the station via a tunnel under the intersection, has an unusual split-level layout.

The Monk Sud headhouse seen from across the intersection. The low, long concrete structure at right is the light shaft illuminating the main volume. Oblique exterior view of the Monk Sud headhouse, seen from the intersection. The Monk Sud headhouse seen along Rue Allard, with the main volume light shaft at right.
To the rear, the Monk Sud headhouse and the attached light shaft (left) frame a small park. The wing projecting from the back of the headhouse is the stairwell, and includes a clerestory window above. Closer view of one of the entrances to the Monk Sud headhouse, with the curved window and door frame. Clerestory window over the staircase leading to the Monk Sud headhouse.
Interior panorama of the Monk Sud headhouse.
Exterior view of Monk Nord headhouse from across the street, showing its metro-logo decoration and exits on either side. Closer view of one of the entrances to the Monk Nord headhouse. The door and windows are integrated together within a curved brick frame. Metro logo design in brick on an exterior wall of Monk Nord headhouse, behind a flowerbed and facing the intersection.
The interior of the Monk Nord headhouse, showing its split-level layout with an equipment ramp between the levels. Panorama of the interior of the Monk Nord headhouse.
This tunnel runs under the intersection to connect the Monk Nord entrance to the station. It leads to a walkway in the main volume that continues on to the stairs to the ticket hall. The bridge connecting the Monk Nord entrance to the landing above the stairs to the ticket hall passes through the top of the main volume and overlooks it on both sides, although both are now enclosed by grilles for safety.
The landing at the head of the escalators leading down to the ticket hall. This landing is at the foot of the staircase from the Monk Sud entrance and the end of the walkway leading to the Monk Nord entrance.

However, as they ride the escalators down to the trains, passengers are astonished to come upon the station’s gigantic main volume.

This immense space, incorporating the ticket hall and transept, towers four storeys high, dwarfing the ticket booth, turnstiles, and concession. After the muted humility of the platforms and entrances, the sudden power of the space takes the traveller’s breath away. It is supported on two huge buttresses over the transept area; these rest on bedrock and support the ceiling of the volume.

The ticket hall seen from the foot of the escalators. The arrangement of accesses to the headhouses can be seen in the forms of the ceiling: at the centre is the stairwell to the south headhouse, while at right is the bridge leading to the north headhouse, overlooking the volume on either side. Panorama of the ticket hall, great volume, and transept of Monk metro station. Notice the buttresses supporting the volume's ceiling and the curved brown wall above the ticket booth, as well as the sculptures Pic et Pelle by Germain Bergeron.

Huge, sweeping curves lend thrill to the space, especially a great semicircular arc from floor to ceiling beside the escalator. The curve is balanced with the escalator’s diagonal line in an exciting tension. Another large curve is raked around from above the control booth to the wall over the concession.

Such unusual curves are also found in the shape of the crossover, the arch over the stairway to the Angrignon platform, and the elliptical opening leading from the Honoré-Beaugrand platform to the stairs.

The broad arc that sets off the diagonal line of the escalator in the ticket hall. The main volume seen from the head of the stairs to the Angrignon platform. Notice the curve of the crossover, the light shaft illuminating the volume, and the sculptures Pic et Pelle by Germain Bergeron.

The station’s neutral grey and brown tones avoid competing with the volume’s forms and scale. This muted colour scheme is punctuated by shafts of daylight from a discreet clerestory-style skylight, like a natural spotlight into the heart of the station cavern, showcasing the dramatic shapes of the building and artworks. Elsewhere, natural light is also admitted by clerestories above the stairwells to the headhouses.

The transept and great volume, seen from the Honoré-Beaugrand platform. Notice one of the two buttresses supporting the ceiling, as well as the curves of the crossover and platform accesses. The curve of the crossover between the platforms and the arched recess enclosing the staircase to the Angrignon platform.
The curves of the trainroom vault and the crossover. The transept and the ticket hall framed by the arch over the stairwell to the Angrignon platform. Rear view of the large oval arch over the access to the Honoré-Beaugrand platform.
View of the large oval arch over the access to the Honoré-Beaugrand platform, seen from the opposite platform.

Two sculptures by Germain Bergeron dominate the space on either side of the crossover; passengers going to or from the Angrignon platform pass between and under them. Made from welded steel tubes painted orange, the sculptures, entitled Pic et Pelle, represent two metro construction workers wielding a pick and a shovel.

The sculptures Pic et Pelle, by Germain Bergeron, seen in context at transept level. Detail of Pic et Pelle by Germain Bergeron, showing the head and pickaxe of 'Pic.' Detail of Pic et Pelle by Germain Bergeron, showing the foot and shovel head of 'Pelle.'

These sculptures’ curved lines and monumental scale mirror the station in which they stand.

Matt’s Rating

****

Accessibility

This station is not currently wheelchair-accessible. No plans to install elevators have yet been announced.

History & Trivia

Traffic

Ridership

1,306,038 entrances in 2025

61st busiest station

Platform depth

Interstation distances

Interstation Distances

To Angrignon: 844.29 metres
To Jolicoeur: 1062.85 metres

Origin of the Name

Boulevard Monk. Several members of the Monk family have marked the political and judicial history of Quebec. In particular, Sir James Monk (1745-1826) served as Attorney General of the colony of Quebec (1776-1789, 1792-1794) and as Chief Justice of the King’s Bench of Montreal (1794-1820). Incidentally, in 1804 he had a mansion constructed, known as Monklands, that went on to serve as the residence of the Governor General of Canada (1844-1849), and is now occupied by Villa Maria College.

His great-grand-nephew Frederick Debartzch Monk (1856-1914), an attorney, represented the riding of Jacques-Cartier in the House of Commons from 1896 to 1914 and served as Minister of Public Works from 1911 to 1912. In 1899, he joined a consortium led by Joseph-Ulric Émard to purchase land belonging to the Davidson family in order to develop it.

In 1902, this area became the Village of Boulevard-Saint-Paul, renamed Ville-Émard in 1902; it was annexed to Montreal in 1910 and is still known as the neighbourhood of Ville-Émard. A road opened along this land was originally called Rue Davidson, but was changed to Boulevard Monk in 1911.

Name during planning phase: Allard.1

Sir James Monk

Sir James Monk
(Source2)

Frederick Debartzch Monk

Frederick Debartzch Monk
(Source3)

Trivia

  • A number of other ideas for sculptures by Germain Bergeron were considered for this station. His first concept was for a series of flying saucers suspended from the roof of the station and moved by the wind from the trains, but this was judged too dangerous by the BTM. The BTM also rejected a plan to bring in Bergeron’s famous sculpture Don Quichotte, formerly at the Expo 67 site and now in the city of L’Assomption.
  • The original concept for the artwork was as a memorial to the workers who died in the construction of the metro. Germain Bergeron expanded this idea into a monument to all who worked on building the metro. The two giant statues symbolizing workers constructing the metro were to have been accompanied by a third, representing a foreman, but it was judged superfluous.
  • While the station was under construction, local police officers and community members called for it to be named “Gilles-Beauvais,” in honour of an officer who was killed in the line of duty in 1975.4
Architectural sketch of the station.

Architectural rendering of the station.
(Source5)

Architectural maquette of the station.

Architectural maquette of the station.
(Source6)

The station's main volume during construction.

The station’s main volume during construction.
(Source6)

Aerial view of the station under construction.

Aerial view of the station under construction.
(Source7)

Hanging lamps formerly located in the main volume, about a year before the station opened. The reason for their removal is unknown but could be due to the wind generated by the trains.

Hanging lamps formerly located in the main volume, about a year before the station opened. The reason for their removal is unknown but could be due to the wind generated by the trains.
(Source8)

This dark space was formerly located above the concession in the ticket hall before being closed in 2004 to house technical installations.

This dark space was formerly located above the concession in the ticket hall before being closed in 2004 to house technical installations.

General Information

Platform diagram

Most convenient metro cars to use when travelling to this station

Platform diagram - Monk station

Station surroundings

Monk - Station surroundings

Station address

Borough of Le Sud-Ouest

A Monk Sud entrance: 6805 Boulevard Monk, at Rue Allard
B Monk Nord entrance: 6750 Boulevard Monk, at Rue Allard

OpenStreetMap link
Google Maps link

STM neighbourhood map (PDF)

Nearby attractions

Official website

Service information, opening hours, frequency, bus routes

STM logo

Most recent update: 2026-09-22

References
  1. Clairoux, Benoît. (2001). Le métro de Montréal: 35 ans déjà. Montreal: Hurtubise HMH. P. 110. ↩
  2. Anonymous. Portrait of Sir James Monk. c. 1775-1825. Painting, miniature. Collection: Collection: McCord Stewart Museum, no. M22340. ↩
  3. Image source: The Canadian Parliament; biographical sketches and photo-engravures of the senators and members of the House of Commons of Canada. Being the tenth Parliament, elected November 3, 1904. (1906). Montreal: Perreault Printing Co. P. 217. ↩
  4. Le Borgne, L. (1977, February 16). “Tout le quartier Ville-Émard mobilisé pour faire changer le nom de la future station de métro Monk.” La Presse, p. D7. ↩
  5. Gaston, J. The Montréal Métro. Montreal: Bureau de transport métropolitain, 1976. Bibliothèques et Archives nationales du Québec: 0001096208. ↩
  6. © STM archives. ↩ ↩
  7. Source: Archives de la Ville de Montréal, VM097-Y-02-D005A-049-05. Used under the Creative Commons BY-NC-SA 2.5 CA License. ↩
  8. Photo by Robert Mailloux, La Presse, August 19, 1977. Source: Fonds La Presse, Bibliothèque et Archives nationales du Québec, P833,S5,D1977-0308.  ↩