Montréal’s excavation sites tell quiet stories of a city constantly reinventing itself. Long before cranes defined the skyline, workers with shovels and pickaxes shaped the foundations of neighbourhoods, transit lines, and iconic buildings.
These excavation sites were more than construction zones—they were crossroads of labour, innovation, and community. Horse-drawn carts hauled away earth, steam-powered machines groaned into action, and teams of workers carved through rock and clay by hand, laying the groundwork for modern Montréal.
Each excavation uncovered more than soil. Fragments of earlier streets, forgotten utilities, and traces of past lives often surfaced, reminding residents that every new structure rests on layers of history.
These photographs capture moments of transformation, when familiar landscapes were temporarily unrecognizable, suspended between what once was and what was about to be. Together, they reveal the unseen beginnings of a city always in motion.
1910 – Excavation work.1914 – View of a steam excavator digging the slope of the aqueduct canal bank.1921 – General view of the spillway. Excavation work can be seen at the foot of a stone building.1921 – View looking east of the excavation work for the south gravity wall of the Aqueduct canal.1921 – View looking east of the excavation work to build the foundations of the southern retaining wall, on the Aqueduct Canal.1921 – View looking east of the excavation work to build the foundations of the southern retaining wall, on the Aqueduct canal. Peat and puddles of water are visible.1921 – View looking west of the excavation work for the southern retaining wall of the Aqueduct Canal.1921 – View of excavation work around the Aqueduct canal. A trench can be seen partially reinforced by partitions and wooden structures.1921 – View of the excavation work for the southern gravity wall of the Aqueduct canal, looking west.1921 – View of the south diaphragm wall, looking east, at station 100. A mechanical shovel can be seen carrying out an excavation.1922 – View of a narrow trench in and around which workers are working.1930 – Photograph of steam-powered mechanical shovels used for excavation.1930 – Photograph showing a group of workers busy digging an excavation along the sidewalk of a residential street.1931 – Photo of excavation work in the rock on Pine Avenue.1931 – Photo showing workers excavating a trench with a pick and shovel in the border of Dubé Avenue.1932 – Montréal (Old Montréal)- excavation on Claude Edgar Gariépy Street.1932 – Photograph of an excavation carried out on Saint-Claude Street in Old Montréal.1932 – Photograph of the buildings surrounding the excavation work site on Saint-Claude Street in Old Montréal.1932 – Photograph showing many workers busy digging a trench along Park Avenue, intended for the upcoming burial of electrical wires.1954 – Excavation, Montréal.
Dalia, a photojournalist hailing from Montreal, is deeply passionate about documenting events and sharing stories about people's lives. She is on track to graduate from Concordia University with a degree in journalism and a minor in art history. Currently, Dalia holds the position of Editor-in-Chief at her school's newspaper, The Concordian. Following graduation, she aims to secure a full-time reporting job at a major news outlet.
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