Overdale

Overdale was a small residential district in downtown Montreal which became a famous symbol of the struggle between urban conservationists and land developers. In the mid-1980s two developers, Robert Landau and Douglas Cohen -- operating under an array of names, including Les Galleria Dorchester, and Grinch Realties -- purchased a series of buildings in an area bounded by Overdale Ave., Lucien L'Allier St., Mackay St. and Dorchester Blvd. (Dorchester was renamed as René Lévesque Blvd. in 1987.) The developers proposed to demolish all of the homes and replace them with a large condo project. The Executive Committee of the Montreal city administration, headed by Mayor Jean Doré, was split on the issue. Doré, had risen to power through the...