Doctor Penfield Avenue facts for kids
Doctor Penfield Avenue (officially known as French: Avenue du Docteur-Penfield in French) is a famous street in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It's a one-way street, meaning cars only travel in one direction: east. This important avenue is located in the beautiful Golden Square Mile neighbourhood, which is part of the Ville-Marie area of the city. The street stretches for about 1.7 kilometres (just over a mile). It starts near Pine Avenue in the east and ends at McDougall Avenue in the west. Doctor Penfield Avenue is named after Dr. Wilder Penfield (1891-1976), who was a very important doctor and the person who started the Montreal Neurological Institute.
A Look Back in Time
Even though Doctor Penfield Avenue was named after Dr. Penfield in 1978, the street itself is much older. It first opened around 1867 on land owned by a man named John McGregor. When McGregor sold his land in 1883, the street was named after him. At first, it only connected Côte-des-Neiges Road and Simpson Street. But on December 6, 1956, the street was made longer to reach its current length.
What You'll See Today
Doctor Penfield Avenue is located on the southern side of Mount Royal, a large hill and park in Montreal. As you travel along the avenue, you'll pass right through the heart of McGill University's campus. The street is also famous for its amazing Victorian homes. These are large, fancy houses built a long time ago. Many of these beautiful old homes are now used as foreign consulates, which are like small offices for other countries in Montreal.
Who Was Dr. Wilder Penfield?
The street is named after Dr. Wilder Penfield, who was a very important person in medicine. He was a famous neurosurgeon, which is a doctor who performs operations on the brain and nervous system. Dr. Penfield was born in 1891 and passed away in 1976. He is best known for founding the Montreal Neurological Institute. This institute is a world-renowned centre for brain research and patient care. Naming the avenue after him honours his great contributions to science and medicine in Montreal and around the world.
