History Lesson: La Sala Rossa
When it comes to Montreal venues whose interior and exterior appearances don’t quite match up, La Sala Rossa definitely stands out. Though Sala’s second floor is known for its vibrant, red hue and the tapas restaurant downstairs is decorated with a Latin flair, there’s a distinctly modest quality to the building itself; the brickwork and entrance hall are free of any unnecessary embellishments, coloured plainly, and laid out to value space and practicality over all else. This discontinuity points not only to a change in ownership, but also acts as a small testament to the culturally-diverse history of Montreal’s most vital vein, Saint-Laurent Boulevard.
The no-frills, brown brick building at 4848 Saint-Laurent was originally built by the Workmen’s Circle (then called the “Arbeiter Ring”): a left-wing, Jewish support network whose mission was to provide “education, enlightenment, health benefits, open forums, a library, clubs and cemetery plots for its members.” First established in New York City, 1892 by primarily Russian Jewish immigrants fleeing Czarist pogroms, the Circle played a key role in settling fellow immigrants into North American life. Their political activism⎯especially the group’s hand in the Canadian and American labour movements⎯attracted prominent Jewish figures such as A.M. Klein, David Lewis and Kalman Kaplansky.
Offering to help members find jobs, shelter and food when they were scarce, the Worker’s Circle in Montreal became a pillar for the city’s Jewish community. With Jewish settlement occurring predominantly around lower Saint Laurent, the Circle acquired land on the Main in the 1920s, intent on building a cultural, political and recreational centre. Construction began in 1932 and⎯after a delay due to the Great Depression⎯was finally completed in 1936, providing a space for the group’s school, business and social activities. Noted in the Senior Times, The Worker’s Circle gave members and their families the opportunity to socialize in Yiddish, the mother tongue of eastern and central European Jews, while also hosting English classes for those who needed them.
By the 1950s, Montreal’s Jewish population had increased significantly, with an influx after the Second World War; roughly forty thousand holocaust survivors arrived in the late 1940s. This increase in the population, combined with a rise in the community’s middle-income and high-income demographics, led families to move from the once-traditionally Jewish lower Saint-Laurent to neighbourhoods like Snowdon, Chomedey and Côte Saint Luc. As the majority of their members moved North, the Workmen’s Circle Centre was relocated to 5165 Isabella Avenue.
Though the Circle (now known as simply the “Worker’s Circle”) still exists, it’s not nearly as prevalent as it once was. However, this isn’t necessarily a bad thing. As The Star points out: “paradoxically, the decline of their beloved group is largely a reflection of their success.“ Those who first benefited from the Circle’s social safety net are well into their golden years now and happy to see that generations to follow don’t have the same need for one. Therefore, despite the seemingly unremarkable appearance of La Sala Rossa’s structure, the building stands as a symbol of both the Jewish community’s hardships and achievements.
Sala’s history also brings notice to how immigration has contributed to the multicultural, ever-evolving nature of the Main at large. Roughly sectioned by Ethnic groups (from Chinatown in the South to the large Indian population up North), Montreal’s Jewish population is just one of many cultures to colour the strip. In fact, its ethnic diversity is made even more apparent by La Sala Rossa’s current occupants: the Centro Social Español. Aside from using the space for lectures, fundraisers, and flamenco dancing in the past thirty years, they also allowed the upstairs ballroom to become the beloved venue that it is today.
Back in 2000, former bassist of Montreal’s prolific post-rock group God Speed You! Black Emperor Mauro Pezzante and his wife, print artist Kiva Stimac, opened their first restaurant/venue: Casa Del Popolo. The place’s popularity took off within its first year and, unable to accommodate larger shows in their modestly-sized back room, they began renting out the ballroom located just across the street. By 2001, Pezzante and Stimac’s concert events were a permanent fixture at the cultural centre and, in partnership with Centro Social Español, they renamed it La Sala Rossa (“the red room”). Since then, Sala has played host to a variety of big names, including Brian Jonestown Massacre, The Shins, TV on the Radio, and Atmosphere.
So although the building’s ownership has changed hands over time, the location continues to contribute to the Main’s rich diversity of cultures, while also offering a home for local musicians and show-goers. As a historic Montreal site and an integral part of our city’s music scene, may La Sala Rossa remain as a cultural hotspot for many years to come.
Historical photos courtesy of the Jewish Public Library’s online archives. Contemporary photo courtesy of Norsola Johnson and Sala Rossa
