Leonard Cohen now occupies a little piece of Cote-St-Luc.
On Monday, the city inaugurated Leonard Cohen Lane, a path that winds through the green space connecting Marc Chagall Ave. with the Bernard Lang Civic Centre parking lot.
“We want to be known as a city of culture and Leonard Cohen is a man of culture,” said Cote-St-Luc Mayor Mitchell Brownstein. “We decided to have the lane right in front of our library which is one of the greatest libraries in Montreal.”
Cohen, whose gravelly voice and poetic lyrics made him an international musical icon, died in November, 2016. While he never lived in Cote-St-Luc and was most closely associated with Westmount and the Plateau areas, Cote-St-Luc city councillor Mike Cohen said many in the area had a kinship with Cohen due to similar early-life experiences.
“Leonard Cohen attended Roslyn Elementary School, Herzliah High School, Westmount High School, and McGill University,” he said. “He loved books and words. He combined the analytical mind needed for debating -- which he did at McGill -- with the creative mind of a writer and thinker. He is all the things Côte Saint-Lucers revere and his name will be a fine addition to the landscape of Côte Saint-Luc.”
