It was one of Montreal’s perennial holiday traditions: the Ogilvy Christmas window has been drawing crowds to the corner of Sainte-Catherine St. and de la Montagne for 70 years.
Although Ogilvy’s owners decided the mechanical display would come to an end after 2017, the display is now out in full force in a different downtown location.
This year, the McCord Museum has taken over the two Christmas displays, donated by Ogilvy’s owners along with $50,000 to complete some necessary repairs.
“Because those are all mechanical toys, some of the mechanics needed repair,” explained Suzanne Sauvage, McCord Museum President. “Some of the puppies and the little animals need a face lift so we worked on it.”
The museum has one display out on Sherbrooke St., while another is inside.
“At a certain time during the day there will be choirs singing outside, we will serve some hot drinks,” Sauvage said.
Even though it’s no long in its original location, for onlookers, it still has the same nostalgic feel as always.
“It’s just as wonderful today,” said Carol Ann Fenderson, who remembers seeing the display years ago.
“The intricacy of all the moving parts – there’s so much to take in. It’s all happening at once. It’s very clever,” she added.
The outdoor display will remain in place until January 6th.
