Westmount: The Tie that Binds the Twin Cities
An Illustrated History of Westmount's 100 Years
By Susan Saunders Mavor
$39.95
ISBN:978-0-9208345-0-3
This is the story of one of the Region's most interesting and attractive residential neighbourhoods, from its origins in 1912 to the present day. From the beginnings of its development by local industrialist and entrepreneur Talmon Henry Rieder, Westmount was envisioned as an upscale residential area. Rieder aptly described it as "a fine piece of property" in 1912 when he consulted America's foremost landscape architects, the Frederick Law Olmsted firm, about its development. In addition to giving it the name of Canada's premier neighbourhood, Westmount in Montreal, where he had lived for a period, Rieder also transferred many of the street names from its Quebec namesake to his new subdivision in Berlin, as Kitchener was then known.
The book outlines the history of the neighbourhood and the adjacent golf course through the world wars, economic depressions, and also through the times of modern prosperity. The community's development was guided by a series of unique champions following Rieder's death in 1922. The story of those individuals, as well as of the many families who have called Westmount home over several generations, is enhanced by photos from personal albums, decades-old letters, diary excerpts, and documents from archival collections.
The history of Westmount is in many ways a reflection of the history of Canada on a smaller scale. Its growth and architecture, its challenges and solutions combine to present a portrait of the life and times of the people who have lived there. The past provides a model for how this unique neighbourhood has survived and how it can continue to thrive.
About Susan Saunders Mavor
Susan Saunders Mavor is a librarian and head of the rare books and archives department of the University of Waterloo Library. A number of the Library's archival collections have been consulted as part of her research for this book as well as for earlier articles she has published on Westmount's history. As a long-time resident of the Westmount area in Kitchener, her professional and personal interests have been combined in the publication of this book. She lives in one of Westmount's earliest houses with her husband Ted.
