Yee Sing Hand Laundry
Yee Sing Hand Laundry was located at 3654 Park Avenue in Montreal’s Milton-Parc neighbourhood from 1956 to 1972. Lovell’s Montreal City Directory identifies the shop’s owners as Hong Suey Yee and Ging Fook Wong. The duplex that housed the laundry, 3654-3656 Park Avenue, also served as the Yee family home.
Susan Yee on her way to school. (NFB 1975)
Life in the Yee household was the focus of the short film My Name is Susan Yee, directed by Beverly Shaffer in 1975 for the National Film Board of Canada’s “Children of Canada” series. In the film, Susan Yee says “in 1972, all the houses around here were abandoned; all the people had to move out … My father used to own a laundry but his customers had to move away when they tore the houses down.”
Mr Yee at home. Note the painted ‘laundry’ sign in the window. (NFB 1975)
Susan was referring to the impact of the La Cité Concordia development project on her historic mixed-income neighbourhood. By 1969, the project’s developer had acquired roughly 97% of properties in Milton-Parc with the intention of tearing them down to make way for the three-phase, multi-highrise project. In total, 255 buildings were demolished. However, only the first phase of La Cité was completed due to intense community opposition from the Milton-Parc Citizens’ Committee and individual families like the Yees.
Helen Angelopoulos moved to the Milton-Parc neighbourhood in 1979 and lives there today. She said the Yee family still lived in the duplex when she arrived, their house having become the front line in efforts to save the neighbourhood from being razed for La Cité. “What’s remarkable is the Yee family and the family that owned 3686-3688 Parc refused [the developer’s] offer, which was a substantial amount, and saved the whole section of residences that were slated to be torn down, thereby saving a bit of Montreal history.”
A protest flyer published by the Milton-Park Citizens’ Committee. Milton Parc fonds, Canadian Centre for Architecture, Montréal.
By refusing to sell, the Yee family also helped to make some Canadian history – the buildings that weren’t demolished as a result of their stand became part of the largest co-operative housing movement in Canada, now called the Communauté Parc-Milton. “The co-operative was managed by residents with subsidies from the municipal and provincial governments, which helped citizens – including myself – to have an active part in preserving Montreal heritage and keeping rents affordable,” Helen said.
As for the Yee Sing Hand Laundry sign, like so many others of local historic value, it almost ended up in the trash. The MSP obtained this invaluable piece of the Milton-Parc story from a donor who was helping to clear out the basement of a house. (Research by Steve Smith.)
An alley separates La Cité from the former Yee-owned duplex at 3654- 3656 Park Avenue. (Google Maps).