Montreal's Sherbrooke Street West ranks as one of world's coolest corridors

Montreal's Sherbrooke Street West has ranked fifth on Time Out magazine's list of the world’s coolest streets for its “mix of historic charm and modern energy, where museums, boutiques, and bold architecture collide.”

The London-based lifestyle magazine known for ranking global destinations and focusing on travel, food and entertainment placed Rua do Senado in Rio de Janeiro atop its list of the 31 coolest streets in the world in 2025.

Sherbrooke West stretches nearly nine kilometers from Saint-Laurent to Westminster, reflecting both Montreal’s heritage and its ongoing evolution. The street is anchored by Golden Square Mile in the downtown area, home to many former mansions built for the long-forgotten elite. The street combines cultural landmarks, luxury hotels and retail with significant redevelopment projects.

“Sherbrooke West is Montreal at its most dynamic," the magazine said in its ranking.

The following is a list of Sherbrooke West properties that have made news for their architectural heritage, adaptive reuse and major investment activity. Together, they show how the street has adapted to market trends while maintaining its character.

Hotel 10 combines contemporary hospitality with historic architecture. The property integrates a modern six-story structure with elements of the former Godin Building, a landmark tied to Montreal’s industrial past. This design approach preserves character while delivering an upscale experience.

The hotel, owned by Tidan Hospitality Group, contains 137 rooms, 5,396 square feet of meeting space, and amenities including a fitness center, restaurant and bar. Its location near the Quartier des Spectacles and major transit hubs makes it a preferred choice for visitors seeking proximity to cultural venues and downtown offices.

City officials approved plans to demolish the 24-story Delta Hotel and replace it with two towers: a 330-room hotel and a 36-story apartment building with up to 500 units.

Owned by SilverBirch Hotels & Resorts, the redevelopment will add a green roof, coworking spaces and modern amenities near McGill University, signaling continued investment in the downtown core.

Joseph Kracauer introduced this tower in 1975 as part of a portfolio that helped define Montreal’s commercial landscape. “This building was a turning point,” said his son Benjamin Kracauer, a New York architect overseeing the sale of the family’s holdings.

The younger Kracauer led upgrades to the building's plaza and façade, but vacancy reached 30%, and valuations declined from $45.5 million in 2021 to $25.44 million in 2024. “I accept the situation,” he said, as bids come in and he shifts focus to his architectural practice.

Guy Laliberté, founder of Cirque du Soleil, invested nearly $100 million to reposition the seven-building Maison Alcan complex that includes the old Berkeley Hotel. His Lune Rouge team introduced a startup hub, public atrium and café. “He wanted to give it back to the entrepreneurs,” said Sean O’Donnell, president of Lune Rouge. He described the space as “a kind of playground, a place to convene, where people can get to meet people."

Plans include the Citadel, a concert and event venue in a restored church. The complex offers free space for anybody to enjoy the surroundings and work on their laptops in the lobby. About 92% of its 270,000 square feet is leased.

Prime Properties maintains its headquarters in this preserved Golden Square Mile building, which avoided a wave of demolitions decades ago. The company, initially led by Karsten Rumpf and now run by his son Richard Rumpf, has been purchasing properties in downtown Montreal for decades.

The four-story masonry structure, completed in 1937, demonstrates how heritage buildings can remain functional in a market dominated by high-rise development.

The Ritz-Carlton has operated on Sherbrooke West since 1912. The nine-story hotel has 129 rooms, a spa and 10,000 square feet of meeting space. Its Palm Court lounge and Maison Boulud restaurant remain fixtures in Montreal’s hospitality scene. The prominent hotel property received a massive $200 million renovation completed in 2012.

The Armoyan family of Halifax and Montreal is converting the 21-floor Standard Life tower into 225 to 250 apartments in a $50 million conversion project expected to take 12–18 months. “We just liked the location," George Armoyan Jr. told CoStar News. "It’s an iconic street."

The building’s column-free design and views make it suitable for residential use, reflecting a broader trend of office-to-housing conversions in North American cities.

Brasswater redeveloped the former Holt Renfrew department store into a fully leased mixed-use property, as reported by CoStar News. “1300 is the coolest, most luxurious office building not just on Sherbrooke but in all of Canada,” said Ian Quint, CEO of Brasswater, in a text message.

The project includes five floors of offices, retail space and an 8,000-square-foot rooftop lounge. The design combines historic architecture with modern amenities aimed at attracting tenants back to the downtown core.

Prime Properties recently purchased the Medical Arts Building for $11.6 million. The 90,994-square-foot structure, which dates back to 1923, is 88% leased but faces challenges common to older office stock amid a 20.8% downtown vacancy rate. It is surrounded by Broccolini's nearly completed luxury condo project branded Le Sherbrooke.