Snowdon mystery: why was a duplex rolled from Decarie to Trans Island?

   The vacated site became a BA gas station, which was later removed via wrecking ball and replaced by a larger structure.

   In spite of the giggles seen in the photo, the experience must have been an unnecessary logistical nightmare.

   Crowds likely gathered, streets cleared of traffic, overhead electrical lines must have been painstakingly avoided as the house rolled down Decarie, east on Queen Mary and then north on Trans Island in order to slide it in directly adjacent to the already existing duplex to its south at 5192-5194. 

    Being a brick house surely made it a risky endeavor, considering the likelihood of major cracks and other structural fractures occurring during transport and installation. Such moves today are rare and generally only for heritage dwellings.

   It's not entirely unprecedented, however as Al Palmer noted that the original Miss Montreal Restaurant was a train car rolled down Decarie from the Cartierville flying fields. 

   Resident McCoy was among those in charge of the Rosemount police station and was involved in high-profiled gambling busts in the 1930s before retiring in 1939. 

   Drapeau's Caron Commission called him to the stand in February 1951 and he told them the police practice of putting padlocks on the door was a farce that all officers were fully aware was futile, as gambling guys would simply open a new den down the hall. 

Snow   

   The house, in its new spot, sits only a few doors down from 5146 Trans Island which is the spot from where gangsters attempted to dig into a bank across the street in 1967. And in 1986 a pair of bodies were left in a trunk for 41 days around the corner.