Griffintown Horse Palace, Historical stable and museum in Griffintown, Montreal, Canada

The Griffintown Horse Palace is a stable on Ottawa Street in Griffintown, Montreal, dating from around 1860. The site holds the stables, a vacant 3,500-square-foot lot, the Leonards' brick triplex and an aging former auberge, sold as three separate lots. For three decades it was run by Leo Leonard, a former Goose Village iceman and calèche driver known as Clawhammer Jack.

The stable dates back to around 1860, when it was built in Griffintown. For three decades it was run by Leo Leonard, a former Goose Village resident, iceman and calèche driver known locally as Clawhammer Jack, who was reported to be the last Irish Quebecer left in the district. He retired and moved to Nun's Island in 2011, and the sale of his land around his Ottawa Street residence has left the stables' future in doubt.

This place marks where horse-drawn carriages were central to Montreal's daily life and where Griffintown functioned as a working transportation hub. You can walk through spaces that were designed for this practical work and understand how the city moved a century ago.

The front area is accessible most days, while the stable sections open to visitors mainly during guided tours and special events throughout the year. Plan to spend time walking through the interior at your own pace and check ahead for upcoming programs.

The stables date from around 1860 and were run for three decades by Leo Leonard, known as Clawhammer Jack, a former iceman and calèche driver described as the last Irish Quebecer in Griffintown. He retired to Nun's Island in 2011, and the site appeared in a 1999 episode of Weird Houses.