00:00From Vancouver to Toronto condominium towers are shifting the skyline in Canadian cities. Despite all the new build there is one residential architectural style that remains a mainstay of Montreal. They're called Flexes named for the number of apartments inside two for a duplex three for a triplex starting in the eighteen hundreds. These colorful apartment buildings with often ornate facades and treacherous outdoor staircases have come to dominate many of the city's neighborhoods. As industrial Montreal began to become busier and more populated people looked for new places to build. Inside the apartments a central corridor runs front to back with rooms opening to each side of the hallway. Like many homes of the period the kitchens were in the back. An external typically spiral staircase connects the back door to a small outdoor area bordering the alley. But beyond the standard shape Plexus are a little bit eclectic reflecting different periods and cultures in Montreal. Some have enclosed staircases and plain facades. Others boast elaborate cornices wooden balconies stained glass windows and wrought iron staircases. The architecture of the plex is a little French Canadian a little Scottish and a little British. The external staircase however seems to have been distinctly CAC a feature French Canadians had started adding to the province's classic houses decades earlier. Working class plexus were sometimes known as the poor man's coffin for their overcrowding and lack of light. The humble status of Montreal's plexus means that they weren't always carefully preserved in the late 20th century. Many lost their original features with solid oak doors an art deco stained glass landing in the trash. Today flexes have regained popularity once known for affordability. Montreal has now joined Canada's real estate frenzy. Flexes are undergoing a modern renovation craze as people knock down original partition walls for more space and sunlight. Even today the colorful iconic buildings are still inspiring construction blending into a small town feel of many Montreal neighborhoods.

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Inside the History of Montreal’s Plex Homes

The steep outdoor metal staircases that adorn these colorful residential buildings on the streets of Montreal have become one of the city’s emblems. Both a source of fondness and a winter hazard that has inspired artists, they’re the telltale sign of the plex, a narrow and deep building of stacked apartments that came to dominate Montreal home construction in the second half of the 19th century — and remains ubiquitous today. While condo towers are now changing Montreal’s skyline, Bloomberg CityLab explores how these older walk-ups are still the beloved mainstay in many neighborhoods. (Source: Bloomberg)