Typical Montreal Outdoor Stairs

The wrought iron outer staircases that grace many Montreal duplexes / triplexes are one of the city's most distinctive architecture design features. Originally, Montreal duplexes were first built to accommodate people from a wide variety of classes and ethnicities. However, this was largely a cutural phenomenon. The French and ethnic middle class preferred duplexes, whereas the English speaking middle class adopted row-houses and detached houses.