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Because History repeats itself...
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Demolitions are announced on Saint-Laurent Boulevard: Heritage Montreal asks for a moratorium, the publication of all reports, and public hearings on the topic!
Heritage Montreal has examined the press release published by the Ville-Marie borough on the 21st of December, which announces the authorization of the demolition of a series of heritage buildings on Saint-Laurent Boulevard, within the protected area of the Monument-National. This press release follows the set-up of a security perimeter, so ordered by the borough, on December 2nd.
The press release highlights the fact that many of the buildings that are affected by this municipal decision are part of a highly valued patrimonial area of the historic Saint-Laurent Boulevard. In order to yet another loss of Montreal’s heritage, Heritage Montreal sent a letter to the mayor of Montreal and mayor of the Ville-Marie borough, Gérald Tremblay, on December 12, asking that these patrimonial buildings be consolidated, that all the documents that had contributed to the final outcome (including the engineering reports produced by the developer) be made public, and that a concerted, genuine revitalisation effort be taken up by the City of Montreal for this neglected sector of the downtown core.
The press release includes elements of a letter sent by the minister of Culture, Communications and the Status of Women, authorizing the demolitions under certain conditions. These conditions must be met and approved before the start of the demolitions.
Heritage Montreal strongly objects to the disappearance of heritage buildings within the protected area surrounding the Monument-National. Due to the lack of sufficient bank guarantees or of an independent surveillance mechanism, the borough’s proposition to dismantle the façades of the buildings for conservation and future use constitutes just another form of demolition. While several developers and investors, such as the Centre de Commerce mondial or the Club Soda (itself located on Saint-Laurent boulevard), have conserved patrimonial façades and created successful development projects, this demolition authorization only rewards negligent owners and developers instead of encouraging projects that highlight and enhance Montreal`s built heritage.
Considering that a security perimeter is already in place, which allows for the consideration of a satisfactory resolution to this issue, along with the collaboration of the municipal and provincial authorities for the protection and the enhancement of our heritage, Heritage Montreal asks that:
- No demolition work be undertaken during the holiday season (before January 15th);
- All documents, reports and briefs that support the decisions of the Ville-Marie borough and the city of Montreal be made public and accessible;
- The Commission des biens culturels du Québec and the Conseil du patrimoine de Montréal hold hearings to allow interested organisations and citizens the chance to make their voices heard.
Heritage Montreal will communicate these requests to the authorities at the City of Montreal and the Ministry of Culture of Quebec. We intend to collaborate with the authorities as well as the cultural and community actors who are interested in bringing to fruition a veritable revitalisation of this historic but highly neglected sector of the city centre.
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Heritage Montreal and Montreal’s Architectural Heritage Campaign -
An alliance honouring individual action and the discovery of our metropolis’ heritage
For the 21st year, Heritage Montreal is delighted to be associated with the City of Montreal for this year’s edition of the Montreal Architectural Heritage Campaign – the MAHC. This annual campaign was born of a shared observation: preventative maintenance is essential to the safeguard and appreciation of the built heritage of our metropolis’ neighbourhoods. Since 1990, the MAHC highlights the efforts made by individuals and organisations to maintain the integrity of their heritage buildings. The campaign also provides the population with a privileged occasion to discover the built heritage that differentiates the various areas of the Montreal agglomeration.
As part of the 2011 MAHC, Heritage Montreal will be offering guided walking tours of Pointe-St-Charles and its residential heritage, among which can be found many examples of laureates of previous editions of the MAHC. This visit will take place October 1st at 2pm. A free activity – with a limited number of places available – reservations are obligatory. Please register by phone: 514-286-2662, extension 26.
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© Dinu Bumbaru
© Anna Nixon
© Sandra Hewton, Monuments of Colour Collection
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Belvédère Éphémère will be held on May 14th and 15thPlease click here to download the document (in French only)
Description coming soon!
Description coming soon!
970 René-Lévesque Boulevard East
Architectural and Landscape Value
The Institute of the Sœurs de Miséricorde, a large conventual ans hospital complex, follows the classic form for this type of structure, namely a central block housing the chapel, with symetrical adjoining wings. The Institute’s first buildings were erected between 1853 and 1884. Over the years, other wings and pavilions were added, creating a harmonious whole that combines structures in different styles, from the neoclassical architecture of the original section to the modernism of the wings built in the 1940s.The Institute holds a place of importance in the built scape along De La Gauchetière Street and René-Lévesque Boulevard, in particular because of the commanding presence of its institutional architecture and the tree-filled courtyards that flank the chapel. In addition, the hospital is part of a larger institutional complex that includes the former Hautes Études Commerciales business school (now the Gilles-Hocquart Building of Quebec’s Bibliothèque et Archives nationales), opposite Viger square, and the former Viger Station-Hotel, the old Masson house (today the Maison du Père) and the former Académie Marchand, which now belongs to the Université du Québec à Montréal (UQÀM).
Historic Value
The Institute of the Sœurs de Miséricorde reminds us of the essential role played by religious congregations in 19th-century Montreal life. At that time, most health and social services were dispensed by Catholic religious orders. The quality and size of this group of convent buildings illustrates the importance attached to these religious institutions as well as the need for the public services they provided. Located between the Latin Quarter and various working-class neighbourhoods, the Institute of the Sœurs de Miséricorde took care of people whom society judged harshly and marginalized: single mothers and their children. The public hospital connected to it ranked as one of the most highly regarded maternity homes in 20th-century Montreal and was associated with many of the city’s leading figures.
The Threat
The Jacques-Viger long-term care hospital (CHSLD) that has occupied the building for several decades is currently cutting back and relocating its activities. It is considering closing the facility, as technical problems related to the masonry in some sections of the complex have been detected. The structural problems are already forcing the occupants of three of the six pavilions to vacate the premises.
Initiatives of Héritage Montréal
Héritage Montréal has been in contact with City of Montreal, Ville-Marie Borough and Montreal health authorities to make them aware of the urgency of ensuring a future use for this heritage building complex. Among other points, we have stressed the promising new reuse potential offered by the CHUM megahospital project, which requires space in this neighbourhood.
Description coming soon!
Architectural and artistic value
Designed in 1976 and inaugurated in 1981, Agora was created by sculptor and landscape designer Charles Daudelin (1920-2001), who was commissioned by Quebec’s transport minister, at the suggestion of engineer Bernard Lamarre, to re-establish a significant space on the west side of Square Viger, which had been devastated by the construction of the metro and then of the Ville-Marie expressway. The designer had to deal with constraints imposed by the tunnel running below it such as its ventilation fans. The immense green roof offers a central space framed by basins of water, terraces, and an interweaving of structures and spaces designed to house cafes and shops much like those found in the squares at Expo 67. The original plans also included the planting of scent gardens. Despite years of neglect, Agora maintains great architectural integrity.
Historic value
Square Viger is one of the oldest in Montréal, built on market spaces dating from the 1810s. A prestigious location, as evidenced by the remarkable buildings that surround it – homes, church, railroad station, the former Hautes Études Commerciales – the square was also frequented by the poor and the homeless as early as the 19th century. Agora predates by several years the adoption of the so-called “1% integration of art and architecture policy” and is reminiscent of efforts and initiatives designed to soften the impact of major transportation infrastructures in urban areas – in this case, the Ville-Marie expressway. This initiative also aimed to create a second activity hub to relieve the pressure on Place Jacques-Cartier in Old Montreal.
The threat
The feeling of public rejection felt from the very beginning of the redevelopment of Square Viger by artists is associated with disputes surrounding the expressway and facilities separated from other parts of the square, cut off from the street. This interfered with the completion of the original plans for Agora and, above all, its public use. The square’s urban environment is still inhospitable and dominated by traffic on streets serving the expressway. The lack of real activity in the sector makes it a poorly frequented area, associated with marginality and urban violence, two factors that now serve as a pretext justifying the indifference of the government and its desire to demolish it all without seeking to understand the significance of this site which, in 2009, offers great potential, since its trees have grown and new generations of artists and residents are discovering its possibilities. Agora is now threatened with demolition because of faults unfairly attributed to it.
Actions of Héritage Montréal
Héritage Montréal has expressed its concern about the state of this installation and the indifference of municipal and provincial authorities regarding its development. We expressed our views during consultations regarding the Ville-Marie section of the Master Plan, the downtown CHUM project, and the management of public art in Montréal. Héritage Montréal has also participated in meetings of the arts and heritage communities concerned about the fate of Agora as well as of the Commission des biens culturels du Québec. We have supported an application for classification submitted to the Minister of Culture to ensure the coherence of actions taken to protect monumental works from every era.
Area bordered by Ottawa / Dalhousie / Wellington / Ann
Architectural value
Like many industrial heritage ensembles, here and around the world, the New City Gas Company of Montreal complex was built in several stages by a number of different engineers, contractors, and architects. The New City Gas ensemble was built between 1859 and 1861 in accordance with the plans of John Ostell (1813-1862), a leading 19th-century Montreal architect. Ostell was also a board member and then president of the company, after being a shareholder of the Montreal Gas Light Company, founded in1836. Despite the loss of some parts of the building, largely to make way for the elevated tracks of the Canadian National Railway in the 1920’s, the New City Gas complex is largely intact. Its impressive roofs and stone masonry are a strong and evocative presence in the urban landscape, as seen from neighbouring Griffintown or from the train or highway.
Historic value
The New City Gas Company was built at a time when Montreal was entering a significant phase of its industrialization: the lighting revolution made possible the illumination of streets and buildings through the widespread production and distribution of gas, leading to increased productivity in the workplace. The company was a major participant in this revolution and, through the complex genealogy of gas companies that were later transformed into electric companies, is the ancestor of Hydro-Québec.
The threat
As part of a promising project to redevelop the Bonaventure expressway, the Société du Havre (created at the initiative of the City of Montréal), proposes to create a high-traffic bus corridor linking the South Shore to downtown Montreal along Dalhousie – a narrow street that runs alongside the New City Gas Company and now ends at the Canadian National railroad tracks. This proposal would require the building of a long and costly tunnel under the railroad tracks and result in some 1,400 bus trips past the building each day. The building of the tunnel would seriously threaten the integrity and solidity of this heritage building, and the heavy flow of buses would undermine any plans to revitalize the New City Gas Company.
Actions of Heritage Montreal
In 1987, Heritage Montreal asked the City of Montreal to cite New City Gas as a historic monument to ensure its protection and contribute to its improvement. In 2007, we intervened directly with the developer Devimco to ensure that this complex would be recognized, preserved, and respectfully revitalized within the framework of the (excessive) Griffintown project. In 2009, Heritage Montreal reminded the City of Montreal and the Société du Havre of the importance of this exceptional heritage complex, urging them to withdraw the proposal to concentrate the 1400 bus trips on Dalhousie Street. We also met with the administrators of the Agence métropolitaine de transport and received assurances of their reservations concerning the plan to create this bus corridor. Heritage Montreal is also in communication with the owner of the site and with local residents and organizations, which are also deeply concerned by the proposal for this high-traffic public transit corridor, which was apparently developed in a vacuum with no thought to the impact it would have on the revitalization of this neighbourhood.
1000 Saint-Jacques Street West
Architectural Value
Inaugurated in 1966, the Montreal Planetarium was designed by the architects David, Barrott, Boulva. Its modern architecture is interesting for its play of volumes, notably for the truncated roof that reveals the presence of the spherical central volume and for the modules which spring from the building’s façade suggesting a structure about to launch itself. Its most notable architectural element is on the inside – its spherical core is unique in Montreal and could provide an exceptional opportunity as a site for, for example, contemporary artistic creation. The Planetarium is adjacent to the former Chaboillez Square, most of which was cut off by access roads to the Ville-Marie autoroute. Consequently, the Dow Planetarium plays a significant role as a backdrop for Peel Street, a key axis linking the mountain and the river.
Historic Value
The Montreal Planetarium was the first public planetarium in Canada. Its creation, as a result of a substantial donation from neighboring Dow Breweries, demonstrates the preoccupation with popular scientific education in Montreal during Expo 67 and the era of space exploration.
The Threat
The City of Montreal’s plan to relocate the Planetarium to the vicinity of the Botanical Gardens, part of a project to group together all of the city’s scientific museums (Muséums Nature), may be warranted for practical reasons and a legitimate need to modernise the Planetarium, but it would result in the loss of the primary function of the planetarium structure and could serve as a pretext for its demolition. This would deprive Montreal - a city recently given the prestigious title of a UNESCO City of Design - of an exceptional facility, one that could contribute to the cultural revitalization of this part of downtown that borders the commercial centre of the city, the École de Technologie Supérieure and the Cité du Multimédia.
Initiatives of Héritage Montréal
Taking into consideration the unique character of this building and its potential for creative reuse, Heritage Montreal has contacted government policy makers, the heads of Muséums Nature and the adjacent École de Technologie Supérieure in an effort to sensitize them to the need to preserve and to make use of the remarkable interior in the event that the Planetarium is relocated. The Planetarium’s architectural heritage significance was highlighted during the activities marking the 2009 edition of the Day of World Heritage Sites and Monuments whose theme was Scientific Heritage. Heritage Montreal has also established positive contact with two highly regarded cultural organizations, the Société des Arts Technologiques and the Ligue Nationale d’Improvisation, who have both expressed an interest in the site.
1395 Overdale Street
Architectural and Landscape Value
Constructed in the 1840s, this house, despite certain modifications, is a rare example of the Neo-Classical greystone mansions built in the St. Antoine ward in that era. Its setback from the surrounding streets is a reminder of its original setting on landscaped grounds.
Historic Value
This house was home to one of our most important 19th century politicians, Louis-Hippolyte LaFontaine, who was the first Prime Minister of the united Canadas following the 1841 Union of Lower Canada and Upper Canada. LaFontaine was a key player in the creation of the country’s democratic institutions. In April 1849, the house was attacked by the rioters who had burned down the Parliament Building on the site of present-day Place d’Youville , to protest the adoption of the Compensation Act for all damages suffered during the 1837-38 Rebellion.
The Threat
Intervention by Heritage Montreal saved the house from demolition 20 years ago. Although the interior of the house was subsequently refinished, it has sat empty and abandoned for many years. The owner seems uninterested in a use of the house that would be appropriate and that respects its historical and architectural heritage.
Initiatives of Héritage Montréal
In 1987, Heritage Montreal convinced the City of Montreal to cite the house as a historic monument, which prevented its demolition. In 2005, Heritage Montreal called on the Federal Environment Minister to acquire the house and convert it into a site commemorating and interpreting the historic events at the origins of responsible government and parliamentary democracy in Canada. In 2009, following a resolution adopted by its members at its Annual General Meeting, Heritage Montreal once again called on the federal authorities, but to date, regrettably, the Canadian Government continues to exhibit indifference.
700 St. Catherine Street West
Architectural Value
The 9th floor of the former Eaton’s department store and its restaurant constitute a significant and remarkably intact example of Art Deco interior architecture. Its unique design and decoration is evocative of that of the great ocean liners of the era.
Historic Value
In the collective memory of Montrealers, the 9th floor restaurant is remembered as part of the era of the great downtown department stores. Legend has it that this restaurant was modelled after the Île de France ocean liner but the reality is that many architects at the time were inspired by naval structures and forms, creating the Streamlined Moderne style. The French architect who designed the 9th floor restaurant – Jacques Carlu (1890-1976), who also designed the Palais de Chaillot in Paris – was engaged by the Eaton department stores in both Montreal and Toronto and was also active in the United States.
The Threat
The transformation of the old Eaton’s department store into a shopping mall included the demolition of the kitchen of the 9th Floor Restaurant, although some of the original equipment was salvaged and placed in storage. Currently, this magnificent space has been mothballed by the owner under the watchful eye of Quebec’s Minister of Culture and Communications. However, each passing year means that the memory of the restaurant fades a little more, which could in the medium term threaten the conservation of the site and deprive Montrealers of a very special place.
Initiatives of Héritage Montréal
Further to Heritage Montreal’s request, following the bankruptcy of Eaton’s , the Art Deco restaurant on the 9th floor was classified as a historic monument by the Quebec Minister of Culture and Communications, the only authority able to protect interior heritage spaces in Québec. Since then, Heritage Montreal has concentrated its efforts on maintaining the owners’ and authorities’ interest in order for resources to be invested in bringing this extraordinary heritage site back to life and accessible to the public.
3457 Avenue du Musée
Architectural Value
Designed by architect Sir Andrew Taylor and built in 1886, this is one of the rare examples of Queen Anne architecture still standing in Montreal, with its red brick, its slate shingles, its many gables and its tall chimney.
Historic Value
A vestige of the era of Montreal’s fabled Square Mile, that section of downtown bounded to the north by the mountain and to the south by today’s René Lévesque Boulevard where Canada’s business elite lived in remarkable mansions. The Redpath House was built for John Redpath, the wealthy industrialist and builder of the Lachine Canal who founded the sugar refinery that bears his name. The Redpath family was one of the most influential Montreal families of the 19th century.
The Threat
In 1986, Heritage Montreal and Save Montreal obtained an injunction to stop the demolition of this historic building. Despite an out-of-court settlement between the parties, the building and the site, at least as far as maintenance goes, have been abandoned by their owner, who would appear to still hope to demolish the building to make way for high rise construction.
Initiatives of Héritage Montréal
Heritage Montreal has had several meetings with the owner and with municipal authorities. In 2002, the organisation intervened in front of the arbitration commission of the City of Montreal to prevent a demolition permit from being issued. Over the 20 years since demolition wasstopped, Heritage Montreal has continued to remind municipal authorities of the need to preserve the house and to find a way to integrate it into a development project that would respect the heritage and the urban pattern of the Square Mile. We have also proposed that the site and the vestiges of the house be integrated into a pedestrian path that would link the mountain to Sherbrooke Street where the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts hopes to design a sculpture garden as part of its Canadian art pavilion project.
In 1983, the General Conference of the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) designated April 18 as the International Day for Monuments and Sites following a proposal by ICOMOS, the International Council on Monuments and Sites. Each year, ICOMOS proposes a theme for the celebrations and for 2011, it proposed the Cultural Heritage of Water.
In the greater Montreal, Heritage Montreal, in collaboration with ICOMOS Canada, brought together local partners to present a program of activities to celebrate this International Day. A wide range of activities highlighting the various dimensions of the Cultural Heritage of Water will be offered by Heritage Montreal, the City of Montréal, the Centre d’histoire de Montréal, Cité Historia, Hydro-Québec, ICOMOS Canada, the Montreal Port Authority, the Old Port of Montreal Corporation Parks Canada, Pointe-à-Callière, the Stewart Museum, and the Société patrimoine et histoire de l’île Bizard et Sainte-Geneviève.
Click here for the complete program
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2011 SEASON OF GUIDED TOURS – ARCHITECTOURS AND SILO NO. 5!
Héritage Montréal is presently seeking outgoing individuals who wish to become volunteer guides for our upcoming program of guided tours. Enthusiastic about protecting and promoting Montreal’s architectural heritage? Share your passion by contributing to our guided tours!
We are currently recruiting volunteer guides for two projects: a series of guided tours of the Pointe-du-Moulin and the Silo No. 5 (this spring) as well as for our 2011 season of annual ArchitecTours (from August to October).
Offered since 1988, our ArchitecTours consist of guided walks through diverse Montreal neighbourhoods to discover their unique architecture and history. Each tour is two hours long and designed to appeal to local participants as much as to tourists. Visits are held rain or shine on Saturday and Sunday afternoons from August to October.
Qualifications
• University student or graduate in one of these fields: Architecture, Urban planning, Built heritage conservation, History or any other relevant field of study.
• Knowledge and interest in the history of our city, its architecture, urban planning and/or heritage
• Excellent public speaking skills (English or French)
• Interest in research and the production of guided tour scenarios
• Ability to work effectively as a team member
• Ability to stimulate visitors’ curiosity and their desire to broaden their horizons
Responsibilities
• Research of various subjects in order to design a guided tour scenario
• Participate in training sessions and an evaluation session
• Participate in group practice visits
• Animate guided tours
• Return a copy of your research notes to the organization for archive purposes.
If you are interested in joining a dynamic team of volunteers and being a part of the training procedures to become a guide for our walking tours, send us your resume and a cover letter before 5pm on March 23 to the attention of Amélie Renouf, Head - Programs and Activities, at this email address education@heritagemontreal.org or by mail at 100 Sherbrooke St. East, Suite 0500, Montréal (QC) H2X 1C3
Only selected candidates will be contacted for an interview.
Redpath site and common sense, letter to the editor published February 3, 2011 in The Gazette.
Heritage Montreal sees that common sense has prevailed in the recent decision of the City of Montreal to uphold zoning and reject a project for the Redpath House seeking derogations.
To justify his family’s plans to build on the site of the Redpath House to a height well in excess of that permitted by the by laws, Michael Sochaczevski cites the fact of taller buildings in the neighbourhood as support for their request for derogation to the current height limits. These statements are an unwitting reminder of the risks and damage caused by a policy of apparent laissez faire and spot zoning emitting exceptions to the rules with no other argument than the impatience of some politicians to see anything built.
Heritage Montreal has continuously advocated (sometimes successfully as with McGill College in the 1980s) for clear planning rules that ensure the quality urban development and fair play for property developers. Rules function best when consistently and fairly applied. Without that, we get the kind of random decision making that led to the destruction of large parts of the Square Mile and other neighbourhoods with the construction of apartment towers that the Sochaczevskis now invoke as an acceptable base line to justify their project.
At every stage in the sorry history of his 25 year ’stewardship ‘ of the Redpath House, and in each of the multiple exchanges he has had with us over the years, the owner has consistently asserted a special entitlement. Meanwhile he has done nothing to maintain, protect or stabilize the Redpath House.
Everyone else in the neighbourhood looks after their property and respects the zoning heights, including the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts in its new building. This is why avenue du Musée has kept such a distinct scale and character. Why should we make an exception for private interests when a public body using charitable and public funds is held to such a rigorous standard? Why should the City seem poised to reward 25 years of neglect with a special and highly lucrative zoning derogation privilege? Why should living by the rules be controversial?
For its decision to uphold the rules, félicitations à la Ville de Montréal!
Robert Turgeon, Chairman of the Board. Heritage Montreal
Bruce McNiven, Secretary, Heritage Montreal
Dinu Bumbaru, Policy Director, Heritage Montreal
Heritage Montreal is presenting two free activities on Saturday February 26th as part of the Nuit Blanche 2011, in collaboration with the Griffintown Cultural Corridor:
Guided Tour of Griffintown: An Industrial past, An Urban Canvas
Discover one of Montreal’s oldest neighbourhoods. Once a cradle of industry and now targeted for redevelopment, what is its future? A two hour guided walking tour. Dress warmly, the whole circuit is outdoors!
Departure: 5:00 pm
Meeting point: At the corner of McGill Street and Place d’Youville
Metro: Square Victoria (head south on McGill Street)
Two visits in French and one visit in English will be offered. Space is limited to 30 participants per group. Passes for the tour will be handed out at the meeting point starting at 4:30 pm on a first come first serve basis.
Conference: A light history in Montreal
By Dinu Bumbaru
Location: The conference will be held outdoors at the corner of Dalhousie and Ottawa streets in the Dalhousie cul-de-sac / 956 Ottawa
Time: 8 pm - 8:30 pm
For further information on all the presentations and participants and for the full schedule, visit: