Héritage Montréal

Press release - Heritage in danger

natalie.kaiser — Wed, 21 Dec 2011 23:39:48 +0000

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.

– 30 –

Montreal Architectural Heritage Campaign 2011

Amélie — Mon, 19 Sep 2011 21:38:46 +0000

Heritage Montreal and Montreal’s Architectural Heritage Campaign -

An alliance honouring individual action and the discovery of our metropolis’ heritage

For the 21^st 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 1^st at 2pm. A free activity – with a limited number of places available – reservations are obligatory. Please register by phone: 514-286-2662, extension 26.

Heripage Vol. 3 no. 3 - July 27, 2011

Amélie — Fri, 12 Aug 2011 13:45:15 +0000

July 27, 2011

HERIP@GE Vol. 3 No. 3

ARCHITECTOURS 2011: MONTREAL IN METAMORPHOSIS MODE –
URBAN PLANNING IN 8 WALKING TOURS!

This summer, join us for a new season of ArchitecTours. Like thousands of visitors over the last few years, discover Montreal’s many neighbourhoods flowing with history and architecture.

From August 6th to September 25th, discover the current and upcoming major development projects that are reshaping our metropolis.

Heritage Montreal’s popular urban explorations will be offered every Saturday and Sunday, rain or shine, in English as well as in French. Each visit is two hours in duration. Reservations are not necessary as tickets are available at each departure point 15 minutes prior to the designated start time. A maximum of 105 tickets (35 per guide) will be available for each visit, offered on a first come first served basis. Admission fees are $10 for Heritage Montreal members (membership card required), $12 for students and seniors and $14 for adults.

For a third season, we are pleased to offer our discounted Access Card allowing you to participate
in 4 visits for the price of 3!

Eight ArchitecTours are on offer for our 2011 Season:

The Museum Quarter: a Unique Downtown neighbourhood
Innovation District
The Glen: Around the great arch
In and Around Windsor Station
Urban Renewal: the Quartier des spectacles
Pine Avenue: Between the city and the mountain
The Western Sector of Downtown: In evolution
The Olympic Complex: Off the beaten path

For more information on the circuits and departure points, contact Heritage Montreal at (514) 286-2662 or online www.heritagemontreal.org for the 2011 ArchitecTours programme.

For the second consecutive year, Heritage Montreal is pleased to announce a partnership with Ivanhoé Cambridge. Founded by the Caisse de dépot et placement in 1984, Ivanhoé Cambridge is a leader in the commercial real estate development sector across North America and Western Europe. This year, we are very pleased to announce the support of the Foundation of Greater Montreal for our educational programs.

The ArchitecTours are also supported by the ministère de la Culture, des Communications et de la Condition féminine du Québec and the City of Montreal pursuant to the Entente sur le développement culturel de Montréal.

HERITAGE AND PLANNING : BUSY AUTUMN ON THE HORIZON!

Despite the wonderful weather, summer provides us with the time to prepare for the many consultations scheduled this Fall. Here are just a few where Heritage Montreal plans to be present:

Plan métropolitain d’aménagement et de développement (www.pmad.ca)

The lack of a consistent and modern vision for the development and the planning of the Greater Montreal area is painfully impacting quality of life, mobility, the economy, heritage and the environment. The law forcing the Montreal Metropolitan Community (CMM) to adopt a Metropolitan Plan (PMAD) in 2011 acknowledges the need to address these shortfalls. Last May, the CMM published its Draft Metropolitan Plan, and although it could be perfected, we feel it is a very relevant and urgently needed step in the right direction. The Draft proposes three strategies to make the metropolitan area more sustainable:

Provide quality living areas by enhancing the density around public transportation nodes (Transport-Oriented Development);
Optimise transportation infrastructures to consolidate urbanised areas and to reduce dependency on the automobile at the metropolitan level
Develop a metropolitan network of heritage sites or ensembles, landscapes and natural areas for the enjoyment of the public and visitors.

The CMM will hold hearings next September and October on its Draft Plan. Heritage Montreal will present its views and recommendations, in particular on the implementation of the Plan.

This is a landmark consultation that no one should miss. We strongly encourage you to take part in this consultation. Your support of and suggestions for a more consistent planning and development approach for Greater Montreal, in particular related to proposals which address heritage, is appreciated. The deadline to express your interest in being heard is September 2nd. Visit www.pmad.ca and register now!

Downtown building heights and density

Many cases, such as the recent one involving the Redpath Mansion, have highlighted the need to clarify existing planning regulations that sometimes have harmful effects, in particular surrounding the issue of building heights and density on the slopes of Mount Royal and Downtown. On this subject, the City of Montreal has just published a proposed revision of height and density rules in anticipation of a consultation by the Office de consultation publique this fall. One of the more interesting aspects of this proposal is to ensure that building heights on the mountain’s southern flank, in the Square Mile, reflect the scale and essence of the heritage builtscape. This revision comes in advance of the full review of the City’s Master Plan scheduled for 2013. You can consult the proposal on the website of the Ville-Marie Borough.

Regulations related to Antennas in Montreal

Whether on the mountain or in one of our many neighbourhoods, the presence of antennas impacts the urban landscape and the architecture of our city. Given that antennas fall under the federal government’s jurisdiction over communications, the City administration has limited authority on the matter. Nevertheless, the City of Montreal has prepared a draft by-law to improve installation practices that take into account, notably, heritage aspects. The Office de consultation publique de Montréal will hold a consultation on the proposed new regulations early this Automn.

Dorchester Square and Place du Canada

Revitalized by the City of Montreal with the support of the Quebec Ministry of Culture and thanks to the professional services of architects Cardinal Hardy and landscape architect Claude Cormier, the restoration of Dorchester Square – the Northern half of what used to be called Dominion Square – is a great success. We look forward to soon seeing the southern half of the square, Place du Canada, benefit from the same level of attention and talent. In the meantime, the ongoing project to grant a historic designation to the square and its built elements is progressing. Public consultations could be held as early as this fall by the Conseil du patrimoine de Montréal, the City’s heritage Council. Heritage Montreal contributed to the successful revitalization project through research and recommendations to help the City make decisions concerning the heritage aspects of the restoration.

DEMOLITION :

A PORTRAIT OF REGULATIONS IN PLACE THROUGHOUT GREATER MONTREAL

Did you know that between the founding year of Heritage Montreal (1975) and the year 2000, Montreal issued over 22 000 demolition permits?

This stunning statistic along with recent cases, such as the Redpath Mansion, Seville Theatre, the Franciscan Monastery, St. Luke’s Anglican Church in Rosemont or Très-Saint-Nom-de-Jésus in Maisonneuve, heritage houses in the Village St-Augustin or Cartierville, Théâtre du Rideau-Vert’s ateliers in the Plateau, the Holy Trinity St-Sauveur church and whole city blocks cleared for the CHUM project, historic factories in St. Henri in the way of the Turcot project, spectacular barns in Ste-Anne de Bellevue or the remarkable Trend House in Beaconsfield – remind us all that demolition is a regular practice which often raises serious heritage or architectural issues. Heritage Montreal regularly receives calls from alarmed citizens confronted with public notice of demolition permit requests and complex, often obscure procedures to intervene.

To help us better understand regulations in place and help members and other citizens in such situations, Dominique St-Louis, student in Planning and Urbanism at Collège de Rosemont, dedicated his internship at Heritage Montreal to gather and analyse existing demolition by-laws from municipalities on and around the Island of Montreal. This survey revealed some interesting observations, for example municipalities have the option, not the obligation, to adopt a demolition by-law. The rules and procedures which are eventually adopted vary significantly from one city or borough to the next.

A big thank you to Dominique St-Louis for his impressive work. It will be very useful during the upcoming discussions and consultations prior to the major review of planning regulations in Montreal and the Metropolitan Area.

A SPECIAL VISIT FOR OUR MEMBERS IN GRIFFINTOWN

In appreciation for the support from our members, early this past June, close to one hundred Heritage Montreal Members had the unique opportunity to visit an exclusive preview of Ghosts In The Machine: The Inquest of Mary Gallagher, a video and sound installation by Allison Loader. The piece examined the myths surrounding the infamous murder of Mary Gallagher in 1879 through the lens of anamorphic projections of 19th century photographs and illustrations, maps, and contemporary recordings of witness testimony from the police inquest. Presented in Griffintown’s former 19th century police station, site of the original inquest, members were also given a guided tour of the historic building. Pictured here is one of the many groups, along with our talented volunteer guide Jean-Yves Bourdages, that took part in the activity held throughout the weekend of June 3-5.

The former police station is now home to Centaur Theatre’s rehearsal studios and set construction and paintings shops and is rarely open to the public. A big thank you to Centaur and specifically to Daniel Barkley, Chuck Childs and Rich Dawson for being present and opening their doors to Heritage Montreal members.

A big thank you to Curator Shauna Janssen, founder of Urban Occupations Urbaines; this exhibit was one of a series of public art installations and performance interventions presented throughout Griffintown. For further information on this series, visit: www.urbanoccupationsurbaines.org/

DOCUMENTATION CENTRE; DIGITALISATION OF OUR VISUAL ARCHIVES

A project for the enhancement of Héritage Montréal’s important visual archives collection was undertaken recently partly thanks to a generous donation form the Zeller Family Foundation. The first step of the project consists in the digitalisation of these photographs, most of them being slides. The next step of the project will be to make these archives available to researchers in order to enhance the resources offered by our documentation centre.

The visual documents (more than 8 500) of our archives document the evolution of Montreal’s urban environment since the 1970s, as well as the activities of our Foundation through our 35 years of existence.

MODERN MONTREAL, A RESONANT PORTRAIT

Take advantage of the summer to rediscover Montreal’s downtown area and understand its development through this podcast. A true in situ architecture and history class with a unique musical background, this podcast allows you to rediscover this innovative urban heart and to see how its buildings and spaces are witnesses of the ambitions, visions and sometimes contradictions that carried Montreal’s development in the 20th century.

The podcast is downloadable at the cost of 8$ on the Montréal Moderne Website or an mp3 player can be borrowed at the Centre d’histoire de Montréal for the same cost.

This project is a realisation of Sophie Mankowski, Architect, OAQ.

HERITAGE CANADA FOUNDATION
ANNUAL CONFERENCE

Connecting People, Places and Stories: New Strategies for Conservation in a Changing World, conference from October 12 to 15, 2011 in Victoria, British Columbia.

An extraordinary gathering of the global conservation community. The Heritage Canada Foundation is co-hosting the very first International Conference of National Trusts
(ICNT) held in Canada. The conference will bring together over 400 participants
committed to cultural and natural conservation from across Canada and around the world.

Featuring internationally renowned speakers such as Bonnie Burnham of the World Monuments Fund, USA and Fiona Reynolds of the National Trust, UK.

Review the programme online

HERITAGE WALKS / RADIO TALKS

This summer, geographer and author Normand Cazelais, a former Heritage Montreal Board Member, hosts a weekly chat with Heritage Montreal’s Dinu Bumbaru on interesting areas or landmarks in and around Montreal. The show « Dites-nous Dinu » is aired in French Wednesdays from 1:30 to 2:00 pm at Radio Ville-Marie, 91,3FM.

Heripage Vol. 3 no. 2 - May 5, 2011

Amélie — Fri, 12 Aug 2011 13:40:05 +0000

May 5, 2011

H E R I P @ G EVol. 3 no 2

ARCHITECTOURS HORS SERIE SILO #5: 2ND EDITION

Following last year’s highly successful guided tours of the unique Pointe-du-Moulin and its Silo #5, Heritage Montreal is proud to renew its partnership with the Canada Lands Company (CLC) in order to present a second edition of these hors-serie ArchitecTours. This encore presentation is a not-to-be-missed opportunity to discover one of Montreal’s most iconic industrial heritage landmarks.

Inaccessible and usually closed to the public, this site will be open for a special edition of our guided walking tours on the following Saturdays and Sundays: June 4-5th, June 11-12th and 18-19th, and July 9-10th and 16-17th. On each of these dates, the 10 AM, 11 AM and 1 PM visits will be in French and the 2:30 PM visits will be in English.

Visits will also be offered on the following Wednesday evenings: June 1st, 8th, 15th, and 22nd, as well as July 6th and 13th. These tours last approximately 90 minutes and will take place rain or shine.

Members of Heritage Montreal a well as subscribers to this newsletter and can reserve their place for a few of our May visits! Just communicate with us!

Admission is $10 for Heritage Montreal Members, $12 for students and seniors, and $14 for non-members.

Exceptionally, reservations are required for these special hors serie ArchitecTours. For safety reasons, participants must wear closed footwear; safety helmets will be distributed to participants on site.

The Canada Lands Company is collaborating with Heritage Montreal for this special ArchitecTour to highlight Heritage Montreal’s 35 years of exceptional work towards enhancing awareness of urban heritage. For more information on CLC and on the Pointe-du-Moulin site, visit www.clc.ca and www.pointedumoulin.ca.

For more details and for reservations, please contact Heritage Montreal at (514) 286-2662, extension 22 or visit www.heritagemontreal.org

35th ANNIVERSARY CONTEST: AND THE WINNER IS…

As part of our 35th Anniversary celebrations and in the context of our Annual Individual Campaign we offered our Brick, Slate, Granite, Sandstone and Greystone donors the chance to win a Van Horne Voyage (two nights in a deluxe room at the Fairmont Château Frontenac and travel for two courtesy of Via Rail). Thanks to your enthusiasm and generosity, this year’s campaign brought in a record near $20,000. With close to 100 participants in this year’s draw, we are delighted to announce the grand prize winner: Mrs. Mary Landry, of Montreal.

Our happy second place winners (who will receive a copy of France Gagnon Pratte’s fabulous book Le Château Frontenac : Cent ans de vie de château) : Mary Leslie Aitken, Jules Auger, Michèle Bessette, Claude Godin, Frédéric Legault, Jean Paré, Claude Patoine, Jean-François Poirier, Robert Turgeon et Dusty Vineberg Solomon.

A heartfelt thank you to all our donors and members who contributed to this year’s campaign: it is with your support that Heritage Montreal continues to be our city’s most respected heritage voice. Congratulations to all our winners and a sincere thank you to our partners Via Rail and the Fairmont le Château Frontenac. To find out more about the benefits offered to our donors, please consult our website.

HERITAGE MONTREAL’S ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING

Notman House

Heritage Montreal’s Annual General Meeting will take place Tuesday, June 7th 2011, at 5 pm at the Notman House (51 Sherbrooke St. West). A bilingual tour of this historic site with Dinu Bumbaru, our Policy Director, will begin at 4:00 pm. This visit is reserved for Heritage Montreal members only.

The Notman House was originally built in 1845 for lawyer William Collis Meredith. The house was designed by architect John Wells, at the same time that he was designing the Bank of Montreal’s headquarters on Place d’Armes. It was in 1876 that the renowned Canadian photographer William Notman acquired the house from Alexander Molson, occupying it until his death in 1891.

In the 1890s the property and grounds were purchased by Montreal businessman and senator Sir George A Drummond to permit its use as a nursing home for elderly women under the care of an order of Anglican nuns: the Sisters of St Margaret. A large new hospital wing was added for this purpose through Drummond’s charitable support , designed by Montreal architect Andrew Taylor. The property continued to serve this function into the 1980’s.

Classified in 1979 as a Historic Monument under the Québec Cultural Properties Act, it benefits from a 500 foot radius protection zone.And while the Taylor-designed hospital wing is not itself classified, it falls within this zone.

Following a number of development projects proposed over the last twenty years that have generated considerable controversy, the current owners and a newly established not for profit foundation are exploring interesting possibilities for the Notman House , including the hospital wing , that are respectful of the built heritage , with a public vocation, and that we are hopeful will be concluded successfully in the near future. Our members will have a sneak preview during our Annual General Meeting.

Another good reason to become a member of Heritage Montreal.

Our members benefit from a number of advantages, including the right to vote at our Annual General Meeting. In addition, your contribution enables Heritage Montreal to pursue its mission to promote the protection of the architectural, historic, natural and cultural heritage of Greater Montreal, its neighbourhoods and communities.

BELVÉDÈRE ÉPHÉMÈRE

Belvédère Éphémère will be held on May 14th and 15th

As part of the May 2011: Mount Royal Month celebrations, Les amis de la montagne and Ville de Montréal, as well as other partners will be presenting an ephemeral and playful intervention that addresses access to mount Royal via its western flank. On Saturday May 14th, from 9 AM to 6 PM, in an unusual location, on the corner of Cedar and Côte-des-Neiges, 10 teams of designers and artists, will create live art installations revisiting the urban, architectural and landscape language connected to the theme of the Belvedere.

You are invited to the vernissage at 6:30 PM, during a sunset picnic, which will be followed by film projections, under the artistic direction of Khoa Lê et Julie Côté.

This event is free. Installations will remain on-site until Sunday May 15th.

In case of rain, this event will take place on May 29th-29th

For more information, visit http://www.lemontroyal.qc.ca/, check out the Facebook event or call 514 843-8240, extension 241.

CONSEIL DU PATRIMOINE

You love Montreal and are passionate about heritage in all its forms? Subscribe to the Conseil du patrimoine de Montréal’s newsletter!

Created in 2002, with a mandate to make recommendations and suggestions in line with protecting our heritage and ensuring its integration into our evolving metropolis. The Conseil du patrimoine de Montréal is the City of Montreal’s consultative body with respect to heritage matters. The Conseil communicates its recommendations through memoirs, notices and advisories, all of which are available first and foremost through their newsletter.

Published four times a year, this newsletter will be of interest to heritage specialists, architects, urbanists, designers, historians, teachers and students as well as culture lovers of all stripes. The subscription form is easily accessible on the Conseil web site, at this address: ville.montreal.qc.ca/cpm.

HERITAGE IN NEW YORK

Heritage Montreal’s Policy Director Dinu Bumbaru will be in New York on May 11th to take part in a debate, hosted by tow leaders in the heritage conservation movements, the New York Landmarks Conservancy and the Municipal Art Society: Debating New York’s Skyline: Evolving or Embalmed?

Moderator Paul Goldberger, Architecture Critic for the New Yorker, will be joined by Dinu Bumbaru as well as Phyllis Lambert, Founding Director of the Canadian Centre for Architecture and Columbia University Professor of History adn the social sciences Kenneth T. Jackson.

Recent proposal for new skyscrapers in Manhattan have prompted New Yorkers to question: should an internationally renowned iconic skyline be preserved?

For more information or to reserve your place, visit the event’s page!

For more informationwww.heritagemontreal.org

Heritage Montreal’s comments on the PPU for the Downtown West area.

Amélie — Thu, 19 May 2011 20:15:08 +0000

Please click here to download the document (in French only)

Cadieux Foundry

Amélie — Wed, 20 Apr 2011 19:46:29 +0000

Description coming soon!

CIBC Bank

Amélie — Wed, 20 Apr 2011 19:45:08 +0000

Description coming soon!

Institute of the Misericordia Sisters

Amélie — Wed, 20 Apr 2011 19:41:56 +0000

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.

Très-Saint-Nom-de-Jésus Church

Amélie — Wed, 20 Apr 2011 19:37:00 +0000

Description coming soon!

Viger Square

Amélie — Wed, 20 Apr 2011 19:30:10 +0000

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.