Former Craig Pumping Station | “We cannot destroy such vestiges”

A group which militates for the preservation of the old pumping station Craig and its sewers made us visit the places before their partial dismantling.

Text: Isabelle Ducas
The Press

Photos: Hugo-Sebastien Aubert
The Press

One of the last vestiges of the industrial era in Montreal, the old Craig pumping station, located under the Jacques-Cartier bridge, will be partially dismantled as of Monday, but the City of Montreal wishes to preserve elements of it, including four huge steam pumps in the basement, for a future interpretation center, a sort of “sewer museum”.

The group campaigning for the preservation of the site, Les AmiEs de la Craig, even envisages that visitors can take a foray of about 150 meters into the enormous sewer tunnels, built of bricks, some of which are no longer in use, so while others only serve to collect rainwater.

“What we are trying to offer here is a wild adventure course, between caving, urban exploration and a museum. The intention is to live an adventure, in a small group, with helmet, boots and gloves, in a sewer”, enthuses Pierre-Luc Rivest, member of the AmiEs de la Craig, who showed the places to the representatives of The Press.

“A kind of museum or a center of interpretation of the sewers, it may sound daunting, but it is done everywhere in Europe. We would be the first in Canada to build a museum like that, we would be at the forefront of cities in North America. »

“It’s so well preserved, we can’t leave it abandoned or destroy such vestiges,” adds Danielle Plamondon, a member of the same group.

Along with other urban explorers, members of the Friends of the Craig have discovered the place and its subterranean corridors during more or less legal explorations in recent years. They fell in love with the place and submitted a brief asking for the preservation of the site during public consultations on the sector in 2019.

Flood Stories

The Craig Pumping Station was built in 1887 to counter rising waters and protect the town from flooding. At the time, neighborhoods located near the water were frequently flooded in winter and spring, due to ice jams that formed on the river.

The construction of the Seaway solved this problem, and Craig Station had not been used since the 1950s. Since the 1980s, it had been abandoned and was a delight for urban explorers.

The building has gradually fallen into disrepair and is on the verge of collapse. Inside, the entire structure is supported by steel beams that rest on the floor. The chimney was removed in 2020 because it was in danger of falling.

“During the dismantling, we will identify which elements can be preserved and reused, which can be kept in situ and what can be stored for later, with the committee that we have set up,” explains Robert Beaudry, municipal councilor for the district of Saint-Jacques, in the borough of Ville-Marie.

In September, an interpretive trail will be set up in the neighborhood, with panels that will recall the history of Craig station. In the summer of 2023, a transitional interpretation project is planned, with access to the station, guided tours of the site to observe the underground pumps, and perhaps forays into the sewer tunnels, continues Mr. Beaudry.

For the first phase of the project, the planned budget is 2.7 million.

Designated as a building of heritage value by the City, the former pumping station was erected at the end of the 19th century.^e century near the Pied-du-Courant prison. At the time, it was surrounded by buildings. Since then, the Jacques-Cartier bridge was built in the 1920s and, not far from there, the Faubourg à m’lasse was razed in the 1960s to make way for the Maison de Radio-Canada. Today, Craig station is wedged between the expressways of Notre-Dame Street and is difficult to access.

In the Special Urban Planning Program for the Faubourgs, it is planned that one of the lanes of rue Notre-Dame be moved, which would allow access to the site. Many residential real estate projects are planned in the area, which will significantly change the face of the neighborhood. The surroundings of the old Craig station should also become a park.

A working committee is currently looking into the modalities of reconstruction on the Craig station site. It brings together the City of Montreal, the borough of Ville-Marie, Héritage Montréal, Friends of the Craig pumping station, the Quebec Association for Industrial Heritage, the Forges de Montréal, the Écomusée du fier monde, the Conseil arts and crafts in Quebec and cultural routes in the suburbs.