The Domaine-de-l’Estérel shopping center, protected under its classification as a heritage building, was illegally destroyed on Friday. Images obtained by The Press suggest that this is a deliberate act.
Posted at 8:41 p.m.
Updated at 10:15 p.m.
“The listed heritage building in the Domaine de l’Estérel in the Laurentians has been demolished illegally, without any authorization,” Culture and Communications Minister Nathalie Roy tweeted on Friday. “I asked the ministry to shed light on what happened. We will enforce the law. »
The building, erected in 1936-1937 at the behest of wealthy Belgian Baron Louis Empain, was protected for its historical and architectural value, says the Ministry of Culture and Communications (MCC) website.
PHOTO IVANOH DEMERS, LA PRESSE ARCHIVES
The building, erected in 1936-1937 at the request of the wealthy Belgian Baron Louis Empain, was protected for its historical and architectural value.
According to the mayor of Sainte-Marguerite-du-Lac-Masson, Gilles Boucher, demolition work for part of the structure – which was not protected – took place during the week without a hitch.
“The demolition permit for the carousel that is attached to this building […] this part, I received from the ministry in December the permit of authorization of destruction”, he explains.
“Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday they demolished the part that was authorized to be demolished by the ministry and by us […] except that [vendredi], and well all of a sudden the other part collapses. What happened ? We don’t know, ”drops the mayor.
However, images obtained by The Press suggest the demolition of the gated mall on Friday was a deliberate act. On the videos transmitted by the filmmaker Joseph Hillel, who witnessed the scene, we can see heavy machinery working to destroy the building with its unique facade.
“Everything was planned,” says Hillel, who was there in anticipation of a documentary project on the building’s history. “I spoke to someone who was there, it was an order from the promoter. It was no accident,” he said.
The lot where the building is located is owned by the firm Olymbec, which “owns and manages a diverse portfolio of buildings,” according to its website. The land register indicates that she acquired it in July 2021 for 1.4 million.
Neither Olymbec nor its president Richard Stern responded to interview requests from The Press transmitted by telephone and e-mail.
A major loss that could be rebuilt
“We have just lost an important piece of international heritage, because it was not only a heritage for Quebec, it was also a heritage for Belgium”, indignantly Philippe Lupien, architect and professor at the School of designed by UQAM. ” It’s a shame. »
“It was a building that some call Art Deco, others see more German Expressionism or Modernism,” says Professor Lupien. “But in fact it was a building with an architecture that has not known many examples. »
It was built by an architect who won the Prix de Rome, Antoine Courtens, born May 13, 1899, so 123 years to the day before Friday’s demolition, notes the professor. “It’s like a silly irony of fate. »
The Cultural Heritage Act provides for fines of up to 1.14 million for a company that demolishes “in whole or in part a building” protected. It also provides that the “Minister may obtain an order from the Superior Court to have the work required carried out […] to restore property.
“That’s what I want,” said Mayor Boucher of the restoration. He adds, visibly moved, to have presented himself as a candidate for mayor for the first time in 2013 specifically “in order to save this building”.
“We have enough documentation to rebuild it identically,” says the academic, who has been working on Baron Empain’s legacy since 1985. He regrets, however, that the ministry was not more vigilant during the demolition work. , and regrets that there was no inspector present during the process.
“We still issue nearly 1,500 work permits per year,” said Maxime Roy, communications director for Minister Nathalie Roy. “Unfortunately, we don’t have the resources for there to be inspectors all the time,” he explains.