The old coach station on Voyageur Island, abandoned since 2011, remains a gaping wound in a neighborhood that really needs love. From the outside it looks like a shit hole. The interior of the building, however, has surprises in store: against all expectations, there is life in this place steeped in history. Half a dozen organizations have taken up residence in the former “bus terminal”.
The large common area that accommodated passengers became a Purolator warehouse. Every week, a large truck from the delivery company drops off a load of boxes and packages here to be distributed throughout the neighborhood. Delivery to recipients is done using tiny electric trucks and cargo bikes, much more agile than a semi-trailer truck in the narrow streets of downtown Montreal.
A section of the ground floor is also occupied by a bicycle courier company. On the wall, an Orléans Express advertisement reminds passers-by that the coaches were “dreamily comfortable”.
The old Hershel’s Deli restaurant, where passengers went to pick up a sandwich before their coach trip, has retained its old-fashioned charm. The red tables and benches, the ceramic floor covering and the white lamps remain in good condition. Even the menu of roast beef sandwiches, coleslaw and pastries remains posted on the wall behind the take-out counter.
“An inhabited building remains in much better condition than a barricaded building,” says Francis T. Durocher, general director of the Entremise organization, as he shows us around the old bus station.
It was he and his team who gave the former Hershel’s restaurant a facelift and who manage the old train station, which was purchased by the City of Montreal. While awaiting the transformation of the building into condominium apartments, Entremise was given the mandate to establish a “transitional occupation” of the premises, as well as a series of other vacant buildings in Montreal.
Like a legal “squat”
What is transitional occupation? “It’s an alternative way of developing projects,” explains Francis T. Durocher. We take advantage of the period of downtime [entre l’abandon d’un lieu et sa transformation future] to experiment with space. Our mandate is to test projects so that they become sustainable. »
Some describe transitional occupation as a sort of legal, organized, institutionalized “squat”. Hundreds of unoccupied buildings in Montreal and elsewhere are rotting in general indifference rather than being put to good use; the City of Montreal and its partners, including Entremise, seek to occupy these buildings, even temporarily, rather than leaving them abandoned.
The old coach station also hosts the Les Valoristes group, which recovers recyclable materials found in blue bags and trash cans. A greenhouse and a vegetable garden have been set up in the parking lot at the rear of the building. During the summer, peaches, herbs, vegetables and other local products grow in this unlikely place of urban agriculture.
The former Hershel’s Deli restaurant has been redesigned to host events, artistic performances, workshops or conferences, says Héloïse Koltuk, project manager at Entremise.
And why not welcome homeless people, who populate the surrounding streets and Émilie-Gamelin Park, on the other side of the street, by the dozen? There is no shortage of space in the old terminus: the two upper floors of the building, which housed offices, are unoccupied. In good condition. And heated. Right next to the building, homeless men sleep in a tent, even in the middle of winter.
The problem is that the building’s toilets (except one) are no longer functional: the underground water evacuation pipes are destroyed after 13 years of abandonment, explains Francis T. Durocher. This breach of building standards — and many others — harms the possibilities of transient occupancy while waiting for the building to be converted by a real estate developer.
Inflexible standards
This is what happens when a building is left without occupants. It deteriorates quickly. And it no longer meets the standards of the Building Code or fire safety, specifies Professor Michel Rochefort, of the Department of Urban and Tourism Studies at UQAM.
In Europe, where the temporary occupation of disused buildings has been a reality for around twenty years, cities and the State are being much more flexible than here in authorizing projects in buildings that no longer fully meet standards.
“In Quebec, we are very normative. This is where things often get stuck. We should take inspiration from Europe, where they have developed a culture of action to respond to urgent accommodation needs,” says Michel Rochefort. “Why are we so strict all the time about risks? We could instead think about what we can do to reduce the risks. There are a shocking number of empty buildings in Montreal. »
The town planner believes that before the planned closure of any institution – a hospital, a government building, a museum – “we should think four or five years in advance about what we will do temporarily with this building”.
The former Hôtel-Dieu was temporarily recycled into accommodation for vulnerable people. Vaccination clinics were also held within the walls of the former hospital. Behind the establishment, the Cité-des-Hospitalières houses around thirty community and artistic organizations while waiting for a permanent vocation to be determined for the former convent.
Another site to “activate”
The fort on Île Sainte-Hélène, which housed the former Stewart Museum until its closure in 2021, is also the subject of a transitional occupation. This complex built by the British 200 years ago now hosts an environmental group specializing in environmental transition.
The military building retains immense untapped potential: no less than 53,700 square feet remain vacant on three floors in this fortress built by EW Durnford, to whom we also owe the Citadel of Quebec. The long, dark corridors, lined with narrow windows, give off a feeling of emptiness, stripped of the artifacts of the old Stewart Museum.
“We have a duty to activate this place. We want the fort to become an example of requalification of a valuable heritage asset,” says Josée Chiasson, deputy general director of the Société du parc Jean-Drapeau. It is preparing to launch a call for applications to breathe new life into the transitional occupation of the site, with the support of the Entremise organization. She imagines urban agriculture projects, artists’ workshops and teaching activities, while waiting to determine a permanent vocation for the fort.
The manager is convinced that the relaunch of the historic building will pave the way for an ambitious transformation of the entire Jean-Drapeau park. Josée Chiasson breathes the river air and gazes at the Jacques-Cartier Bridge and the Molson building, on the other bank. “It’s an extraordinary space here. We are one metro station from the city center, but we are surrounded by nature. »