Struggling with 68 vacant municipal buildings, many of which have great heritage value, the City of Montreal unveiled a new strategy on Wednesday to rehabilitate them. First, it will launch a call for projects aimed at selling the former Center Saint-Paul, on avenue de l’Église, for $1, in order to find a business or non-profit organization that can rehabilitate and occupy it.
Built in 1910-1911 according to plans by architect Joseph-Émile Vanier, the Center Saint-Paul once housed the town hall and the fire station of the former municipality of Côte-Saint-Paul. It is part of the institutional core of the heritage site of this former city cited by the City of Montreal in 1990.
This building, which underwent major renovations in 1995, has however been unoccupied since 2015, although the garage of the old barracks housed a museum of old fire engines until 2020.
The City estimates that the minimum cost of the work necessary for its preservation is $10 million. She therefore wants to find a company or an NPO to take charge of him and give him a new vocation. It will launch a call for projects in March 2023 to sell the building for the symbolic sum of $1.
However, the potential buyer must meet certain conditions. In particular, he will have to restore the building and preserve its heritage features, including the facades, roofs, copings and windows. The interior layout will have to be given special attention and elements such as the casing drying tower staircase and the radiators will have to be preserved. The project submitted must respect the priorities of the Sud-Ouest borough in terms of economic development and provide for community spaces. The selected project must be accompanied by a bank guarantee of 1 million dollars.
“The Saint-Paul building is truly a little heritage and architectural gem in Côte-Saint-Paul. It is a building that has been abandoned for too many years, so it must be saved, ”said the mayor of the South-West, Benoit Dorais, Wednesday morning. The elected official recalled that this sector was a little “forgotten” and that it was going to be revitalized. “We are not looking to make money, but to save the building and save the heritage. »
This building sale is part of a new program of the City of Montreal called IMPACT, dedicated to heritage buildings. It is part of the City’s vacant and surplus building strategy.
The City currently has 68 surplus buildings, 21 of which are located in urban parks or nature parks on its territory. Of this number, 45 are of heritage interest and 6 are the subject of a classification, citation or declaration. The total replacement value of these buildings is estimated at $434 million, according to data provided by the City.