MR-63, a project still on track

The groundbreaking ceremony for the MR-63 cultural complex in Griffintown has been announced many times… and still hasn’t happened. That doesn’t mean the project is buried, quite the contrary. We met with the co-founders of MR-63, brothers Frédéric and Étienne Morin-Bordeleau, to get an update on the eve of a benefit event.

What is MR-63, exactly?

MR holds rolling stock and the MR-63s are these iconic metro cars created in 1963. After their retirement, the Société de transport de Montréal launched a competition so that these artifacts of Quebec public transportation could have a second life. Frédéric and Étienne Morin-Bordeleau got their hands on eight cars in 2017. They created an NPO to develop their project for a cultural complex in which the cars would be integrated.

The land where it will be located, at the corner of Ottawa and Peel streets, belongs to the City and is managed by the Sud-Ouest borough.

Why is the project taking so long to get off the ground?

“It’s a complex project and it’s our first project,” replies Frédéric Morin-Bordeleau, who adds that MR-63 comes “from the ground up” and that the financial framework takes longer to build for this citizen project, since it does not come from an established cultural institution or is supported by private patronage.

That said, both promoters readily admit that they themselves would never have believed at the start that it would take so long. But they have no regrets.

“It’s the project of a lifetime,” says Étienne Morin-Bordeleau. “My brother and I built ourselves as entrepreneurs on this.” […] Yes, it takes time, but it’s a project we want to leave behind.”

How much are the MR-63 costs now estimated at?

The financing is particularly complex, explain the Morin-Bordeleau brothers, because it involves several players who do not often work together. “We did not go and ask for a cheque from the Ministry of Culture,” illustrates Frédéric. Moreover, the big missing piece, the “lever” that would allow us to move on to the next step, is expected from Quebec, from the Ministry of Tourism – $2 million.

The latest estimate is $20 million, just for the building. The NPO has held several fundraising events in recent years to expand its donor base. A total of $9 million has been raised in public and private funding.

“We have become specialists in philanthropy,” says Frédéric Morin-Bordeleau. He is supported in his efforts by the executive director of the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts Foundation, Jo-Anne Hudon Duchesne, who is treasurer of the MR-63 board of directors.

What will we find in the MR-63 complex?

Something to eat and drink, since there will be a café-bar-restaurant at the entrance, on the first floor, which will be operated by the NPO. All the wines will be Quebecois and the coffee will be roasted here. The menus will be created from local ingredients, because the space is intended to be a showcase, with the Montreal metro cars as a call. Despite this strong representation of local culture, the group calculates that tourists will only represent 15% to 20% of visitors.

The ideology is built for the local community, say the co-founders, who believe it is the best way to attract visitors from all over as well.

The space is designed by the architectural firm Rayside Labossière. On the second and third floors, the cars will be exhibition spaces for art and design, of all forms. In total, the space has 18,000 square feet. Admission will be free and there will be room rentals and one-off events.

“The cars are citizens. They belong to everyone and everyone uses them,” says Frédéric. “That’s the metaphor we want to use: we take cars that have been used to connect people, move people and help people discover Montreal, we encapsulate them in a place, but they continue their mission.”

What will happen on Thursday night at this event?

On August 22, MR-63 wants to reveal a little of itself. There will be a wagon on site.

There are two options for the benefit evening. The small one, at $63 (yes, $63!), includes a show by Qualité Motel with guests. With the ticket, it will be possible to see the exhibitions presented at L’Arsenal, including the very beautiful installation Parachute from Studio Rat, in the presence of the artists. And it’s open bar – local products only, of course.

To access the big evening, you have to pay $363 and thus see Klô Pelgag’s performance and get the royal treatment. The idea is to broaden the donor pool by welcoming the business community – there is also an online auction.

Visit the MR-63 website