How can the building located at 1, avenue Van Horne Ouest be considered heritage? Three criteria concerning its history, its architecture and its environment apply to this end. From a historical point of view, this warehouse, erected in 1924 alongside a Canadian Pacific railway, bears witness in its own way to the industrialization of the city of Montreal at the beginning of the 20th century.e century. Work of contractors Duquette and Patenaude, it hardly stands out from an architectural point of view for the notoriety of its designers, but more by its imposing and irregular shape attributable to the crampedness of its site. But it is above all as a landmark building in the environment that it stands out as a heritage building: it projects the image of an ocean liner moored at the beginning of the Mile End district, which is part of the Plateau-Mont borough. -Royal.
This heritage building must now be used for purposes other than storage. As residents of the Mile End district would like, the ideal would be to convert it into a social and community housing building. Unfortunately, the borough’s development plans do not allow housing to be built near railway tracks. For its part, the owner of the warehouse, Rester Inc., wants to recycle it into office space and set up a luxury hotel there. As for fitting out office space there, it is within the realm of possibility. But inserting a luxury hotel there could turn out to be a predictable failure, because the district, despite its qualities, hardly offers any attractions comparable to those enjoyed by luxury hotels in downtown Montreal.
Inspired by the Mile End
As its history reveals, the Mile End district can be considered in Montreal as the district of artists. Filmmakers, writers, musicians, painters and other artists have lived there or are present there. This particular reality could be part of this heritage building. Thus, apart from certain businesses useful to the neighborhood, the building could be dedicated, in parallel to office space, to premises for antique dealers, filmmakers, cabinetmakers, painters and other artists. The floors at the top of the building, which offer a panoramic view of the surrounding neighborhoods, could on the other hand accommodate an inn-type hotel, equipped with a restaurant that would benefit the tenants of the building. During the summer months, this restaurant could occupy part of the roof of the building adjacent to its imposing water tower, thus creating a terrace that would prove to be quite unique in Montreal.
In their current state, the facades of 1, avenue Van Horne Ouest have very limited windows specific to its use as a warehouse. Recycling the building to fit out office space, premises for artists and a hotel will obviously require opening its facades more to natural light. As the sun is more present on the west side of the building, the office spaces and premises that will need it the most will have to be placed on that side, with relevant windows. For the others who will need them less, for example those occupied by antique dealers, it will be preferable to install them on the east side of the building with windows of different shapes. If well programmed, the recomposition of these facades will contribute to making the architecture of the building even more attractive and will enrich its heritage value, making it part of the evolving character of the artists’ quarter of Mile End.