Montreal’s main museum reserve is no longer up to the job. The ordinary building on Peel Street, where important collections have been stored for years, in a duly controlled atmosphere, must be able to count on at least double its current surface area to ensure its future. Montreal Museums, the institution that manages it, intends to present a relocation plan this spring that presupposes the establishment of new spaces.
Located at the northern edge of Griffintown, in part of the former Dow Brewery, the Center des collections museales de Montréal has, since 2003, been one of the least known spaces of importance for culture in the city. For security reasons, this space does not boast of what it contains. The works and the list of owners remain secret. Everyone knows, however, that the place is home to several treasures from around forty different institutions that share this space to store their collections. For years, the four floors and its 129,000 square feet have not been enough. Since 2016, it has been agreed on the need to expand.
Get a grant
In order for a new building to see the light of day, Musées Montréal registered, at the start of the year, in the register of lobbyists. The organization wants to obtain a grant which “will be used to finance the construction costs of a building”, we can read. The expected funding remains unknown for the moment, but the necessary facilities and museum standards must meet high standards.
The director general of the organization, Danielle Bergevin, does not wish to confirm for the moment the upcoming move of all the works of the Center des collections museales. However, she indicates that the relocation project is “going well”.
In 2003, the reconversion of a portion of the building for storage purposes had initially cost nearly 13 million dollars, or the equivalent with inflation of 18 million in 2022. From the inauguration, it it was understood that the available space would not be sufficient in the medium term to ensure the development of the Montreal collections, unless development phases were quickly launched.
Danielle Bergevin specifies that the organization has not yet made its choice on a specific location. “There are construction wishes, but construction is very expensive. For us, we have to make sure that we develop a viable option. »
Other scenarios are under consideration. “It could be a conversion of an existing building or rental, in a real estate project under development”, explains Danielle Bergevin at Duty.
“We want our project to progress with public authorities so that we can include it in the Quebec Infrastructure Plan (PIQ) sometime in the spring,” she adds.
The lack of space in the building is a priority issue, says Danielle Bergevin. The space of the current reserve revolves around 100,000 square feet while in the medium term, the organization would need nearly 150,000 square feet, or even 200,000 in ten years.
Since 2016, Musées Montréal has been studying different scenarios that would allow it to ensure the preservation of these collections. A strategic plan was developed in 2018 and, since then, “we have multiplied the steps and research to quantify the needs. We are quite advanced: the business plan is written,” she confirms.