Former Minister of Culture Liza Frulla is right to be impatient when she passes in front of the former Institut des Sourdes-Muettes de Montréal. It’s frustrating to see that the set of eight buildings has been vacant since 2015. Today, what we see above all is a soulless parking lot that connects Roy and Cherrier streets. It’s hard!
We understand that the cry from the heart of the current director of the Institut de tourisme et d’hôtellerie du Québec (ITHQ) last week was not completely disinterested: the institution she runs two blocks away is in expansion mode and covets spaces in the large building on rue Saint-Denis. It’s fair game.
The output of Mme Frulla had the merit of shining the spotlight on this project to be defined in the heart of the Plateau. But it is wrong to say that nothing is changing in this file. It may not be moving as quickly as we would like, but it is moving.
The Société québécoise des infrastructures (SQI) finally entrusted a firm of architects with the task of developing a vision. The latter is not starting from scratch since the City of Montreal had conducted a series of consultations in the neighborhood to assess needs. She gave birth to two scenarios that should not be ignored.
The reality, however, is that the oldest building in this complex dates back to 1864, and some buildings are in poor condition, requiring top-to-bottom work. Translate: invoice of several hundred million dollars. It is difficult to see how this project could be developed without the participation of the private sector.
The good news is that the SQI and the City – who are also collaborating in the renovation of the old Misericordia hospital – seem to get along well. It bodes well.
Liza Frulla’s cry from the heart had another effect, that of reviving the debate on the way we treat our built heritage.
No doubt, there are still efforts to be made.
The fiasco of the old Saint-Sulpice library is fresh in memory. The Couillard government had tried to sell the heritage building to the private sector in 2015. Eight years later, this magnificent building in the heart of the Latin Quarter is still empty, even if there are plans to install a House of Song and music.
As Dinu Bumbaru of Héritage Montréal puts it so well, when it comes to heritage, “we are comfortable with the fact that nothing is happening…”
The good news is that we have, in Quebec, a prime minister who claims to be crazy about heritage (religious, among others…). It is to be hoped that he will pass on his passion to the members of his government, in particular to the Ministers of Culture (responsible for heritage) and Housing (responsible for architecture), so that we improve our record in terms of preservation, restoration and requalification.
The City of Montreal must also improve its approach. It would be relevant to reflect on the creation of a structure devoted exclusively to heritage, such as SIMPA (created in 1981 then swallowed up by the Société de développement de Montréal in 1996), but on a metropolitan scale this time. The number of heritage buildings that will need love and attention over the next few years justifies it.
There is also a lot of awareness to be done with real estate developers. You don’t develop a project in a heritage building like you build a condo tower. It’s complex, it requires skill and a certain sense of duty to the community. Yes, we do it for the money, but not only.
We have to accept that we don’t work at the same tempo and that we won’t have the same yields. The return on investment is elsewhere: in pride, for example. Why not tax measures to stimulate interest in these more dicey projects?
It is also necessary to train more heritage experts, architects among others, capable of working from the “existing” rather than in front of a blank page. Finally, it is absolutely necessary to revalue the trades.
Precisely, last week took place the annual event of the Conseil des métiers d’art du Québec dedicated to architecture and heritage. Among other things, we discussed the promotion of craftsmen and craftsmen who work in heritage restoration. This expertise is essential if we want to be able to meet the challenges that await us.
In Quebec, ageism does not only target individuals, it also manifests itself in the real estate sector. We like new. But we should also learn to better love and value the old. Our aged buildings are like our elders, they have a lot to teach us. Liza Frulla did well to shake things up for us.