outlook - Office de consultation publique de Montréal

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CONSULTATION DOCUMENT
OUTLOOK
OLD MONTRÉAL
PROTECTION AND
ENHANCEMENT PL AN
table
OF CONTENTS
03
Context............................................................................................................ 04
Status report – Historical trends. ...................................................... 06
1.
Public property........................................................................................ 08
2.
The built environment.............................................................................. 10
3.
Functions................................................................................................. 14
3.1
Residential function.................................................................................. 14
3.2Business and commercial functions.......................................................... 16
3.3
Cultural and recreational and tourism functions....................................... 19
Issues, objectives and measures.......................................................... 28
1.
A well-rounded, high-quality living environment................... 28
1.1
A multifunctional living environment....................................................... 29
1.1.1
Residential function.................................................................................. 29
1.1.2
Commercial and business functions. ........................................................ 30
1.1.3Administrative function. ........................................................................... 31
1.1.4
Cultural function....................................................................................... 32
1.1.5
Religious function..................................................................................... 33
1.1.6
Coexistence in the heritage site............................................................... 33
The eastern part of the heritage site. ...................................................... 33
3.4
Religious and support functions................................................................ 21
1.2
4.
Accessibility and traffic........................................................................... 22
1.2.1Traffic management. ................................................................................ 35
5.
Developments in the areas around Old Montréal.................................... 23
1.2.2
Objectives....................................................................................................... 26
An attractive living environment............................................................. 34
Parking..................................................................................................... 37
1.2.3
Greenery.................................................................................................. 38
1.2.4
Winter safety........................................................................................... 39
1.3
Connecting the district to the rest of the city........................................ 39
2.3
Public property........................................................................................ 56
2.3.1
Streets and squares. ............................................................................... 56
2.3.2
Occupancy of public property.................................................................... 59
2.4
The built and landscaped environment.................................................... 59
2.4.1
Vacant lots............................................................................................... 59
2.4.2
Heritage to be preserved and/or created................................................ 59
2.4.3
Protecting interiors.................................................................................. 61
2.4.4
Signage.................................................................................................... 61
2.5
Archaeology............................................................................................. 62
2.5.1
Showcasing the remains........................................................................... 64
3.
A renowned destination –
an authentic and enriching experience...................................... 65
3.1
Defining the destination. ......................................................................... 67
3.2
Promotion................................................................................................ 69
1.3.1The northern sector................................................................................. 41
1.3.2The eastern sector. ................................................................................. 41
1.3.3The western sector.................................................................................. 42
Implementation............................................................................................. 70
1.
Customized solutions.............................................................................. 70
1.4
A district connected to the river............................................................. 42
1.1The Ville-Marie borough............................................................................ 71
2.
Showcasing and enriching urban heritage. .............................. 44
2.
2.1
Relationship with the rest of the city...................................................... 48
2.1A good impression of Old Montréal,
starting at the Champ-de-Mars metro station.......................................... 72
2.1.1The impact of developments in nearby areas
on the Old Montréal landscape................................................................. 49
2.1.2
Views....................................................................................................... 50
1.2The Direction de la culture et du patrimoine............................................. 72
Priorities. ................................................................................................ 72
2.2
Rue Notre-Dame...................................................................................... 73
2.3
Place Jacques-Cartier and boulevard Saint-Laurent.................................. 74
2.1.3Lookouts.................................................................................................. 52
2.2
Relationship with the river...................................................................... 54
2.2.1The Old Port............................................................................................. 54
2.2.2
Silo No. 5 - Pointe-du-Moulin..................................................................... 55
Conclusion..................................................................................................... 76
04
Context
Old Montréal is both the city’s birthplace and its main tourist
attraction. Its exceptional cultural and heritage qualities were
recognized by the Quebec government, when it designated
this part of the city a historic district in 1964 and expanded
the boundaries of the district in 1995, and by the city, when
it adopted its Master Plan in 1992 and its Action plan for
Old Montréal in 1998.
05
More recently, a number of steps have been taken to protect
and enhance the historic heart of the city and its heritage,
including:
❖ integrating orientations concerning Old Montréal into
the Master Plan adopted in 2004;
❖ adopting the city’s Heritage Policy in 2005;
❖ integrating specific goals relating to enhancing
Montréal’s harbourfront and its historic district, including the Old Port, into the “Improve the cultural
quality of the living environment” facet of the action
plan at the “Rendez-vous November 2007 – Montréal,
A Cultural Metropolis” event;
❖ having the city sign the National Geographic Society
Geotourism Charter, in 2007;
❖ developing a Vision for Old Montréal 2017, by the Table
de concertation du Vieux-Montréal, in 2008.
In addition, the implementation of the Action plan for Old
Montréal put most of the proposed action strategies into
effect, while some others need to be updated.
Mindful of the major milestone coming up in 2017 – the
375th anniversary of the founding of Montréal – the city has
prepared a draft Old Montréal Protection and Enhancement
Plan reflecting the various orientations pursued to date.
The goal is to have an integrated framework for not only
investing the public funds under the Agreement on the cultural development of Montréal but also for taking concerted
and co-ordinated steps to improve the quality of the living
environment, enhance the unique characteristics of the
district and develop activities in Old Montréal.
06
STATUS REPORT –
Historical trends
By the early 1960s, Old Montréal had become rundown,
deserted as the city’s modern business district grew and
the Port of Montréal shifted its operations eastward, leaving
the piers in the original harbour virtually abandoned. Fewer
than 560 residents were left, as people had gradually moved
out, along with the businesses that had been its livelihood.
Old Montréal’s built heritage and infrastructures were deteriorating, and the area was hemmed in by the newly built
Bonaventure and Ville-Marie expressways. At the same time,
the Saint-Laurent and Récollets faubourgs were broken up –
combined with the neglect of Faubourg Québec, Old Montréal
was cut off completely and deprived of vital links with the
bustling parts of the city.
This relative isolation did protect the area from the realestate pressures typically experienced by a booming economic centre. After the Quebec government granted historic
district status1 to that part of Old Montréal extending from
rue Notre-Dame to rue de la Commune in 1964, the city’s
urban planning department drafted the first Master plan for
Old Montréal.
1This status has become “declared heritage site” since the Cultural Heritage Act
took effect in October 2012. We will refer to “heritage site” from now on,
to simplify the text.
07
The Bouthillier warehouses were converted in 1968, and
Cours Le Royer in 1976, launching a movement to preserve
the historic district and marking early revitalization efforts.
The 1979 Agreement on Old Montreal and Montreal’s heritage 2 between the ministère des Affaires culturelles3 and the
city – since regularly renewed – put forward a joint renewal
strategy for Old Montréal based on government-funded urban
development projects (rebuilding various streets and squares,
restoring heritage municipal buildings, and a lighting plan)
and support for private restoration efforts. In addition, the
Société immobilière du patrimoine architectural de Montréal
(SIMPA), the city’s new architectural heritage development
corporation under this Agreement, supported a number of
key public and private projects with multiplier effects, including the Chaussegros-de-Léry and Cuvillier-Ostell complexes
and the World Trade Centre.
Around the same time, a major public debate arose regarding
the vocation of the Old Port. Eventually, the federal government, the site’s owner, joined in local renewal efforts by
redeveloping its property as a recreational and tourism site
for Greater Montréal, restoring the views in Old Montréal of
the St. Lawrence and the islands.
Following up on the planning work that led to the adoption of the first Master Plan by City Council in 1992, the
Montréal administration confirmed its intention to actively
continue enhancing the heritage site, and clearly set out its
orientations for the development of the Québec, Récollets
and Saint-Laurent faubourgs. Its priority was to encourage
people to move back into these areas as a way of helping to
revitalize Old Montréal.
In addition to this work, a number of major development and
restoration projects were carried out in conjunction with
preparations for the city’s 350 th anniversary: the Champde-Mars site was redone, City Hall was restored, Pointe-àCallière, the Montréal Museum of Archaeology and History
was opened, and a garden-lined promenade was created
along rue de la Commune.
In 1995, the boundaries of the historic district, now declared
a heritage site, were extended to take in Montréal’s birthplace, the entire formerly fortified town, the Lachine Canal
entrance and the Old Port.
By 1998, when the Action plan for Old Montréal was adopted,
people had truly started returning to the neighbourhood. The
plan noted that the heritage site was home to a wide range
of activities, with some 2,230 residents, more than 4 million
visitors from around the globe, over 400 businesses, 35,000
workers, all three levels of government – federal, provincial
and municipal – with offices and service outlets, and numerous museums and cultural and religious institutions. It stated
that Old Montréal’s diversity was one of its main features,
and in fact was what made the district such a rich part of
the city.4 The plan also noted, however, that Old Montréal
remained a fragile area, affected by the development of new
centres of activity, constraints on building conversions and
its aging public infrastructures. It also had to cope with the
district’s negative image, given its relative isolation from the
city’s new downtown.5
2 Since renamed the Entente sur le développement culturel de Montréal
(Agreement on the cultural development of Montréal).
3Today the Quebec ministère de la Culture et des Communications (MCC).
4 Plan d’action pour le Vieux-Montréal (Action plan for Old Montréal), p. 29.
5 Idem
08
The Action plan for Old Montréal set out two major challenges and nine goals for measures to support Old Montréal:
1 – Protect and enhance urban heritage
❖ Protect buildings’ architectural integrity.
❖ Highlight the identity of the different sites
and public spaces.
❖ Develop and share archaeological knowledge.
❖ Foster a collective sense of pride and identification.
2 – Strengthen diversity and harmonize coexistence:
Several strategies were key to implementing these goals:
focusing on public property and the built environment in
Old Montréal, stepping up archaeology efforts, addressing
issues with surrounding areas and promoting economic and
cultural development in Old Montréal. Finally, the Action plan
suggested that instruments for managing and following up
on the plan be introduced.
The remainder of this document outlines the changes that
have occurred in Old Montréal since the Action plan was
implemented by the city and its partners, in particular the
Quebec ministère de la Culture et des Communications (MCC).
❖ Increase the number of residents.
❖ Diversify and increase the type and number
of businesses.
❖ Position Old Montréal as a business district.
❖ Strengthen and highlight its cultural vocation.
❖ Position Old Montréal as a major asset for
cultural tourism.
1. Public property
In keeping with the goals in the Action plan for Old Montréal,
the city and the MCC have continued to focus their efforts
on public property in Old Montréal, and remain convinced of
the pertinence of this policy and its positive impact on the
entire district.
Close to $50 million has been invested in improvement initiatives since 1998, including several major achievements:
❖ redeveloping Square des Frères-Charon, Place d’Armes
and Place D’Youville east of rue Saint-Pierre, including
the new Place de la Grande-Paix-de-Montréal;
❖ developing Square Dalhousie and the Belvédère du
Chemin-Qui-Marche lookout;
❖ upgrading rue McGill;
❖ restoring the remains of the fortifications in the Champ-
de-Mars and the John Young and Nelson (Nelson column) monuments.
In addition, a number of the projects incorporated works
of art, such as the Porte de jour in Dalhousie Square, and
highlighted elements of the city’s archaeological heritage,
such as the evocation of the old fortifications and the pavement markings on rue McGill.
Other work, on Saint-Paul, Saint-Pierre, Notre-Dame and
Saint-Sulpice streets, helped make it easier for pedestrians
to get around.
09
public property enhancement projects (1998-2012)
Legend
rue St-Antoine
rue St-Jacques
Body of water
Sector concerned
nçois-Xa
rue St-Fra
ulpice
ul
rue St-Pa
boul. St-Laurent
vier
Lighting plan
rue Notre-Dame
rue St-S
rue St-Pierre
Park or square
rue Berri
rue Bonsecours
Building
rue de
Seasonal pedestrian mall
Restored monuments
John Young
Nelson
la
une
Comm
Paul de Chomedy
rue McGill
0
125
metres
250
10
The lighting plan for buildings and monuments in Old Montréal,
launched in 1996, has done much to enhance the landscape
of the heritage site. This initiative has continued with the
investment of over $8 million in various projects, including the
municipal administration complex, Bonsecours Market, the
Pointe-à-Callière and Custom House buildings in Place Royale,
rue McGill, Square des Frères-Charon and Place d’Armes.
2. The built environment
Two features of the Old Montréal heritage site are its density
and its largely built-up urban fabric.
Of the thirty or so vacant lots in the heritage site in 1998, ten
of them have since been built on; however, two more were
created when the multi-story parking lot on rue Notre-Dame
and the service station on rue Saint-Antoine were demolished.
In 2012, there are still 22 vacant lots in Old Montréal. It is
interesting to note that three-quarters of these properties
have been vacant for at least 45 years, and most of them
are operated as commercial parking lots.
Large sums have been invested over the past 15 years in
renovating buildings in Old Montréal and converting them to
contemporary uses. These investments have helped maintain and boost the occupancy of these heritage properties.
Whereas one in every nine buildings was vacant or rundown
in 1995, the picture is vastly improved 15 years later – the
ratio now stands at about one in 45. The complex formed
by the Viger Station hotel, located at the far eastern end of
the heritage site, is definitely the largest of these properties.
11
vacant spaces in old montréal
Legend
rue St-Antoine
rue St-Jacques
Body of water
Vacant lot
nçois-Xa
rue St-Fra
ulpice
boul. St-Laurent
vier
Vacant building
rue Notre-Dame
rue St-S
rue St-Pierre
Park or square
rue Berri
rue Bonsecours
Other building
rue de
Dilapidated building
0
la
une
Comm
100
metres
200
rue McGill
12
The subsidy program for renewing and renovating buildings
in Old Montréal,6 offered by the city and the MCC under the
Agreement on the cultural development of Montréal, has
done much to improve the situation. To date, restoration
subsidies have been granted for more than 320 private and
public buildings.7 In the period from 1998 to 2009 alone,
public authorities invested nearly $60 million for this purpose.
An analysis of the spatial distribution of subsidy applications
in the heritage site shows that they have been relatively
uniformly distributed, with the exception of the eastern part
of the district, which is largely low-density residential and
where there appears to have been less interest in subsidized
renovations. Nonetheless, the entire district has benefited
from the program.
New buildings since 1998
Site (* former vacant lot)
Vocation
Year permit issued
Porte-de-Québec and Saint-André
Residential
2010
De la Commune E., 859
Residential
2010
De la Commune E., 801-817
Residential
2006
De la Commune E., 781-791
Residential
1998
Saint-Hubert, 351-363
Residential
2006
Residential
2000
Residential
2001
Berri, 361-375
Residential
2001
Residential / Commercial ground floor
2010
Notre-Dame E.*, 410-418
Residential
1998
Notre-Dame E.*, 434-448
Residential
1999
De La Commune E., 427
Shelter (Accueil Bonneau)
1998
Gosford, 777
2004
1999
Faubourg Québec sector*
Porte-de-Québec, 830
Saint-Antoine E.*, 446-454
The gradual disappearance of vacant or badly deteriorated
buildings has helped to enhance the district’s image and to
highlight its historic qualities and rich architectural heritage.
Some 21 new buildings have gone up since 1998, adding to
the overall improvement in Old Montréal’s built fabric. Many
of these buildings are in the part of Faubourg Québec that
lies within the boundaries of the heritage site.
Saint-Louis, 455
Saint-Antoine E.
Saint-Claude*, 412-422
Le Royer, 280-302
Saint-Paul E., 301
6 Supported under the By-law concerning subsidies for the restoration and renovation of
heritage buildings, and for archaeological excavations.
Saint-Jean-Baptiste*, 404
Hotel
2000
7At the start of 2010, there were close to 590 buildings in Old Montréal.
Saint-Antoine O.*, 208
Hotel
2006
Residential / Commercial
2004
Saint-Sulpice*, 414
Hotel
2000
Sainte-Hélène*, 425-429
Residential
2004
Hotel
2006
2002
Saint-François-Xavier, 888
Saint-Sulpice, 451-459
De Brésoles, 77-81
Le Moyne
Saint-Antoine O.*, 270-300
Saint-Pierre
McGill*, 38-66
Source: permits issued 1998 – 2010
13
building restoration subsidies (1979-2009)
Legend
rue St-Antoine
rue St-Jacques
Body of water
Subsidy period
nçois-Xa
ulpice
rue St-Fra
rue Notre-Dame
ul
rue St-Pa
boul. St-Laurent
vier
1979 to 1989
rue St-S
rue St-Pierre
Park or square
rue Berri
rue Bonsecours
Non-subsidized building
la
rue de
1990 to 1999
2000 to 2009
Some data missing or incomplete
une
Comm
0
100
metres
200
rue McGill
14
3. Functions
3.1 Residential function
The residential population of Old Montréal grew from 2,230
in 1996 to nearly 3,200 by the time of 2006 census, for
a 42% increase. Old Montréal continues to attract people
interested in living in an area with tremendous heritage
value, near downtown. These residents account for 1,845
households, most of them small – 50% are individuals living alone and very few have children, suggesting that Old
Montréal has little drawing power for families with children.
Over this same period, the number of housing units in the
heritage site rose from 1,600 to nearly 2,600, for a 60%
increase. Another 200 or so units have been added since
then, mainly with the construction of three new buildings in
the eastern part of the heritage site.
This boost in the site’s residential role can be explained primarily by the construction of several residential buildings on
eight properties in the heritage site, in particular in that part
of Faubourg Québec that lies within its boundaries. Moreover,
this development also involved repurposing underused or
vacant buildings – slightly fewer than half of the new housing units are in converted buildings, helping enormously to
preserve the built environment in Old Montréal.
This growth has not been limited to any specific parts of
Old Montréal. With the exception of the sector that is part
of the business district, today there is housing everywhere,
rubbing shoulders with businesses of all kinds.
15
main use of buildings in old montréal
Legend
rue St-Antoine
rue St-Jacques
Body of water
Main use
nçois-Xa
ulpice
rue St-Fra
rue Notre-Dame
ul
rue St-Pa
boul. St-Laurent
vier
Residential
rue St-S
rue St-Pierre
Park or square
rue Berri
rue Bonsecours
Building
rue de
la
Business
Commercial
Museum
Government
Charitable
une
Comm
Religious
Port – Maritime terminal
Vacant building
rue McGill
0
125
metres
Données: Rôle foncier, octobre 2010
250
16
Residents do report that problems caused by this coexistence reduce their quality of life. For instance, there are
regular complaints about the behaviour of some clients of
local drinking establishments.
In addition, access to parking remains an issue in the neighbourhood. The dense urban fabric and the narrow streets
limit the number of on- and off-street parking spaces that
can be created. The fact that on-street spaces must be
shared with other users and visitors adds to the problem
of meeting the demand from residents. Clearly, the many
new housing units in existing buildings have exacerbated the
situation, as they usually lack on-site parking (given the high
cost and technical complexity involved).
3.2 Business and commercial functions
Business activities
When the Action plan for Old Montréal was adopted in
1998, the market for premises for offices in Old Montréal
was recovering from a severe decline some years earlier. It
was outperforming the business district, in fact, pushing the
vacancy rate for such premises to below 25%.
Occupancy rates continued to improve in Old Montréal
throughout the early 2000s. At the time, experts attributed
the excellent performance of the Old Montréal market to the
district’s ability to attract emerging companies that perhaps
had somewhat less liquidity but were distinguished by their
innovative ideas and dynamic approach.8
Overall office vacancy rates
Over the last decade, the market for office premises in the
heritage site has evolved as follows:
(Prestige, A and B class – C class excluded)
Year
Old Montréal
Centre district
1998
24.5%
17.6%
1999
21.7%
15.0%
2000
13.0%
11.9%
2001
8.9%
9.1%
❖The amount of premises for offices has shrunk by 11%,
2002
8.2%
10.1%
largely because some space was taken off the market
with the conversion into hotels or housing of about a
dozen buildings that had perennially high vacancy rates
or that could not be leased without major renovations
or upgrades;
2003
12.6%
12.3%
2004
12.0%
11.8%
2005
12.4%
12.1%
2006
9.1%
11.1%
2007
8.9%
9.2%
2008
6.6%
6.3%
❖ Office vacancy rates have been similar to those in the
2009
9.5%
8.8%
main business district downtown (“centre district” in
specialized market studies).
2010
12.0%
❖ Occupancy rates have varied mainly with fluctuations
in the Montreal economy;
8 DESJARLAIS PRÉVOST INC., Montréal Office Market Analysis and Forecast,
1998-2002 edition, p. 28.
2011-2015
9.8%
forecast ± 10.0%
(Source: DESJARLAIS PRÉVOST INC., Montréal Office Market Analysis and Forecast,
1998-2002, 1999-2003, 2010-2015 editions) – Vacancy rates calculated for leasable
space for leased offices only. Centre district: reference territory extending from the
south side of rue Sherbrooke to the St. Lawrence, and from avenue Elm in the west to
rue Montcalm in the east.
17
Despite the decline in the amount of space available and the
fluctuating economy, Old Montréal unquestionably remains
attractive to companies looking to set up in central Montréal.
In 2010, the Old Montréal business community was made
up of some 1,148 establishments,9 more than half of which
offered professional, legal, scientific or technical services.
The federal, provincial and municipal administrations were
well represented in the district, with the Customs building,
the federal and provincial courthouses, the Gérald Godin
building and the city’s administration complex. Moreover, the
availability of nearly 300 offices of various sizes bore out the
vacancy rate measured by the studies.
Even today, the features of the urban fabric and built environment in the heritage site make it difficult to achieve full
occupancy rates. Businesspeople complain of problems with
parking, access and services for their establishments. In addition, further studies are needed to evaluate and document
the impact on the continued occupancy of office premises
of major tourist traffic in some areas and of the conversion
into pedestrian malls of some parts of public thoroughfares
including Place Jacques-Cartier and rue Saint-Paul.
On the other hand, these same features make Old Montréal
one of the areas in the city that can offer a dynamic atmosphere and office spaces, especially loft-style ones, that meet
the needs of entrepreneurs in the new economy who are
looking for non-conventional buildings more conducive to
creativity than traditional downtown high-rises.10
9 CONVERCITÉ, Recensement des places d’affaires 2010, Old Montréal, January 2011.
10 D. OUELLET, Montréal : Attraits, tendances et défis, in Immobilier commercial,
Volume 4, Number 1, spring 2011.
Businesses in Old Montréal (other than stores) – November 2010
Activity sector
Professional, legal, scientific and technical services
Recreation
Information and cultural industries
Number of establishments surveyed
559
48
153
Finance and insurance
46
Real estate
42
Management of companies and enterprises
28
Organizations
77
Public administrations
46
Other (mainly transportation-related)
Not classified
Total
(Source: Compiled by the Division de l’expertise en patrimoine et de la toponymie, March 2011)
111
38
1,148
18
Commercial activities
Commercial mix in 1996 as compared with that in 2010
A 2010 survey of businesses11 showed that there were over
460 such establishments and about fifty vacant spaces in
the heritage site.
Business type
It also found that most of these commercial establishments
were aimed mainly at visitors and workers:
❖ 40% were restaurants and bars (31% in 1996);
❖ nearly 15% sold items (souvenirs and handicrafts)
intended primarily for tourists;
❖ barely 6% of the commercial mix was made up of stores
selling food and other everyday essentials (drugstores,
etc.) intended primarily for local customers; such stores
accounted for 10% of the mix in 1996.
Clearly, there has been little interest or investment in developing local shopping (food, everyday items, etc.) within the
boundaries of the heritage site. However, a number of businesses offering such everyday items as groceries, drugstore
items and other supplies have opened over the past decade
in the area immediately next to Old Montréal, consolidating
the existing market, in Chinatown in particular.
The Bonsecours Market is a unique development, a market
that today serves as a special showcase for Montréal and
Quebec designers’ work. It houses some fifteen shops offering Montrealers and tourists top-quality creations, from
handicrafts to fashion, accessories and jewellery, design
objects and reproduction Quebec furniture. The superbly
restored and renovated building also houses restaurants and
conveniences that make it a popular stop for tourist buses.
11 CONVERCITÉ, Recensement des places d’affaires 2010, Old Montréal, January 2011.
12
13
Number of businesses surveyed / % of total
1996
Fashion
34
Decorating (including art galleries)
38
(Art galleries)
2010
8.3%
(10)
9.3%
38
8.2%
66
(40)
14.3%
Food stores
29
7.0%
22
4.7%
Everyday items
12
2.9%
4
0.9%
Restaurants (including bars)
129
(Bars and nightclubs)
(10)
31.5%
187
(10)
40.5%
Services
61
14.9%
67
14.5%
Recreation
19
4.6%
11
2.4%
Tourism / seasonal tourism
88
21.5%
67
14.5%
Total
410
462
12BIANCAMANO BOLDUC / MIZOGUCHI, BOISVERT ET ASSOCIÉS: La revitalisation commerciale, Action plan of Old Montreal. Study done for the Bureau de promotion et de mise en valeur du
Vieux Montréal, Montréal, January 1997, 96 pages and appendices.
13 Compiled by the Division de l’expertise en patrimoine et de la toponymie, March 2011.
For its part, the Old Port of Montréal Corporation has various restaurant facilities on its quays (cafés, bistros, patios
and fast-food outlets), a gift shop and a row of seasonal gift
shops near the Science Centre.
relative lack of on-street parking, limited accessibility for
deliveries and garbage collection, and the need to reconcile
their outdoor activities (outdoor cafés, for instance) with
their neighbours.
Store owners in Old Montréal benefit from a large pool of
potential customers, given the three types of clientele and
the attractions of the heritage site. However, they are also
faced with seasonal variations in customer numbers, the
Aside from the diversity of roles throughout its district, then,
many of the buildings themselves combine different functions,
with shops on the ground floor and housing higher up.
19
Hotels and tourist accommodation
In 1997, when Old Montréal became the most popular tourist
area in the city, it had very limited accommodation capacity:
a mere 7 hotels with a total of 439 rooms (just one of them
had 359 of those rooms).14 Since that time, this capacity has
grown to the point that there are now some twenty hotels in
the historic district, with more than 2,000 rooms.
As at December 1, 2010
Number of hotels
Number of rooms available
Source: Tourisme Montréal
Old
Montréal
Downtown
26
137
2,035
14,907
This truly represents a reintroduction of one of Old Montréal’s
earlier functions, and can be explained in part by the construction of four new hotels, together offering a total of nearly
900 rooms and suites. An extra 700 rooms were added with
the conversion of a number of older buildings into hotels or
tourist homes, supported by a government funding program.
These different forms of accommodation are bound to draw
visitors to Old Montréal and to encourage them to extend
their stays, as well, adding to life in the district.
14 Groupe BDSF: Clientèles touristique et régionale, Plan d’action du Vieux-Montréal,
study done for the Bureau de promotion et de mise en valeur du Vieux-Montréal,
January 1997.
3.3 Cultural and recreational and tourism functions
Cultural activities
When the Action plan for Old Montréal was adopted in 1998,
there was quite a large network of cultural institutions in the
heritage site, including the Château Ramezay Museum, the
Centre d’histoire de Montréal, Pointe-à-Callière, the Montréal
Museum of Archaeology and History – all mainly devoted
to sharing knowledge about the city’s history – and the Sir
George-Étienne Cartier House and the Centaur Theatre. Their
presence and activities reflected the major public investment
that had been made in improving the cultural attractions in
Old Montréal by focusing on its exceptionally rich history and
heritage. There was still insufficient cultural drawing power,
however, especially in winter.
20
There have been many initiatives over the past 15 years that
have helped enhance the cultural attractions in Old Montréal:
Some attendance figures
2011
❖ the opening of the Marguerite Bourgeoys Museum
and the Notre-Dame-de-Bon-Secours Chapel, which
presents the history of 17th -century Montréal and
showcases an exceptional archaeological site and the
contributions of the port and waterfront to the heritage site;
❖ the opening of the Youville Pumping Station and the
Mariners’ House, part of Pointe-à-Callière, the Montréal
Museum of Archaeology and History;
❖ the creation of the Governor’s Garden at the Château
Ramezay Museum;
❖ the opening of the Montréal Science Centre in the Old
Port, which has become the district’s most popular
attraction;
Centre d’histoire de Montréal
Château Ramezay Museum
Earlier
60,258
39,200 (1998)
46,382
32,391 (1998)
Marguerite Bourgeoys Museum
175,843
185,821 (2003)
Pointe-à-Callière
328,549
204,451 (1998)
431,174
605,131 (2002)
Old Port (annually)
6,601,278
4,250,000 (1998)
Old Port (December to March)
1,681,667
447,900 (1998)
Science Centre
764,405
611,647 (2000)
Bonsecours Market (all activities)
747,004
667,678 (2000)
4,402
921 (1999)
Notre-Dame Basilica: guided tours
Guidatour: official guided tours
Sources: Tourisme Montréal and Guidatour
❖ the presentation of the “And Then There Was Light”
sound and light show, showcasing the superb interior
of Notre-Dame Basilica;
❖ the opening of a permanent exhibition at the Maison
de Mère d’Youville, dedicated to the saint and the work
of the Sisters of Charity of Montreal, open by appointment;
❖ the launch of Cirque Éloize’s creative studio in the
former Dalhousie Station;
❖ the opening of two contemporary art venues: the DHC /
ART exhibition space and the PHI Centre, a creation,
exhibition and performance space.
In addition, local museums have gradually broadened their
programming, staying open in winter and adding life to the
district during those months. Finally, in a separate niche, the
art gallery network has grown to include some forty galleries,
with a number of newcomers in addition to older ones like the
Guilde graphique and the Centre de céramique Bonsecours.
Recreational and tourism activities
In 1998, it was noted that the lack of tourism products,
especially in winter, made the district often seem deserted
and not particularly attractive for both Montrealers and
non-Montréal tourists and convention goers.15
Since that time, there have been various initiatives aimed
at livening up the streets, squares and establishments in
Old Montréal in winter: these include the Montreal High
Lights Festival, Les Fééries du Vieux-Montréal, the Happening
Gourmand and Weekends below Zero at Pointe-à-Callière,
the Montréal Museum of Archaeology and History. For its
part, the Old Port of Montréal Corporation has continued
to offer an ever-broader range of recreational events and
activities, including winter activities. For instance, it opened
an artificial skating rink in the Bonsecours basin, so popular
that it drew upwards of 6.6 million visitors in 2010-11.
Overall, Old Montréal benefits greatly from the Old Port’s
drawing power and from the large number of visitors that
the site generates. In wintertime, however, the heart of the
heritage site is unable to retain the visitors drawn to the
Old Port, and sometimes seems to be no more than a funnel toward it.
In fact, while all these initiatives generate large annual numbers of tourists and visitors in Old Montréal, outside the summer season they are barely enough to counter the gradual
abandonment of the eastern part of the heritage site.
15 Plan d’action pour le Vieux-Montréal, page 11
21
The port and cruises
Domestic and international cruise ships have continued to
dock at the Iberville maritime terminal on the Alexandra Quay
in the Old Port since 1967. According to Tourisme Montréal
figures, the terminal handled over 55,000 passengers in
2012, nearly 90% of them aboard international cruise ships.
Currently, Montréal is essentially a point where passengers
embark/disembark, rather than a mid-cruise port of call.
In fact, many passengers spend no time at all in Montréal,
coming here simply to board their ships or heading home
at the end of their cruises. The Montreal Port Authority,
Tourisme Montréal, the Old Port of Montréal Corporation
and the Société de développement commercial du VieuxMontréal are all working together to promote Montréal as a
destination and encourage passengers to spend more time
here in the city and in the heritage site.
For its part, the Old Port of Montréal Corporation offers a
wide range of river-based activities, ranging from various
cruises and excursions to ferries between the islands and
a marina with more than 125 berths for pleasure craft in
the Jacques Cartier basin. Many pleasure boaters on the
St. Lawrence stop in Old Montréal in the summer, adding
to the lively atmosphere.
3.4 Religious and support functions
Religious institutions were closely involved with Montréal’s
birth and growth and are still present in its historic heart.
Three communities, in particular, remain: the Province canadienne de la Compagnie des Prêtres de St-Sulpice, housed
in the Seminary on rue Notre-Dame, the Sisters of Charity
of Montreal (Grey Nuns), housed in the mother house on rue
Saint-Pierre, and the Congregation of Notre-Dame, which
operates the Notre-Dame-de-Bon-Secours Chapel.
2008-2011 Cruise statistics
Number of calls
Number of passengers
Crew members
Total
Source: www.port-montreal.com/PMStats/html
2011
2010
2009
2008
40
46
43
41
38,031
40,142
38,770
39,636
8,107
8,317
8,764
8,642
46,138
48,459
47,534
48,278
22
Notre-Dame Basilica and the Notre-Dame-de-Bon-Secours
Chapel are very popular cultural tourism sites with Old
Montréal visitors. Regardless, their raison d’être remains
their vocation as devotional sites offering religious services.
Support for the homeless
The Accueil Bonneau, a shelter in the heart of Old Montréal,
has served the homeless for over a century. The organization
offers not only psycho-social assistance and meals (nearly
300,000 a year), but also the independence these individuals need for successful social integration. The shelter has
acquired and renovated two buildings on rue Saint-Paul to
provide accommodation for the homeless: the former Hospice
Saint-Antoine-de-Bonsecours and the Porte du Ciel.
4. Accessibility and traffic
In 1998, the challenge in terms of accessibility and traffic
was to meet new transportation requirements created
by the constantly growing popularity of Old Montréal and
its burgeoning activities, while ensuring that it functioned
properly as a living and working environment and remained
accessible during peak periods. Aside from continuing efforts
to upgrade public property, the Action plan for Old Montréal
emphasized:
❖ public transit service adapted to the sector as the
preferred means of access;
❖ walking as a means of getting around in the heart of
the district, with improved pedestrian convenience and
safety;
❖ a strategy for tourist buses, increasingly present in
the heart of the heritage site;
❖ the establishment of a parking policy to meet the needs
of residents, businesses and recreational and tourism
clienteles.
In 2008, after Montréal’s Transportation Plan was adopted,
the goals and measures advocated ten years earlier were
updated in the 2010-2017 Plan sectoriel de gestion des
déplacements dans le Vieux-Montréal. This vehicle and foot
traffic management plan for Old Montréal contained a number
of initiatives, aimed in particular at:
❖ eliminating impediments to foot traffic along pedestrian
axes, based on a zero-obstacle concept (widening sidewalks, relocating lamp standards and fire hydrants,
etc.);
❖ introducing a bus route between downtown and the Old
Port (the 715), connecting the Berri-UQAM metro station and the Centre infotouriste in Square Dorchester
via Peel and de la Commune streets;
❖ in 2009, holding a pilot project for converting rue Saint-
Paul into a pedestrian mall in the summer, in response
to repeated requests; this initiative has continued to
the present day, with both its length – now from rue
Berri to boulevard Saint-Laurent – and duration being
extended;
❖ setting up a real-time parking availability display system
that directs drivers to available spots in eight large
parking lots;
❖ providing designated loading/unloading and parking
spots for tourist buses, and similar measures for
horse-drawn carriages (calèches);
❖ introducing temporary measures during construction
work on Place d’Armes, to reroute traffic via McGill,
Saint-Antoine and Viger streets – the possibility of
making them permanent was also to be evaluated.
23
Despite all these efforts, some problems persist:
❖ Notre-Dame, Saint-Laurent, de la Commune and Berri
are regularly congested because of through traffic, particularly in the summer, when it increases significantly
and causes serious conflicts between pedestrians and
cars in areas of heavy foot traffic like Place d’Armes,
Place Jacques-Cartier and rue Saint-Paul;
❖ there is near gridlock in the district during major public
events;
❖ bus routes, particularly the downtown – Old Port route,
are not used to their full capacity and so are not a
satisfactory option;
❖ tourist and school buses are everywhere in the district
and stop not only near the major tourist sites but also
outside restaurants and hotels.
Parking
Over the past ten years, somewhat less parking has been
available in the heritage site as some streets have been made
more pedestrian friendly and some parking lots have been
turned to other purposes. The district currently has almost
6,000 public off-street indoor and outdoor parking spaces,
with a large proportion of them – nearly 40% –concentrated
on the Quays of the Old Port. There are nearly 1,900 onstreet spots (a maximum overnight), of which some 800 spots
are pay parking and nearly 620 are reserved for residents.
The main measures suggested by the Plan sectoriel de gestion des déplacements were to review the availability of onstreet parking, especially that reserved for residents, and
encourage drivers to use off-street parking. However, this
has proved insufficient to solve the problems experienced by
residents and other users in terms of the availability of parking near their destinations, or to eliminate the disturbances
(congestion, pollution, blocked access) caused by drivers
cruising about in search of on-street parking.
5. Developments in the areas around Old
Montréal
In 1998, the goals for enhancing Old Montréal were also
based on development options just outside the district,
i.e. on projects that could help reconnect the district with
downtown, influence its economy and real-estate market
and boost its popularity.
The Port
The cold storage warehouse just east of the Old Port was
converted into a residential building with close to 200 units.
The Lachine Canal
After the Canal entrance and its locks were opened to the
public in 1992, work to restore the Canal continued. In 2002
it was reopened to pleasure boating and work to develop and
enhance its banks and adjacent properties was launched.
The Canal entrance and the Peel Basin sector, finally cleared
in 2004, are once again an integral part of the Old Port.
In addition, the creation of a link between Peel and de la
Commune streets has reconnected the southwest part of
downtown, where there has been substantial development,
with the heritage site.
24
The Québec and Récollets faubourgs
Work to upgrade public infrastructures, already well underway
when the Action plan for Old Montréal was adopted, gave
a real boost to property development in the vast Faubourg
Québec site. The construction of a variety of residential
buildings, of different types, has added some 535 units to
date, including 220 social-housing units in the area outside
the heritage site. But while the type of housing is varied,
there has been no equivalent growth in commercial spaces
or services. The potential of the Viger Station-hotel site will
have to be exploited for this purpose.
In Faubourg des Récollets, the Société de développement
de Montréal,16 along with different public-sector partners
and private developers, pursued the real-estate projects it
began in the late 1990s. These projects, which also benefited from the work on rue McGill, saw the creation of the
Cité du multimédia, the recycling of large warehouses into
residential complexes like the Quai de la Commune, and some
new buildings. Over 700 new housing units and 120,000 m2
of new space for businesses helped to coax residents and
workers back to the area near the heritage site.
The 2006 census showed that the resident population of
these two faubourgs had literally exploded during the previous decade, skyrocketing from about 70 to nearly 1,380!
The Quartier international
The creation of this distinctive sector of the city where the
former St. James Street financial centre meets the modernday business district made it possible to start reconnecting
Old Montréal with the rest of the city. The urban fabric, ripped
apart by the Ville-Marie expressway trench and subsequent
demolitions, was partially mended with the expansion of the
Palais des congrès, the construction of the Caisse de dépôt
et de placement du Québec main office and the redevelopment of public property from Square Victoria all the way to
boulevard Saint-Laurent. Place Jean-Paul Riopelle, recently
created in front of the Palais des congrès, is now a superb
gateway to Old Montréal.
16 Now the Société d’habitation et de développement de Montréal.
25
OLD MONTRÉAL DATES
1964 The historic district of Old Montréal is created
1992 350 th anniversary of Montréal
1998 The Action plan for Old Montréal is adopted
1965 Bonsecours Market is restored by the city
to house municipal administrative offices
The Montréal Master Plan is adopted
The birthplace of Montréal, the site known as
pointe à Callière, is declared an archaeological
site and historic site
1968 The Bouthillier warehouses
& 76 and Cours Le Royer are converted
1978 The Château Ramezay Museum undergoes
major renovations and is accredited
1979 The first memorandum of agreement on
Old Montréal and Montréal heritage is signed
between the ministère des Affaires culturelles
and the Ville de Montréal
1980 The first archaeological digs are conducted
-82
as part of a systematic archaeological action plan
(place Royale and place D’Youville, pointe à Callière)
1981 The Société immobilière du patrimoine architectural
de Montréal (SIMPA) is created
The Grey Nuns return to Old Montréal after their
convent and the former Charon brothers hospital
are restored
1983 The Centre d’histoire de Montréal opens
The La Chancellerie residential building is completed
1985 Lachine Canal locks 1 and 2 are cleared
The Sir George-Étienne Cartier National
Historic Site opens
1985 Public consultations are held on the vocation
-86and development of the Old Port
Pointe-à-Callière, the Montréal Museum
of Archaeology and History, opens
The Old Port of Montréal opens
The Champ-de-Mars is redone and
remains of the fortifications are displayed
The World Trade Centre Montréal,
Chaussegros-De-Léry complex and Cuvillier-Ostell
buildings are completed
1992 The Bonsecours Market building
- 2004 is refurbished and restored
1994 The Table de concertation du Vieux-Montréal
(Old Montréal round table) is launched
The first residential building goes up on the
Faubourg Québec site
1995 The Old Montréal historic district is expanded
1995 The Notre-Dame-de-Bon-Secours Chapel
-98
is restored and the Centre Marguerite-Bourgeoys
is established in the former Bonsecours school
1996 The first phase of the lighting plan
(rue Saint-Paul) is launched
The Gosford tunnel is closed and Gosford
and Saint-Claude streets are upgraded
The Federal Court moves to rue McGill
The official Old Montréal website is launched
1998 The place de la Grande-Paix-de-Montréal and
-99 the eastern part of place D’Youville are developed
1999 A financial support program is launched
- 2002 t o encourage small and medium-size hotels
in Old Montréal
2000 The Montréal Science Centre opens
in the Old Port
2002 The Ernest-Cormier building is restored
-05
and the Québec Court of Appeal moves in
2003 Square Dalhousie is developed
-04
2004 The Montréal Master Plan is adopted
Old Montreal: History through Heritage is published
1997 The 1 McGill residential building is completed
2005 The Montréal Heritage Policy is adopted
1997 Place Jacques-Cartier and place De La Dauversière
-98
are redeveloped
2007 R
ue McGill is repaired and square
-08 des Frères-Charon is redeveloped
2010 Place d’Armes is redeveloped
-11
26
OBJECTIveS
Three decades of concerted action by the city, the MCC and
their public- and private-sector partners have led to a whole
series of initiatives that have halted the deterioration of Old
Montréal, helped reinvigorate it and renew its popularity
and, above all, consolidated its attractiveness as a living
environment, for residents in particular, as well as its rich
heritage and tourist appeal.
Based on this status report, which identifies the undeniable
gains made in Old Montréal, the city is now proposing a true
development strategy to enhance each of the three essential
dimensions of its heritage site: a living environment, a key
part of Montréal’s heritage and a tourist destination. The goal
is to have Old Montréal contribute fully to the city’s social,
economic and cultural life.
27
This Old Montréal Protection and Enhancement Plan describes
this strategy in terms of three objectives:
1 – Support a well-rounded, high-quality living environment adapted to daily living and generating
its own vitality throughout the year.
The oft-repeated goal of making Old Montréal an integral
part of the city makes it important to maintain the multifunctional character of its living environment and ensure better
balance and harmony among its different urban functions;
offer an adequate and attractive response to the needs of
its various users; and, lastly, give it the means to ensure its
own vitality year round.
2 – Affirm and enrich the identity of Old Montréal.
The issues related to the evolution of Old Montréal and the
transformations underway in the surrounding areas point
to the importance of protecting its historic landscape and
the elements that shape its identity. At the same time, it
is important to think about creating tomorrow’s heritage in
the district.
3 – Create a renowned destination offering Montrealers
and visitors from the metropolitan region, Quebec and
elsewhere an authentic and enriching experience.
Efforts to keep Old Montréal attractive to tourists and to
increase spinoff from tourism and its positive impact on
development in Old Montréal clearly underscore the importance of making it a destination with an original and superior
product, based on the quality of the experience for all visitors
as they explore the district and its historic charms.
28
ISSUES, OBJECTIVES
AND MEASURES
1. a WELL-ROUNDED, HIGH-QUALITY living
environment
Today Old Montréal is a busy, very popular and diverse district, with a wide range of urban functions and activities.
The heart of the historic district has been bordered by the
Quays of the Old Port since 1992, and more recently by the
Quartier des spectacles, two major recreational and tourism
centres. Its consolidation as a well-rounded, high-quality living
environment will rely on maintaining a variety of functions and
striking a balance between the activities of those who live
and work there and visitors. It will also depend on finding a
satisfactory response to the needs of the district’s various
users and ensuring their comfort and access in view of the
volume of activity and pedestrian and vehicle traffic there.
Lastly, this consolidation will also require that Old Montréal’s
relations and links with the surrounding areas be re-evaluated
and strengthened.
29
1.1 A multifunctional living environment
Old Montréal’s residents make it an authentic living environment. They share their neighbourhood with others to a much
greater extent than do residents in other parts of the city.
Despite the significant increase in numbers and the ongoing
presence of many workers, the heritage site’s goods and
services are still strongly oriented toward visitors. On the
other hand, new developments in the surrounding areas have
led to the appearance of local stores and services, which
are also accessible to Old Montréal residents and users.
But to reach them pedestrians are obliged to take lengthy
and sometimes unpleasant routes – crossing the Ville-Marie
expressway corridor, for example – that do nothing to add
to the urban experience.
In addition, many businesses in Old Montréal are open only
during the peak summer season, leaving some areas deserted
and lifeless in winter. This phenomenon is more prevalent in
the eastern part of the district.
Rush-hour congestion and the near-continuous road work
in recent years complicate access for workers, customers
and deliveries. There is the perceived problem of insufficient
customer parking, too, which also interferes with optimal
occupancy of commercial and office premises in the district.
Lastly, Old Montréal also has its share of homeless people,
who intimidate residents, users and passers-by when they
gather in public spaces.
Efficient urban functions, better response to the needs of the
different user groups in the district and stronger links with
the surrounding areas are all essential to creating a more
vibrant atmosphere, a better balance between the various
functions and their smooth coexistence in the heritage site.
1.1.1 Residential function
The current population of residents in the heritage site
makes a great contribution to neighbourhood life and to
creating a vibrant atmosphere for stores, services and cultural activities. Attracting more residents is another way of
guaranteeing and building on the area’s diversity. The strong
growth in the amount of housing has in no way depleted the
neighbourhood’s potential: there are still a few buildings that
could be converted or retrofitted for residential purposes,
and the twenty or so vacant lots still have great residential
development potential.
30
Old Montréal residents appreciate its unique heritage, its
location close to downtown and its vibrant atmosphere,
although they realize that they have to share their neighbourhood with many other users – in particular the large
numbers of visitors and tourists at certain times of year.
This need to share the close quarters of the heritage site
sometimes affects residents’ peace and quiet or security,
and their access to the neighbourhood or even their homes.
It is important to ensure the quality of life in residential areas
by properly managing the presence and number of certain
uses and the inconveniences that may result from some
users’ behaviour or activities.
1.1.2 Commercial and business functions
Given the current performance of businesses and services in
Old Montréal, it would be a good idea to encourage greater
diversification there, so as to better respond to the needs
of different clienteles. In addition, since there is not a large
enough customer base within the heritage site itself to sustain
a satisfactory number of local businesses and services, any
market analysis must also include the immediately surrounding areas in addition to Old Montréal proper.
The many art galleries and fashion designer boutiques give
Old Montréal a distinctive feeling, different from other commercial arteries in the city, and one that must be maintained.
Measures
1. Develop a strategy for promoting and supporting the
construction of residential buildings on vacant lots.
2. In co-operation with the Table de concertation du VieuxMontréal, develop specific neighbourhood quality-of-life
indicators in terms of traffic, security, cleanliness and
noise pollution, and monitor them.
The desired improvements in terms of the commercial function require a better understanding of all the related aspects
(demand, supply, potential) and must take into account:
❖ the opening of the CHUM and its research centre just
outside Old Montréal;
❖ the potential of the commercial component of the
planned Viger Station-hotel development, given the new
businesses it could bring to Old Montréal and how it
could both add new vibrancy and improve the tenuous
links between Faubourg Québec and the eastern part
of the heritage site;
❖ planned business and service growth in the Old Port,
its contribution and its interactions with the rest of
the district;
❖ the goods offered for tourists, often considered of
poor quality.
31
1.1.3 Administrative function
Measures
The positioning of the historic district as a prime business
venue in Montréal depends on it offering a vibrant, highquality setting for entrepreneurs and businesspeople. Efforts
to develop public property, to restore and renovate the
built environment and improve pedestrian links between the
heritage site and the surrounding areas all help to make Old
Montréal more attractive to businesses. Reducing congestion, improving on-street parking for customers and keeping
public property cleaner would also help to attract and retain
businesses in the district.
Lastly, the long-term impact of heavy tourist traffic in some
parts of the district must be documented and studied,
along with the effects of turning Place Jacques-Cartier
and rue Saint-Paul into pedestrian malls, not only on office
occupancy but also on the functional and commercial mix
of the street and the entire sector that has been blocked
off to vehicle traffic.
1. Identify measures to promote a better commercial mix
and maintain the distinctive commercial nature of the
district, by examining possible amendments to zoning
by-laws, as one option. The choice of these measures
will be based on various studies, in particular:
❖documenting commercial needs and development
The municipal, provincial and federal public administrations
account for a large share of tertiary activity in the heritage
site. In addition, their presence draws service businesses
and professional offices wishing to locate nearby. Through
this twofold contribution, the public administrations support
much of the economic development in Old Montréal and the
neighbouring faubourgs.
potential in and around Old Montréal, by:
- identifying the potential market;
- analyzing demand and the customer base;
- analyzing the quantity and quality of businesses
and services;
- analyzing how current supply meets current
demand;
- studying the development potential and conditions
for success.
❖studying and documenting the long-term impact of
In addition, the municipal administration and other government agencies and organizations occupy some of the most
prestigious buildings in the heritage site. In that they are
responsible for these buildings, they help to preserve and
enhance a series of buildings of great historical and architectural value.
Consolidating this function, in particular by ensuring that
government offices and courthouses remain here, is another
lever for making and keeping this a vibrant, diverse area for
years to come.
experiments with pedestrian malls on the functional
and commercial mix in the target sectors.
2. Suggest that the Old Port of Montréal Corporation
develop a mix of businesses and services complementing that in the rest of the heritage site.
3. Continue to support the Société de développement
commercial du Vieux-Montréal.
Measures
1. Invite the provincial and federal governments to maintain their activities in Old Montréal, in particular their
courthouses.
2. Consolidate the municipal administration complex by
maintaining a critical mass of activities in the heart
of the heritage site and eventually extending them to
the Récollets or Québec faubourgs.
32
1.1.4 Cultural function
At present, the heritage site has a strong network of recognized cultural institutions, one of the city’s major attractions for Montrealers, visitors and tourists, along with a
wide variety of arts and crafts stores. The reputation of
these networks also adds to Montréal’s status as a cultural
metropolis.
A constant emphasis on enhancing the quality, activities and
promotion of these institutions, and the presence of art in all
its forms, will guarantee greater recognition for the exceptional historic and heritage character of Old Montréal, along
with visitor opportunities for a unique cultural experience.
Accordingly, efforts are required to consolidate and promote
Old Montréal’s cultural function.
Measures
1. Support museums’ initiatives and development, in
particular the planned expansion of Pointe-à-Callière
(phase 2), based on connecting spaces around the
former William collector sewer.
2. Support the plans by the Old Port of Montréal
Corporation to convert Shed 16 into an international
exhibition centre.
3. Support the establishment of new museums.
4. Promote Old Montréal’s excellence in the visual arts,
crafts and design, so as to attract businesses working in or alongside these niches.
33
1.1.5 Religious function
1.1.6 Coexistence in the heritage site
Measures
The district has a rich religious heritage, both tangible and
intangible, thanks to the religious communities that were
involved in founding Ville-Marie and its early days. These
communities are experiencing a constant decline in numbers
that will make it difficult to continue their work in the medium
term, although this situation is not unique to Old Montréal.
Nevertheless, given the historic role of these communities
in the birth of Montréal and its growth to the present day,
it is crucial that this exceptional heritage be safeguarded,
that its valuable architectural treasures be preserved, and
that these sites continue to be occupied, either through
renewal of the communities or some new vocation, so as to
perpetuate the memory of their presence and good works
in Old Montréal.
Measure
Examine different ways of perpetuating the memory
of the presence and good works of the religious communities, in particular by:
❖supporting these communities in their efforts to
find ways of doing so;
❖supporting feasibility and compatibility studies for
proposals regarding new uses for these properties.
The Plan calls for a greater variety of functions in the heritage
site as one way of helping consolidate it as a well-rounded,
high-quality living environment. At the same time, this tightknit diversity in the district means that many people live in
close quarters, engendering problems caused by unruly
individuals, some business activities and public celebrations
and festivals in the neighbourhood. Such disruptions occasionally disturb not only residents but also other occupants,
such as hotel clients.
Close collaboration between residents, merchants, hotel
operators and other stakeholders can help solve such coexistence problems. For instance, after discussing the matter,
some drinking establishments hired staff to manage their
customers’ behaviour when leaving.
Lastly, there are frequent complaints from residents regarding daily gatherings by homeless people in some public
spaces in Old Montréal, sometimes leading to disruptive
behaviour or creating a sense of insecurity. Reducing such
tensions is one of the aims of the measures put forward by
the city in its Plan d’action ciblé en itinérance, a targeted
action plan addressing homelessness. There have already
been sustained efforts in this regard, and the city intends
to continue them.
1.Encourage and support close collaboration among
residents, merchants, hotel operators and organizers
of recreational and tourism activities.
2. Continue implementing the Plan d’action ciblé en
itinérance, more specifically by:
❖applying an intervention plan in public spaces in
the heritage site;
❖continuing the urban mediation process.
The eastern part of the heritage site
The eastern part of the heritage site boasts a remarkable
network of public spaces: the Quays of the Old Port, the
rue de la Commune promenade, Place Jacques-Cartier and
Place Vauquelin and the Champ-de-Mars, not to mention
many of the district’s major buildings: City Hall, the Ernest
Cormier and Lucien Saulnier buildings, the Château Ramezay,
Bonsecours Market and the Notre-Dame-de-Bon-Secours
Chapel. The commercial hub is concentrated mainly around
Place Jacques-Cartier and nearby, on Saint-Paul and de la
Commune, and consists chiefly of restaurants and shops
offering goods aimed mainly at visitors.
34
Despite the presence of these major attractions and many
government offices, renewal in the eastern part of Old
Montréal does not seem to be occurring at the same pace
as in the rest of the district. The amount of life there varies
considerably with the seasons. Large numbers of tourists and
day trippers flock to the area in the summer, to the point that
it sometimes seems overwhelmed, whereas from November
to April the streets are dead quiet. During these months the
sector is particularly empty, and unattractive. In addition,
the link between rue de la Commune and the eastern part
of the Old Port is weak near Bonsecours Market, and the
foot traffic falls off accordingly.
Among the most important causes of these issues are:
❖ the seasonal nature of many businesses, restaurants
in particular;
❖ the presence of vacant storefronts, especially in Place
Jacques-Cartier, where many premises on upper floors
have been empty for several years now;
❖ the large number of homeless people near the main
gateway to the area (Champ-de-Mars metro station)
and in its centre, apparently exacerbating the problems
experienced by certain business and cultural events.
To succeed in injecting more energy into the living environment
in this area and the heritage site as a whole, and to improve
coexistence there, this area must become a busy, attractive and safe place year round. The problem of vacant office
premises and stores has to be addressed, and the amount
and perhaps the quality of its business activities improved.
Measure
Carry out an urban renewal project in this area that
takes account of social, economic, environmental and
cultural concerns; this will call for tools and measures to attract new stores, offices and other uses,
especially cultural ones, that are open year round.
1.2 An attractive living environment
The narrow streets in Old Montréal, laid out for the most
part before the modern transportation era, are ill suited to
heavy traffic by cars and large vehicles like tourist buses, and
to the extensive demand for parking. In addition, a number
of streets in the district have seen improvements aimed at
pedestrians in recent years, making these shortcomings
even more obvious.
Because the city originally grew up inside the fortifications,
buildings are packed tightly together, with little room for
greenery. Any green spaces are mostly tucked away behind
buildings, scarcely visible from the street and generally
inaccessible to the public. It all gives the district a rather
“stony” or “hard” feeling.
It would be a good idea to continue the efforts made over the
past ten years to develop and implement solutions adapted
to the needs of the different users and to the difficulties
resulting from these characteristics of the district, so as
to meet the heritage, environmental, transportation and
economic development concerns that have been raised.
35
1.2.1 Traffic management
The adoption of the Plan sectoriel de gestion des déplacements dans le Vieux-Montréal (Old Montréal vehicle and foot
traffic management plan), in 2008, confirmed the importance
of developing strategies adapted to the heritage, economic
and tourism character of the area. In this sense, the heritage site must remain a destination for vehicle traffic, rather
than part of a through route.
This Plan suggested that priority be given to foot traffic, by
continuing to reduce the amount of space devoted to automobiles in the heritage site. It favoured public transit and
active transportation as means of reaching Old Montréal
and mainly walking as a way of getting around the district.
It was with this same aim that the summertime pedestrian
malls that had long been fixtures in Place Jacques-Cartier
and Saint-Amable and Saint-Vincent streets were extended
to the eastern part of rue Saint-Paul. The tourism heart of
the district is now reserved exclusively for pedestrians at
that time. Despite the lengthy debates before this measure
was introduced, the pedestrian mall along rue Saint-Paul
now seems generally accepted. According to surveys in
2009 and 2010,17 a large majority of merchants along the
street reported an increase in customer volume for their
businesses and for the district in general during the period
when the street was blocked off to cars. One-quarter of them
even said that it attracted new clientele. Almost two-thirds
of users said it was more pleasant to walk on a pedestrian
mall, nearly 40% found it safer and 16% said that it created
a better atmosphere. Almost all the respondents (85% of
businesses and 94% of users) wanted to see the pedestrian
mall continued.
17 CONVERCITÉ, Projet pilote de piétonnisation de la rue Saint-Paul, September 2009,
and Projet de piétonnisation de la rue Saint-Paul, October 2010.
Clearly, the pedestrian malls have allowed many Montrealers
and visitors from elsewhere to feel more at home on rue
Saint-Paul, and encouraged the opening of more outdoor
cafés. The long-term effects of blocking off vehicle traffic
on the vibrant character of the street and on maintaining
its functional and commercial mix remain to be evaluated.
Based on these results, it will be possible to review the
actions being taken, if necessary, and to establish policies
in this respect for other sectors, in particular the western
part of rue Saint-Paul.
To make Old Montréal an even more attractive place to live,
vehicle and foot traffic must be optimally managed. First of
all, it will be crucial to route through vehicle traffic along
Saint-Antoine, Viger and McGill streets, just outside the
district, and reroute drivers as directly as possible from
these major thoroughfares toward peripheral parking lots
and those in the Old Port, so as to avoid unnecessary traffic
through the district.
The attractions and certain restaurants and hotels in Old
Montréal naturally draw tourist buses. So secondly it is
important to solve the problems currently caused by their
unregulated comings and goings, so that they unload and
load passengers and park only in designated spots.
Lastly, optimal traffic management during major events is key,
so as to avoid gridlock in the district and conflicts between
different modes of transportation.
36
In keeping with its Transportation Plan, the city plans to introduce a tramway system to serve downtown, Old Montréal
and Côte-des-Neiges. The current proposal, which would see
tramways along de la Commune and Berri, would probably
mean large-scale changes in the road surface along these
streets and changes to local traffic and public transit routes.
Plans for the tramway are only at the feasibility study phase,
and not yet advanced enough for any appropriate measures
to be suggested in these pages.
Measures
1. Continue implementing the Plan sectoriel de gestion
des déplacements, in particular by:
needs of target ridership (frequency and extent
of service), particularly during the summer, to
encourage people not to use their cars to come
to the district;
❖implementing specific measures to ease foot traffic,
including to and from the Champ-de-Mars metro
station;
❖maintaining the summer pedestrian malls on the
❖examining a scenario involving the shared use of
the western part of rue Saint-Paul by pedestrians
and vehicles;
❖taking permanent steps to funnel through traffic
toward peripheral streets, including two-way traffic
on boulevard Saint-Laurent, for access to the Old
Port, in particular based on the study of the measures taken when Place d’Armes was redeveloped;
❖developing and managing a network of specific park-
ing and drop-off and pick-up areas for appropriate
numbers of tourist and school buses, located so
as to serve all their destinations (museums, hotels,
restaurants);
eastern part of rue Saint-Paul, and reviewing, if applicable, the parameters for creating the mall and
for managing vehicle traffic, in light of the impact
study;
❖adapting bus routes, including the 715, to the
❖developing a traffic management plan for major
events.
2. Integrate measures to simplify pedestrian traffic toward the heritage site, from boulevard René-Lévesque,
avenue Viger and rue Saint-Antoine.
37
1.2.2 Parking
Old Montréal is often perceived as lacking in parking spaces.
In fact, the introduction of a real-time parking availability
display system has shown that there are almost always
spots remaining in the district’s large lots, even during peak
periods. This availability should be used to ease the pressure
on streets for parking.
In addition, the city, in co-operation with the CHUM, is working to ensure that the hospital and its research centre, right
next to the heritage site, fit in smoothly so as to avoid any
extra pressure on the availability of on-street parking.
Off-street parking:
generally used for longer periods (2+ hours)
On-street parking:
generally used for short to medium periods18
On-street parking in Old Montréal must be reserved mainly
for residents and the customers of shops and other businesses. Consequently, it is important to continue promoting
and supporting the use of off-street parking for all mediumand long-term parking needs and to encourage this use by
a significant proportion of the users who normally look for
on-street parking and for whom off-street parking would be
perfectly suitable.
18 CONVERCITÉ, Connaissances et perceptions des automobilistes à l’égard du système
de jalonnement dynamique, July 2011.
38
The desired shifts in the mix of demand for the different kinds
of parking call for a better knowledge of supply and demand
and pricing structures, and mean that other factors must
also be considered:
❖ the eventual disappearance of surface parking lots;
❖ the availability of parking at the CHUM-CRCHUM and
their users’ needs (staff and clientele);
❖ what the Viger Station-hotel development might include
and also its potential for meeting the needs generated
by the CHUM-CRCHUM complex;
❖ the results of the strategy implemented to encourage
the use of the large parking lots in the district.
1.2.3 Greenery
Measure
Develop a parking plan for the heritage site based
on study results, in co-operation with Stationnement
de Montréal and with the Old Port of Montréal
Corporation and the private sector, to allocate the
on-street and off-street parking spaces available to
meet the specific needs of residents, workers and
business owners and different clienteles, adjusted
according to time of day and week, and involve the
private sector in drafting and managing the plan.
Vegetation in the heritage site is concentrated mainly in
parks and along the esplanade in the Old Port, thanks to the
sustained efforts by the Old Port of Montréal Corporation to
“green” its property, including the adoption of a tree plan. The
narrow streets and the way that facades are built right up
to the sidewalk leave little space for planting and maintaining
trees along the streets; as a result the city has focused its
efforts on planting greenery in parks and public squares.
Contemporary concerns relating to environmental and neighbourhood quality require that the district’s built environment
be adapted as much as possible to the needs and requirements of nature in the city. In addition, the city has been
promoting green roofs and trying to eliminate heat islands.
39
It would also be a good idea to make the most of empty
spaces on private property to add more greenery to the
heritage site, while respecting its heritage character, history
and streetscapes.
Measure
Measures
1. Co-ordinate the control of hazards caused by ice
building up on the edges of pitched roofs and drip
mouldings extending over public property.
2. Make building owners aware of their responsibilities.
With the MCC, study the necessary conditions and
criteria for increasing the amount of greenery in the
heritage site.
1.3 Connecting the district to the rest of the city
1.2.4 Winter safety
Many buildings in the heritage site have steeply pitched roofs,
with dormer windows, that extend over the sidewalks. Water
collecting on these roofs produces the well-known winter
phenomenon of ice accumulating on the drip moulding and
occasionally falling as chunks or dripping as icicles onto the
sidewalk below. This is a real hazard for pedestrians and a
fact of life in Old Montréal; building owners should, but do
not always, take the necessary action and follow up.
The Ville-Marie borough has established specific rules for
de-icing cornices and maintaining sidewalks. Given the recurrence of dangerous situations, it is important to maintain
these controls and encourage building owners, so as to
ensure pedestrian safety throughout the district in winter.
One of the results of developments in recent years in the
faubourgs next to Old Montréal has been to reconnect the
district to the rest of the city, at least to some extent. This
integration must be continued, but nonetheless raises several
issues, including:
❖ the balance between its residential, commercial and
recreational and tourism functions and those of these
other areas;
❖ the impact of future projects on its vitality and the
number of residents, visitors and users.
It is important to ensure that the urban development of these
neighbouring areas fully supports the functional integration
of the heritage site with the rest of the city, while preserving
its unique face and character.
40
old montréal and adjacent sectors
Quartier des
spectacles
Business
district
Legend
rue De Bleury
Building
Park or square
nçois-Xa
rue St-Fra
rue St-Pierre
ulpice
ul
rue St-Pa
boul. St-Laurent
Old Montréal
la
rue de
une
Comm
rue McGill
Faubourg des
Récollets
rue Notre-Dame
rue St-S
vier
rue St-Jacques
Old Port
Cité du
multimédia
Pointe-du-Moulin
Body of water
rue St-André
rue Berri
rue St-Antoine
Western
sector
Eastern sector
rue Bonsecours
Northern sector
Western sector
Northern sector
Eastern sector
Faubourg
Québec
0
125
metres
250
41
1.3.1 The northern sector
(from De Bleury to Sainte-Élisabeth)
This sector of the city, essentially spanning the eastern part
of the business district and Faubourg St-Laurent, offers activities and services within walking distance of the heritage
site. Its large north-south arteries, like Bleury and SaintUrbain, link it directly with Old Montréal, as does boulevard
Saint-Laurent, running down its centre. The southern part
of this thoroughfare along which Montréal extended as it
grew outside the fortifications has long been characterized
by a rupture in its built environment and patchy urban activity. The Ville-Marie expressway created a tear in the urban
fabric that still persists today.
While these streets could serve as valuable links between
the heritage site and this part of the city, the current state
of their urban fabric and their accessibility for pedestrians,
as well as the barriers created by the major east-west
boulevards, make them less attractive for Old Montréal
residents and users and for visitors making their way toward
the heritage site.
Strengthening the functional and physical links with this vast
part of the city is a crucial factor in enhancing the heritage
site. Developing the vacant lots next to the expressway or
even covering it over between Saint-Urbain and Sanguinet
is an indispensible step.
Measures
1. Consolidate the urban fabric along boulevard
St-Laurent and enhance public property there.
2. Improve pedestrian convenience and safety on Bleury
and Hôtel-de-Ville.
3. Re-establish a direct pedestrian link between the
Champ-de-Mars staircase across from avenue Hôtelde-Ville and the stairs in Place Vauquelin.
1.3.2 The eastern sector
(from Sanguinet to Square Viger and surroundings)
Formerly known as Faubourg Saint-Louis, this eastern sector
stretches from rue Sainte-Élisabeth to the new residential
blocks in Faubourg Québec, taking in Square Viger and the
Viger Station-hotel. There are a number of large projects in
the area at the moment: the CHUM and its research centre
(CRCHUM), plans to redevelop Square Viger and the launch
of the project to recycle the railway station-hotel and its
site. In addition, the small but very visible service station at
the southeast corner of Bonsecours and Viger streets has
just closed its pumps.
In 2008, the city and the CHUM agreed on the execution and
financing of municipal work related to the new hospital. The
city agreed to enhance the public property around the blocks
to be occupied by the CHUM-CRCHUM complex, bounded by
boulevard René-Lévesque to the north, rue Saint-Antoine to
the south, rue Saint-Denis to the east and rue Sainte-Élisabeth
to the west, in addition to making changes to the Chenier
block, opposite the main CRCHUM entrances.
All these projects in this area to reconnect Old Montréal to
the rest of the city will require strengthening the link via rue
Saint-Denis and its role as a gateway to Old Montréal, as
well as the one via rue St-Hubert, which will connect the new
commercial hub in Old Montréal on the Viger Station-hotel
site and the Place Dupuis hub, farther north.
As for Square Viger, it is worth noting that in its heyday, in
the late 19th century, it was a pleasant and prestigious place
for people from neighbourhoods nearby and Montrealers in
general. Today, because it is so hemmed in, it is less attractive
for local residents, who deem it unsafe and associate it with
marginal users. Its location, where Old Montréal meets the
former Saint-Louis neighbourhood and the Quartier Latin,
represents a unique opportunity to restore access to a
high-quality public space for residents of the heritage site
and other areas nearby.
Measures
1. Carry out the municipal enhancement program for
public property around the CHUM-CRCHUM, in particular rue Saint-Denis.
2. Consolidate the urban fabric along rue St-Hubert and
develop it so as to improve pedestrian convenience
and safety.
3. Determine an appropriate plan for Square Viger and
its surroundings, in particular on rue Saint-Antoine.
42
1.3.3 The western sector (Faubourg des Récollets)
Faubourg des Récollets is known as a real extension of the
historical heart of the city. Although there has been substantial redevelopment work in the northern and southern
parts of this former faubourg,19 on both public and private
property, there is still ample potential for further development
there, as it is characterized mainly by large parking lots and
public property that needs to be renewed and redeveloped.
The links between the heritage site and Faubourg des
Récollets must be strengthened, more specifically in the
sector from rue William to rue Notre-Dame.
Measures
1. Pay particular attention to the east-west links represented by Notre-Dame, Saint-Paul, William and SaintMaurice streets.
2. Match traffic plans to traffic management measures
in and around Old Montréal.
1.4 A district connected to the river
Activities in the Port, the Lachine Canal and the structures
on Pointe-du-Moulin (Windmill Point) long played a major role
in daily life in Old Montréal and, up to the mid-20 th century,
generated much of its economic wealth. Since then, these
activities have shifted to a more recreational and tourism
function focused on the river, while tourist cruise ships
continue to come and go at the Iberville maritime terminal.
Together all these activities contribute to making Old Montréal
a busy place with a number of different functions.
19To the north: the southern section of the Quartier international, to the south: the Cité
du multimédia.
43
Work to transform the waterfront is continuing, and some
major projects are currently underway:
❖ the Old Port of Montréal Corporation has released
its vision statement, Montréal sur le fleuve, aimed at
completing work on its site in the coming years. The
project, which started with the renewal of the Clock
Tower Quay and the creation of the urban beach there,
also calls for the Conveyor Quay and its tower to be
restored and opened to the public, green spaces and
heritage attractions to be added, the promenade and
green esplanade to be extended eastward, and Shed
16 to be converted into an exhibition centre;
In order to ensure that these ongoing developments contribute to boosting the vitality of Old Montréal while preserving
its unique character and liveability, it is important:
❖ to continue developing and promoting the Old Port as
a recreational, tourism, cultural and urban site, on
the basis of the guidelines resulting from the public
consultations in 1985-86;
❖ to have close co-ordination among all the players and
to ensure that their commercial and recreational activities, in particular, are complementary, taking account
of their respective natures.
Guiding principles for development of the Old Port:
1. Improve urban living conditions and improve public
access to the river
able to circulate freely and easily.
❖ the Parks Canada Agency is reviewing the Master Plan
for the Lachine Canal National Historic Site of Canada;
❖Tourisme Montréal, in co-operation with its partners,
is implementing a strategy aimed at positioning the
city more as an embarkation/debarkation port and
making it a popular stop. A number of initiatives are
aimed at attracting more international cruise ships to
Montréal.
❖All development should preserve or highlight the
exceptional vistas of the site itself, the river, and
the city.
❖ the Canada Lands Corporation is currently studying
the potential for reusing the silos and the structures
on Pointe-du-Moulin, and ideas for enhancing them;
❖Everyone should have access to the site and be
❖All development should reflect real collective needs
for which the site is particularly appropriate.
Measures
1. Strengthen co-operation and co-ordination with the
Old Port of Montréal Corporation, Canada Lands
Corporation and Parks Canada Agency, in particular
with the goal of developing an integrated program of
heritage interpretation activities.
2.Ensure planning allowing the different parties to share
and co-ordinate their respective objectives, in particular by setting up a working group for this purpose.
3. Maintain and consolidate the activities of the maritime terminal at its present location in the port, and
support the initiatives of Tourisme Montréal and its
partners in this regard.
2. Protect and promote Canadian cultural heritage
❖The Old Port’s significant historical, maritime, and
harbour relics should be highlighted.
3. Contribute to economic development efforts
❖The Old Port should encourage and support rather
than compete with neighbouring areas.
❖The Old Port should be developed in a way that
complements the development of Montréal’s expanded downtown.
❖The different levels of government should be en-
couraged to participate in planning and managing
its development.
44
2. SHOWCASING AND ENRICHING URBAN HERITAGE
Old Montréal is an exceptional collection of heritage sites
and buildings, unlike anywhere else in the Americas, and a
central component of the city’s urban landscape.20
What can be seen of Old Montréal today has been forged by
its history and evolution since the city’s earliest days. From
a French colonial town to the 19th-century historic district,
Old Montréal has been shaped by the major periods in its
history. After starting out as a trading post and then a fortified village, it grew into a city of business and trade that was
coveted for its geographic situation and finally conquered by
the British. It was a major port and gateway to the hinterland
and, in turn, a business district and industrial, institutional,
historic and cultural centre. All these new roles over years,
fostered by the ideals of its successive occupants, helped
make Old Montréal what it is today.
Old Montréal’s heritage features are related first of all to
its setting: between the St. Lawrence River and the Côteau
Saint-Louis, it had privileged access to and an excellent view
of its surroundings. The fact that it was established between
two rivers also shaped its overall layout and the locations of
its public squares and its original street grid, which are still
largely intact today.
From its past as a fortified town, the district inherited a
dense street grid with narrow, deep lots that determined
buildings’ relationship with the street and their shared side
walls. It also meant that gardens and yards both large and
small were created behind many buildings, accessible from
the street via carriage entrances. The resulting urban fabric
offers patchwork views combining different eras, with layers
of archaeological, architectural, commemorative, artistic and
green elements. As they stroll through the district, visitors
can follow various “routes” that offer constantly changing
perspectives on the past, history and the river.
The district boundaries, resulting from the demolition of
the fortifications, run along de la Commune, Berri, McGill
and Saint-Antoine streets and form distinct streetscapes:
to the south, the waterfront with its row of façades along
rue de la Commune; to the east, a multilayered assembly21
reflecting the unique profile of the hillside; to the west and
north, tight, high, continuous rows of buildings; and, finally,
to the northeast, the green slope of the Champ-de-Mars,
itself framed by prestigious landmark buildings visible from
the neighbourhoods farther north.
20 Plan d’action pour le Vieux-Montréal, 1998, p. 32.
21 GROUPE CARDINAL HARDY INC. in co-operation with LDL INC., Opération lumière du
Vieux-Montréal, September 1996.
45
current topography and former bodies of water
30m
28m
20m
24m
20m
16m
artin
Rivière St-M
Former lake
rue Notre-Dame
18m
24m
22m
20m
18m
16m
26m
ine
orel
Ori
l sh
gina
r
ierre Rive
Little St-P
d
lare
Dec
te
e si
tag
heri
46
routes and views of interest in old montréal
Legend
Building
Park or square
Framed views of interest
rue St-André
nçois-Xa
rue St-Pierre
rue St-Fra
rue de la Commune
Exceptional framed views
ubert
rue Notre-Dame
rue St-Claude
lpice
u
rue St-S
ul
rue St-Pa
boul. St-Laurent
vier
rue St-Jacques
rue Berri
rue St-Antoine
rue St-H
rue Bonsecours
Body of water
Route
0
125
metres
250
rue McGill
47
Old Montréal’s heritage features are also the result of its
widely varied built and landscaped environment. Unlike some
other heritage sites that date from a single era, Old Montréal
bears traces reflecting every phase in the city’s evolution
– evidence of various construction periods and of both the
French and British cultures, with buildings in a host of shapes,
styles and sizes all rubbing shoulders. It is home to a body of
work made up on one hand of prestigious, richly decorated
buildings, most of them city landmarks (including religious,
institutional and bank buildings) and on the other hand of
more modest buildings in simple vernacular, residential,
commercial or warehouse architectural styles. The many
distinctive warehouse stores are a major aspect of the heritage site’s architectural landscape. Finally, the predominant
use of greystone, along with brick and cast iron – technology
developed mainly for commercial architecture – are characteristic of Old Montréal.
All these attributes and elements of its landscape forge the
identity of the heritage site and revolve around:
❖ a balance between its geographic and natural com-
ponents (topography and the river) and its cultural
components (archaeological, built and landscaped);
❖ its morphology and its unique relationships with the
city, creating a variety of streetscapes with different
scales and views, augmented by changes at different
times of day and throughout the year.
48
The importance of protecting and enhancing the identity and
unique nature of the Old Montréal heritage site requires that
any planned initiative, on public or private property, within
the district or nearby:
❖ take this historic landscape into account;
❖ take account of the views toward and from the herit-
age site, and of the presence of landmarks;
❖ be sensitive to the heritage and historic value of dif-
ferent sites in the district;
❖ recognize the importance or heritage interest of the
site, building or planned development;
❖ contribute positively to existing significant components.
2.1 Relationship with the rest of the city
The development of nearby areas, while essential for consolidating Old Montréal as a well-rounded, high-quality living
environment, raises some real issues in terms of protecting
and enhancing its visibility, unique features and special streetscape within the city.
49
2.1.1 The impact of developments in nearby areas on the
Old Montréal landscape
A number of real-estate projects are currently underway or in
the planning phase near the heritage site, in particular north
of rue Saint-Antoine, where the idea of covering over the VilleMarie expressway is being studied. At that point, the trench
disrupts the natural extension of the north-south streets in
Old Montréal along which the city gradually expanded from
its original site. Recent developments in the Quartier international are an eloquent example of the positive impact on
Old Montréal of new buildings with heights compatible with
its scale and of developments on public property, Place JeanPaul Riopelle, in particular. The district now has a high-quality
link with the rest of the city and a suitable gateway.
Also in this regard, the developments around the Champ-deMars metro station – one of the most popular entry points
to Old Montréal – offer an ideal opportunity to enhance
the entire area that includes the Champ-de-Mars and the
municipal administration complex in the heart of the heritage site and to reconnect routes between the district and
the rest of the city. The expressway exit ramp leading onto
Sanguinet and Saint-Antoine streets must be relocated in
order to reconnect Sanguinet and Gosford streets and to
make it possible to redevelop this area more in keeping with
the heritage character of Old Montréal. Once this is done,
the Champ-de-Mars tunnel will no longer be needed and
could be removed.
It is important to ensure that any development or construction near Old Montréal take account of its unique features
and contribute to showcasing it as part of the city and as a
distinctive urban landscape, for instance by preserving the
legibility of its borders and avoiding any abrupt changes in
scale.
Measures
1.Enhance the regulatory framework by introducing
goals and criteria making it possible to more closely
examine planned projects for areas around the heritage site.
2. Determine a new site and appropriate configuration
for the Sanguinet exit off the Ville-Marie expressway,
and reopen rue Sanguinet between Viger and SaintAntoine streets.
3. In the short term, for access to and from the Champde-Mars metro station:
❖upgrade the pedestrian walkways from the station
exit leading to Sanguinet, Saint-Denis and Hôtelde-Ville streets;
❖renovate the pedestrian tunnel and upgrade the
interior.
50
2.1.2 Views
Other links between the heritage site and the rest of the
city involve views from both the city and the waterfront, or
from the district itself toward its surroundings, all of which
offer further proof of the unique nature and heritage value
of Old Montréal.
An “unobstructed view” is a view that offers broad
sightlines in various directions from a public place or
lookout.
In addition, the panorama as seen from the modern city is
dotted with various landmark buildings in the historic district.
Meanwhile, within the district itself, their cupolas, peaked
roofs and bell towers are all set off by the rows of buildings
and the way they line the streets or as seen from the higher
section of rue Notre-Dame on the ridge.
Taking the landscape into account in planning and managing
projects around Old Montréal will necessarily require that
views of interest, both toward and from the heritage site,
be protected and enhanced.
Measures
1. Document Old Montréal views of interest.
2. Incorporate, in urban planning tools and development
strategies, goals and criteria specifically aimed at
protecting and enhancing identified views, in particular
the one from the area around the Champ-de-Mars
metro station of the Old Montréal administration
complex and the Champ-de-Mars plateau.
3.Ensure that specifications for developments on public
property include considerations regarding identified
views.
A “framed view” is a view where the foreground elements frame the perspective, with a sightline toward
the horizon.
23LÉGER MARKETING, Sondage auprès des clientèles du Vieux-Montréal et analyses
comparatives avec une étude réalisée en 1998, septembre 2004.
24 COMITÉ PERFORMANCE DE L’INDUSTRIE TOURISTIQUE, Faire des choix pour une industrie touristique performante, rapport déposé à la ministre du Tourisme, mai 2011.
51
views toward and from old montréal
Legend
View of Mount Royal
from City Hall terrace
Building
Body of water
View of interest
Unobstructed view
rue Bonsecours
View from place
Marie-Josèphe-Angélique
0
125
metres
rue Notre-Dame
View from
rue Berri
rue
place d'Youville
Exceptional view
rue Amherst
rue Ste-Élisabeth
avenue de l'Hôtel-de-Ville
rue de Bullion
View of downtown from
Champ de Mars
rue St-Urbain
Park or square
250
ort
du P
52
2.1.3 Lookouts
The many views offered to people walking toward or within
the heritage site are inseparable from their experience of
the picturesque landscape. Moreover, the panoramic views
of Old Montréal from the various lookouts, including those in
the Notre-Dame-de-Bon-Secours Chapel, at Pointe-à-Callière,
the Montréal Museum of Archaeology and History, in the
tower on the Clock Tower Quay and at the eastern end of
rue de la Commune, are all superb opportunities to highlight
the waterfront and river landscape and add an unusual,
spectacular note to the experience.
Other such locations, like Silo No. 5 and the tower on the
Conveyor Quay in the Old Port, could also be used to offer
Old Montréal visitors other views of its landscape.
Measure
Enhance existing lookouts and, in co-operation with
the owners concerned, identify other such locations
and make them accessible.
53
old montréal lookouts
Legend
Building
Park or square
Body of water
Lookout
rue Notre-Dame
Marguerite Bourgeoys Museum
Chemin-Qui-Marche
lookout
Potential lookout
0
125
metres
Pointe-à-Callière Museum
Clock Tower Quay
Conveyor Quay
Silo No. 5
250
54
2.2 Relationship with the river
2.2.1 The Old Port
The historical reality of Old Montréal – indeed of the entire
city – is based on the fact that it was founded at the exact
spot where boats travelling up the St. Lawrence River were
forced to stop. The point where the river and the historic
district meet, which was originally right along the shoreline,
is today located in the quays of the Old Port.
Rue de la Commune is central to this relationship, with its
line of façades, and consists of two juxtaposed but distinct
ensembles: on one side, there is the urban fabric with the
old brick, iron and stone buildings, while on the other is a
vast open space with a largely landscaped, contemporary
design. As well, direct sightlines to the river are limited by
the quays set at a slight angle to the streets leading north.
In this context, the city and the Old Port of Montréal
Corporation will need to work together to plan and manage
the visual relationship between the river and the heritage
site. The lighting of the tower on the Clock Tower Quay –
enhancing the framed view from rue Amherst – is a good
example of how an initiative on the Old Port site can affect
their relationship from a landscape composition perspective.
As well, the boats moored at the foot of rue Saint-Sulpice
point to the river’s proximity and help visitors understand
its historic role in Montréal’s development.
In this regard, enhancing the relationship between Old
Montréal and the river requires:
❖ maintaining and enhancing views to and from the river.
Vegetation and other elements may support or limit
these views;
❖ maintaining and enhancing framed views of the Old
Port;
❖ creating a readable dialogue between the two en-
sembles, particularly on rue de la Commune and along
the rue Berri, Place Jacques-Cartier and boulevard
Saint-Laurent axes.
Measure
Invite the Old Port of Montréal Corporation to share
and harmonize its objectives in terms of enhancing
and developing the district.
55
2.2.2 Silo No. 5 - Pointe-du-Moulin
The city supports the initiatives of the Canada Lands
Corporation in terms of enhancing Silo No. 5 and redeveloping the entire Pointe-du-Moulin (Windmill Point) pier, in
particular to leave an important legacy for the celebrations
of Montréal’s 375th anniversary. These projects are apt to
have a positive impact on the landscape in this part of the
city, to highlight its role in terms of trade with the rest of
the continent and the original purpose of the structures
located on the site. This will make it possible to offer future
users activities bringing them closer to the waterfront and
to Montréal’s past as it expanded from the original harbour.
Measure
Support the Canada Lands Corporation in its
plans to:
❖ preserve industrial structures;
❖introduce new functions and uses compatible with
those in Old Montréal, and with the features of
interest of the site itself;
❖offer the public an exceptional view of the city and
its surroundings from the top of Silo No. 5.
56
2.3 Public property
All the streets, squares, engineering structures, parks and
street furniture represent much of the rich built heritage
of Old Montréal. Public property is accessible and open to
all, somewhere that local residents and visitors can meet,
and an ideal venue for appreciating and learning about the
district’s history and heritage. Visitors roam these streets
and squares as they explore Montréal’s oldest neighbourhood, and their design quality thus plays a key role in shaping
visitors’ impressions.
With the implementation of the Action plan for Old Montréal,
the city and the MCC drew up technical guidelines with a view
to planning high-quality outdoor cafés while allowing restaurant owners to put their own stamps on their businesses.
The criteria have not been applied or enforced uniformly,
however, and the desired quality has not been achieved. Some
of these structures seem quite amateurish, built from rather
plain materials, and even detract from the architecture of
the building façades.
2.3.1 Streets and squares
Experience has shown that well-designed, high-quality public
property is a powerful tool that also fosters the development
of neighbouring properties. The impact of major public investment in upgrading the squares and streets in Old Montréal
has been apparent, as Montrealers have reclaimed the area
in recent decades.
The approach adopted by the city for its own projects has
centred on decidedly contemporary design concepts and
materials, in keeping with the area’s role and respectful of
the district’s history and heritage. One of the most significant
projects in this regard is the recent redevelopment of Place
d’Armes, which has contributed to the prestigious character
and symbolic importance of the city’s historical centre, while
making it easier for pedestrians to get around the district.
In addition, during some parts of the year, public property
in Old Montréal is used for much more than just vehicle and
pedestrian traffic – it is also occupied by outdoor cafés and
artists demonstrating their skills and offering their wares to
passers-by. These uses, concentrated mainly in and around
Place Jacques-Cartier (including Saint-Amable and SaintVincent streets) and along rue McGill, enliven the area, foster
economic activity and encourage people to linger outdoors
in a pleasant setting. Ideally, though, these uses would add
more to their surroundings.
The city plans to gradually continue redoing and upgrading
those streets and squares that require such work. Given the
growing importance of tourism and the number of people living and working in and visiting Old Montréal, priority will go to
facilities encouraging universal accessibility and guaranteeing
pedestrian convenience and safety. A useful model in this
regard is the work done in recent years on rue Saint-Sulpice,
for instance, which was planned with this priority in mind.
To ensure that redevelopment work planned for public property contributed to both creating safe and attractive spaces
for pedestrians and enhancing the district’s historic and
heritage character, the city had agreed with the MCC in
the early 2000s on a set of design criteria for such work,
including the types of materials to be used for streets and
sidewalks. These criteria need to be reviewed, however, in
the light of new expectations regarding the special signature
to be given to certain routes, and in terms of the materials’
comfort and durability.
57
In addition, Old Montréal has a number of unique street
furniture elements, including light standards, benches and
street signs. Given the scope of planned redevelopment
projects and other development that remains to be done
to make things easier for pedestrians and enhance the use
of public property, the few other pieces of street furniture
currently in use ought to be replaced with elements that
are more in keeping with the heritage site’s physical and
landscape features. Similarly, it would be good to replace
the temporary barriers on public property used to block off
pedestrian malls in summer or for special events, many of
which are erected with a variety of elements designed for
other purposes, such as metal and concrete barriers, with
elements better suited to the area.
Finally, it should be noted that there are currently very few
signs pointing pedestrians toward Old Montréal attractions,
on either public or private property. However, “tourist” signage is undoubtedly a valuable tool for encouraging visitors to
come to the area and get around there easily, and for helping
them find the various sites and points of interest. The userfriendliness of signage indisputably also plays a significant
role in determining the visitor experience.
To allow it to properly determine parameters for future
projects on public property in Old Montréal, the city intends
to work with the MCC to build on past achievements and
pursue the following goals:
❖ continue work to widen sidewalks and narrow the
Measures
1. Continue work to reduce sidewalk congestion begun
under the Action plan for Old Montréal.
portion of some streets devoted to drivers; in some
cases, the roadway could be shared equally between
pedestrians and vehicles;
2. Develop a concept specifically for the heritage site to
have the roadway shared by pedestrians and vehicles,
and introduce it at first on rue Saint-Paul.
❖ focus on “routes” that showcase the district’s heritage
3. Review design criteria for projects on public property,
so as to:
and the framed views from certain streets;
❖ review the existing guidelines for surface materials for
public property development projects;
❖ encourage the use of street furniture and other equip-
ment that is in keeping with Old Montréal’s heritage
features for both permanent and temporary structures
on public property;
❖ improve signage for Old Montréal visitors, while preserv-
ing the local landscape and its historic and heritage
features.
The lighting plan has proved successful in enhancing the
nighttime landscape in Old Montréal and there are plans
to extend it to other streets, including Notre-Dame ouest
and Saint-Jacques, and to other landmark buildings such
as the Royal Bank, Board of Trade, Centaur Theatre and
Old Seminary. Before extending the lighting plan, the city
must ensure that the lighting installed thus far is properly
maintained in order to preserve its benefits and positive
contribution to the overall atmosphere in the district.
❖incorporate the new “shared roadway” concept;
❖distinguish heritage promotion “routes”;
❖specify when old paving stones should be used in
new development work;
❖replace any materials that have not proved durable.
4. Design new street furniture elements to replace the
permanent or temporary elements used at present
that are not unique to Old Montréal.
5. Develop a complete signage program designed to
optimize existing signage and introduce a directional
and information signage concept in the heritage site
and on routes linking neighbouring areas.
6. Complete the lighting plan.
7. Organize and finance management and maintenance
arrangements for the lighting plan.
58
public property enhancement projects (2012-2017)
Legend
Building
Park or square
Body of water
rue St-Fra
nçois-Xa
boul. St-Laurent
vier
rue Notre-Dame
ul
a
rue St-P
e la
rue d
e
mun
Com
place Jacques-Cartier
rue St-Jacques
Priority identified
in the “Implementation”
section of this Plan
rue Berri
rue St-Antoine
rue Bonsecours
Lighting plan
Project under the 2012-2015
capital works plan
Project for a later date
0
150
metres
300
59
2.3.2 Occupancy of public property
2.4 The built and landscaped environment
The city recognizes the positive spinoff from the activities of
the outdoor cafés and artists on public property and intends
to continue authorizing them.
The built and landscaped environment eloquently illustrates
how Old Montréal has evolved since it was founded. Moreover,
given the dynamic nature of the city it belongs to and its
users and residents, this environment may be expected to
continue evolving.
However, given that the current design of a number of outdoor
cafés and artists’ stands does not contribute sufficiently to
the quality of the landscape and to enhancing the district’s
heritage features, and that a number of business owners
have voiced complaints about the current by-laws, the city
feels that a fundamental change is required and is proposing to work with all its partners to review the practices and
approaches that have prevailed for years in this regard.
Accordingly, the Plan proposes that the approach be revised,
in keeping with the following principles:
❖ review the design concept for outdoor cafés and art-
ists’ stands by developing a contemporary architectural
language that is coherent with the spirit of the location
and uses durable materials;
❖ encourage all partners to subscribe and adhere to the
enhancement objectives.
Measures
1. Work with partners to review the rules, standards
and design criteria for outdoor cafés and artists’
stands.
2.Examine the relevance of establishing a management
mechanism for outdoor cafés calling for greater
merchant involvement.
In managing these changes, asserting and enriching the
identity of the heritage site will require two distinct but
complementary strategies: on the one hand, preserving its
built and landscaped heritage and protecting and enhancing
its key features and, on the other hand, while respecting
the authenticity of its various sites, integrating actions that
reflect evolving approaches and modern-day excellence in
responding to contemporary needs.
2.4.1 Vacant lots
Most of the urban fabric in Old Montréal has been built up.
Nonetheless, today there are still some twenty vacant lots
dotted around the district, the majority of them used as
parking lots, detracting from the cohesion and appearance
of the streetscape.
The city intends to take action over the next several years to
stimulate construction on these lots and, in the meantime,
to improve the relationship between parking lots and public
property.
In this regard, the city will seek proposals to develop its two
vacant properties on rue Notre-Dame, between boulevard
Saint-Laurent and rue Saint-Sulpice. In addition, with a view
to re-establishing a true gateway to Old Montréal, from the
bottom of rue Saint-Denis, it intends to encourage construc-
tion on the vacant lot at the southeast corner of Bonsecours
and Viger streets, as well as on the current site of Place
Victor-Morin.
Measures
1.Accelerate construction on vacant municipal properties.
2.Establish a strategy to encourage the development
of private properties.
2.4.2 Heritage to be preserved and/or created
Old Montréal is home to a number of remarkable buildings,
monuments and developed sites – including Notre-Dame
Basilica and the Seminary, the former Courthouse, the Royal
Bank and Pointe-à-Callière buildings and various commemorative works. All of them have tremendous symbolic, almost
timeless, value and must be preserved intact for future
generations. These major assets are surrounded by other
buildings that form remarkable complexes because of their
unity and completeness – in Place Jacques-Cartier, on rue
Sainte-Hélène and on rue Saint-Jacques, for instance – or
with notable artistic or landscape value. On the other hand,
there are also buildings of more modest design, townhouses,
shops, warehouses, relatively discreet yet quite numerous. In
any case, their forms and functions illustrate the evolution of
the neighbourhood and define the neighbourhood atmosphere.
Today, after three decades of efforts and public and private
investment, a very large proportion of this built environment has been restored, redeveloped and reoccupied and
represents a unique example of conservation among North
America’s largest cities.
60
Consequently, there are now very few dilapidated or vacant
buildings in the heritage site, and even fewer urgent calls to
save historic buildings. Nevertheless, efforts to redevelop
buildings for contemporary uses are continuing and point
to the challenges involved in protecting and enhancing Old
Montréal’s heritage features. These projects, which generally involve gutting the building and updating its mechanical
services, also sometimes call for changes to the building
envelope or volume (for instance, adding one or more storeys
or rooftop structures), in which case it is important to precisely identify the valuable features of the building itself and
the complex to which it belongs that need to be preserved.
In fact, inserting new buildings in Old Montréal makes it
possible to meet present-day needs, strengthen the urban
fabric and renew the urban landscape. While many recently
erected buildings have managed to strike a balance between
their historic surroundings and high-quality contemporary
architecture, other, more ordinary buildings unsuccessfully
copy historical architectural styles or fail in their attempts
to update various forms and features. Successfully inserting
a new project calls for a careful analysis of the important
heritage features nearby as to ensure a seamless fit with
the built and landscaped environment of the heritage site.
The city is intent on properly protecting and enhancing Old
Montréal’s identity and unique nature, and adding to it by helping to create a cultural heritage for tomorrow. Accordingly,
it plans to refine its approaches and improve its practices
in terms of studying and regulating projects in the heritage
site, in particular by:
❖ specifying the frame of reference for restoration ef-
forts;
❖ more clearly expressing its objectives in terms of in-
novation and the integration of planned projects;
❖ identifying the appropriate conditions for adding new
storeys to buildings.
61
In this connection, the Ville-Marie borough urban planning
by-laws include general provisions guiding the quality and
integration of projects in sectors of heritage value in the
borough, although none of them apply specifically to the
heritage site.
Lastly, it is worth remembering that buildings and other structures are constantly exposed to weather and environmental
conditions and that their components must be regularly and
permanently maintained in order to preserve them for future
generations.
2.4.3 Protecting interiors
Measures
Some buildings in Old Montréal are notable for their remarkable interiors. This is the case, in particular, for large
institutional buildings like the Quebec Court of Appeal, City
Hall and Notre-Dame Basilica and banking and financial buildings dating from Montréal’s golden age as Canada’s financial
powerhouse and metropolis.
The interesting aspect of these interiors is their use of space
and often exceptional ornamentation, confirming the prestige of the institution or owner and adding to the message
conveyed by the building’s exterior.
Measures
1. Improve methods of studying and evaluating interventions, by:
❖making use of énoncés d’intérêt patrimonial (state-
Converting banks and head offices to new uses poses a
considerable challenge in terms of preserving their interior
decors and spatial features, both of which are intimately
related to their original functions.
ments of heritage value);
❖in co-operation with the MCC, drawing up specific
development, architectural and design rules and
criteria for Old Montréal.
2. Study the heights prescribed for the heritage site with
the goal of preserving the characteristics of blocks,
in particular their general shapes and volumes, and
adapt urban planning instruments or development
strategies as necessary.
3. Continue providing owners with support for restoring
buildings.
Consequently, the MCC and the city of Montréal have already
jointly begun inventorying the remaining valuable interiors of
private buildings. The city plans to contribute to preserving
some of the most significant interiors in Old Montréal in view
of their potential.
1.Based on the information gathered and their potential,
identify interiors to be protected.
2. Develop means of supporting the restoration of protected interiors.
2.4.4 Signage
Signs have long been a part of the urban landscape in Old
Montréal, and are indubitably a reflection of its vibrant commercial scene.
It is important to ensure that business owners and merchants
can advertise using restrained, high-quality signage that
fits in with the district’s urban and architectural environment. Accordingly, MCC signage standards must be better
reconciled with those in Ville-Marie borough by-laws. A joint
working group has already defined some adjustments to be
made to the by-laws to avoid inconsistencies.
Measure
Review signage standards in Ville-Marie borough bylaws and their application.
62
2.5 Archaeology
Beneath the surface of the heritage site lie a considerable
number of traces left behind by the many occupations of the
site over the millennia. A fire pit more than 4,000 years old,
discovered beneath rue Saint-Éloi, is evidence that humans
passed this way long before Fort Ville-Marie was built.
In another effort to enhance known remains, the markings
on the ground on several streets and public squares in the
district emphasize the former presence of:
❖ the fortifications, in particular in Place Jacques-Cartier
and Place Royale and on de la Commune, Bonsecours,
Gosford and McGill streets;
❖ such main 18th-century landmarks as the first Notre-
For over three decades now, efforts to unearth, analyze
and showcase this underground heritage have confirmed
the importance to Montrealers of learning about, recognizing and protecting their archaeological heritage. Numerous
archaeological sites in the district have revealed clues to
former topography, vanished roads, the wooden stockade
that once surrounded the colonial town and the stone fortifications that left such enduring traces in Old Montréal. Today,
the heritage site is the part of the city where archaeology is
most thoroughly documented.
The artifacts unearthed have been added to the municipal,
provincial and federal archaeological collections, while some
of the remains are exhibited in situ, in the Champ-de-Mars
(stone fortifications), Pointe-à-Callière, the Montréal Museum
of Archaeology and History (the city’s first Catholic cemetery
and its birthplace, among others), and in the basement of
the Notre-Dame-de-Bon-Secours Chapel (Native camp, first
chapel, wooden stockade).
Dame church, the Charon brothers’ mill, the Château
de Vaudreuil and the Grey Nuns’ convent.
Some other elements have been added to further showcase
the city’s archaeological heritage: steel frames suggesting
the profile of the military fortifications on rue McGill, and
metal markings embedded in the ground in Dalhousie Square
recalling the eastern boundary of the fortifications and the
Quebec gate, which both vanished along with the fortifications when Dalhousie Station and the adjacent railyard were
created in the late 19th century.
63
archaeological sites and remains in old montréal
Legend
Building
Fortifications
BjFj-48
BjFj-42
BjFj-87
BjFj-125
BjFj-21
BjFj-39
BjFj-d
rue St-Jacques
Notre-Dame Church BjFj-119
BjFj-41
ier
nçois-Xav
rue St-Fra
rue St-Pierre
BjFj-107
BjFj-49
ul
e St-Pa
BjFj-10
BjFj-61
BjFj-102
rue McGill
BjFj-04
e
ièr
ll
Ca
à-
te-
Chapel of the former general
Square des Frères-Charon
BiFj-34
BjFj-22
in
Po
BjFj-60
BjFj-99
Residence of Governor de Vaudreuil
BjFj-31
BjFj-53
BjFj-70
rue de la Commune
Outline of the fortifications
BjFj-56
Original listed site
BjFj-54
BjFj-65
Altered listed site
BjFj-66
BjFj-80
High-potential sector
of archaeological interest
BjFj-96
BjFj-100
BjFj-20
BjFj-86
Boundaries of the declared
heritage site
BjFj-88
BjFj-17
apel
on-Secours Ch
de-B
Notre-Dame-
Enhanced remains
Visible remains
s
Mu
Pavement marking
m
William collector sewer
Profile of the fortifications
BiFj-04
BjFj-50
BiFj-51
BjFj-73
BjFj-12
BjFj-51
Body of water
eu
BjFj-94
BjFj-69
BjFj-43
BiFj-62
BjFj-123
BjFj-03
BiFj-05
BiFj-32
ru
BjFj-02
BjFj-95
boul. St-Laurent
BjFj-74
BjFj-124
ulpice
BiFj-61
Gadois well
rue St-S
BjFj-118
BjFj-72
BjFj-52
BjFj-124
BjFj-15
BjFj-23
BjFj-32
rue Notre-Dame
BjFj-112
BjFj-14
rue Berri
rue St-Antoine
rue Bonsecours
Park or square
BjFj-104
hospital
0
125
metres
250
64
2.5.1 Showcasing the remains
As explained above, considerable efforts have been made to
highlight the presence, wealth and historical value of many
elements of Old Montréal’s archaeological heritage. A 2011
study of Old Montréal visitors22 found that nearly 60% of
those surveyed knew that Montréal had been a fortified city
in the 18th century. However, close to two-thirds did not
know what the stonework in Champ-de-Mars represented,
and the same percentage had not noticed the differences
in paving throughout the district, indicating the remains
underfoot. Lastly, two out of three people surveyed on rue
McGill understood the link between the metal frames and
the fortifications they evoke.
Along with the study, a group of experts considered the
appropriate target clienteles, the nature of the message
to be conveyed and the means to be used to improve the
interpretation of Old Montréal’s archaeological heritage. They
concluded that the clientele to be prioritized was people in
and around Montréal, since they are the ones most likely
to come back again and again, and who must feel that the
history is their own if they are to share it with visitors.
Given the importance of these aspects in fostering recognition
of the heritage site’s identity, it is important to improve the
legibility and effectiveness of the means used to showcase
and interpret this heritage so as to make them more accessible to the public. The city will continue marking traces
of 18th-century Montréal on the pavement and sidewalks,
rather than showcasing them in situ, so as to preserve the
remains concerned.
22 CONVERCITÉ, Éléments d’interprétation du patrimoine archéologique de
l’arrondissement historique de Montréal, March 2012.
65
The approach taken over the past two decades must be
updated and archaeological heritage interpretion tools must
be adapted to the different audiences, from schoolchildren
to adults.
Measures
1. In co-operation with the MCC, study different approaches aimed at enhancing people’s understanding
of the pavement markings and, more generally, review
the way the archaeological remains are presented and
showcased, especially in light of the survey results
and the conclusions of the group of experts.
2. Develop a specific interpretation approach for 18thcentury fortified Montréal, based on the strategic
position and evocative nature of the archaeological
remains in Champ-de-Mars.
3. Develop means of disseminating information on this
heritage, especially through the use of new technologies.
4. Develop a common signature for all the tools used,
both tangible and virtual, so that users will readily
understand that they offer information on archaeological heritage.
5. Develop the dissemination of interpretation tools with
suitable partners, particularly museums.
3. A RENOWNED DESTINATION – AN AUTHENTIC
AND ENRICHINg EXPERIENCE
The Old Montréal declared heritage site is both the birthplace of the city and its main tourist attraction. Tourists, day
trippers from the greater Montréal region and Montrealers
themselves roam its streets, drawn by its splendid architecture, its heritage and historical charms, the Old Port, and
its warm and festive atmosphere.23
Its popularity has a tangible impact: there are several million
visitors every year, creating impressive crowds at certain
times in various parts of the district; most hotels and restaurants enjoy large numbers of customers; and the Old
Port, museums and religious sites are maintaining or even
increasing their attendance figures. Despite the substantial
growth in recent years in the number of visitors to the Old
Port in winter, however, things are much calmer at this time
of year in the heart of Old Montréal, particularly the eastern
part, around Place Jacques-Cartier.
Public investment in restoring buildings and public property
in the heritage site, as well as Tourisme Montréal’s promotional activities to draw visitors from farther afield, have long
supported efforts to sell Old Montréal as a tourist, cultural
and recreational destination. Since 1998, Old Montréal
has focused first and foremost on the fact that it is part of
an exceptional “package” unique in North America – but to
what extent is it successful as a destination in itself, a true
“product” that attracts visitors and tourists from all over?
23LÉGER MARKETING, Sondage auprès des clientèles du Vieux-Montréal et analyses
comparatives avec une étude réalisée en 1998, September 2004.
66
A 2011 report by the Quebec Comité performance de
l’industrie touristique provides some possible answers to
this question. The mandate of the committee, chaired by
Gilbert Rozon, was to suggest an overall vision to the Quebec
government on how to position tourism as an engine of economic development in Quebec, and a way of standing out
from international competitors. Its analysis noted a number
of obstacles, however: unco-ordinated efforts, the complexity of managing the destination, the lack of effort devoted to
renewing attractions, and the large number of players with
no overall vision or plan. Consequently, the committee suggested some strategic choices, one of which was to focus
specifically on improving and developing the “product.”
Considering the analysis and proposals in the report, a number of conclusions are inevitable:
❖ there is no body that is specifically responsible for
ensuring the relevance of Old Montréal as a product,
given the competing destinations and evolving potential
visitors’ tastes and needs, or the quality of visitors’
experience there;
❖ to a large extent, the destination is defined by the
result of the many actions on the part of different
organizations and companies that work with almost
no co-ordination to generate most of the district’s
drawing power;
❖ current numbers may mask the fact that Old Montréal
[Translation] “The ultimate priority is the product. An
original, world-class product, based on our assets,
which will position us so as to appeal to clienteles from
outside Quebec and encourage Quebeckers to travel
in their own province.” 24
remains a “product” that is not clearly enough defined
for many of its visitors, even those from Montréal.
To make the heritage site a renowned authentic and enriching
experience for visitors, the Old Montréal “product” must stand
out from the competition. It must be well defined, distinctive,
and benefit from appropriate high-quality initiatives commensurate with its importance, given the presence and needs
of all its residents and users. Efforts to promote a sense
of belonging among Montrealers and other Quebeckers and
to convince them of the value of its heritage must continue.
And lastly, the visitor experience, whatever it may be, must
be a constant concern.
24 COMITÉ PERFORMANCE DE L’INDUSTRIE TOURISTIQUE, Faire des choix pour une
industrie touristique performante, Report submitted to the Minister of Tourism,
May 2011.
67
3.1 Defining the destination
Many different factors go into making up the Old Montréal
“destination.” In particular, its role as Montréal’s birthplace,
symbolic spaces like Place d’Armes and Place Jacques-Cartier,
famous or historic architectural monuments like Notre-Dame
Basilica, Bonsecours Market and Notre-Dame-de-Bon-Secours
Chapel, the Old Port, its museums, and the art galleries and
designer boutiques along rue Saint-Paul.
In Quebec, Old Montréal is unique in terms of its nature and
the quality of its historic and heritage attributes and its key
role in the growth of Quebec and the rest of Canada. In North
America, Montréal has exceptional heritage represented
largely by the heritage site, an original destination especially
since most large North American cities saw their historic
downtown cores demolished and rebuilt after the Second
World War. Lastly, Old Montréal has some attractions –
Pointe-à-Callière, the Montréal Museum of Archaeology and
History, for instance – that enjoy worldwide recognition.
But do we know:
❖ Whether the Old Montréal destination is an original
and competitive product?
❖To what extent it meets the expectations of Montrealers
and visitors from greater Montréal, elsewhere in
Québec and farther afield?
❖ How it compares with other destinations?
68
At the same time, the destination needs to be examined
in light of its complementarity with the Lachine Canal and
Pointe-du-Moulin sectors, which could be made part of a
must-see destination for visitors to the city. These sectors
include some impressive machinery and buildings that are part
of Montréal’s legacy as the cradle of industry and Canada’s
metropolis, and add to the recognition of the city’s maritime
and industrial heritage and the historic significance of this
whole area in the growth of Montréal, Quebec and the rest
of Canada. Given this complementarity, it would perhaps be
appropriate for their interpretation and cultural activities to
be co-ordinated.
Although Old Montréal is enjoying growing tourist, historic and
cultural appeal, it must continue consolidating and renewing
itself if it is to stand out from competing destinations. The
actions of all the stakeholders must be supervised and coordinated in order to identify Old Montréal’s positioning, its
image for visitors from Québec and elsewhere, the strengths
to be focused on in adding to its drawing power and the
appropriate strategies for marketing it and monitoring its
performance and quality.
Measure
Create a forum for analysis and policy-making so as
to better define and develop Old Montréal as a destination, based in particular on co-ordination among
the different companies and organizations involved,
and which would later constantly monitor its quality,
in particular by:
❖surveying clienteles’ perceptions, to build on past
surveys (1998 and 2004);
❖comparing the Old Montréal “product” and its fea-
tures with other historic centres in North America
and worldwide;
❖developing indicators to regularly monitor visitor
numbers in the heritage site;
❖adequately financing promotion.
69
3.2 Promotion
Old Montréal is one of the city’s attractions that Tourisme
Montréal highlights in its promotional campaigns for Montréal
as a destination for tourists from outside Quebec.
The city, for its part, specifically promotes its historic district
through the official Old Montréal website, which provides
practical information for potential visitors, such as the Official
Map and Evening Tour brochure.
Just as for defining the destination, most promotional efforts for Old Montréal take the form of actions by many different players, including the various museums, the Société
de développement commercial, the Old Port of Montréal
Corporation and local hotel owners.
To generate more interest in Old Montréal as a destination,
it is important that efforts to promote the district be better
organized and targeted and that its strategic advantages
be clearly highlighted.
Building on the measures proposed to define Old Montréal
as a destination, the Plan states that efforts to promote
the heritage site must be based on the co-ordinated and
concerted efforts of the different partners, but argues that
this must be part of a well-defined strategy to more optimally
position the district, distinct from the overall image of the
city as a tourist destination.
Measure
Design and implement a strategy to promote the heritage site based in particular on collaboration and the
creative capacity and initiatives of the organizations
and companies involved, and including mainly:
❖new promotional tools, including the development
of additional parts of the website;
❖a general interpretation plan;
❖a program of historical and urban events and visitor
activities;
❖an approach targeted at different clienteles, in
particular Montrealers and young people (schools).
70
Implementation
Implementing the Old Montréal protection and enhancement
plan calls for customized solutions for its management and
for setting priorities.
1. Customized solutions
The Old Montréal declared heritage site is part of the VilleMarie borough, which is responsible for managing the district, in particular through its role in maintenance, issuing
permits and authorizations, and generally overseeing the
area. Many city units also play a role there, especially in
terms of co-ordination, promotion, land-use planning, infrastructure and transportation. Of these units, the Direction
de la culture et du patrimoine plays a key part as the city
department responsible for implementing and following up
on the city’s Heritage Policy. In addition, because the district
enjoys a special status under the Cultural Heritage Act, any
initiatives must be authorized by the Minister of Culture and
Communications (MCC).
71
Implementing the planned measures to protect and enhance
the district will require a concerted approach by all stakeholders and the clear allocation of responsibilities, so as to
ensure consistent actions and quality suited to the district’s
exceptional assets and its importance for Montréal and
Quebec as a whole.
1.1 The Ville-Marie borough
The Ville-Marie borough is the access point (one-stop centre)
for citizens, and will continue to:
❖ manage authorizations on both private and public
property;
❖ oversee the district;
❖ maintain and manage public property, including:
- implementing the Plan sectoriel de gestion des déplacements dans le Vieux-Montréal and the parking
plan;
-a
strategy to enlist partners in committing to objectives for improving the district, especially the management of and changes to outdoor cafés.
The borough will also examine the measures required (additional operating budgets, special teams, etc.) to improve the
quality of its operations in Old Montréal.
Starting in 2013, the borough will also:
❖ support the Table de concertation du Vieux-Montréal
to better align its activities with those of other coordinating bodies in the borough;
❖ co-ordinate municipal services with the Old Montréal
co-ordination committee, to ensure that priorities and
actions are better aligned between the city and the
committee.
72
1.2 The Direction de la culture et du patrimoine
2. Priorities
The city’s Direction de la culture et du patrimoine will continue to:
The city has identified three priority projects whose implementation will help to implement many of the goals set out
in the Plan, in the short term, and will make a significant
contribution to enhancing the appearance of the heritage
district by the time of the celebrations to mark Montréal’s
375th anniversary, in 2017.
❖ co-ordinate development and redevelopment work on
public property, including financial arrangements for
this work and communications;
❖ handle relations with the MCC as concerns the plan-
ning and management of the Agreement on the cultural
development of Montréal, as it concerns Old Montréal,
including restoration projects for municipal buildings.
Starting in 2013, the Direction will also:
❖ Serve as a catalyst for Old Montréal, aiming to define
strategies for:
- developing vacant lots;
- joint action with partners (Old Port of Montréal
Corporation, Canada Lands Corporation, Parks
Canada).
❖ Develop cultural tourism:
- joint action to promote Old Montréal as a destination,
including the Old Port and surrounding areas (Pointedu-Moulin, Lachine Canal entrance, maritime terminal)
from the point of view of defining and promoting the
destination;
- creating tourism signage for pedestrians;
- adding historic and heritage attractions;
- enhancing historic interpretation events and activities.
❖ Monitoring and updating the Old Montréal protection
and enhancement plan.
2.1 A good impression of Old Montréal, starting at the
Champ-de-Mars metro station
The gateway to Old Montréal via the Champ-de-Mars metro
station is heavily used, and the entry point closest to the
heart of Old Montréal, consisting of the municipal administration complex and the Place Jacques-Cartier–Old Port axis.
The most direct route is through the tunnel beneath one of
the Ville-Marie expressway ramps. Otherwise, pedestrians
can follow the expressway heading toward rue Hôtel-de-Ville
or east toward rue Saint-Denis. At present this is a rather
unattractive and poorly signposted access. As for the tunnel, users do not always feel entirely safe, given its uninviting
appearance.
In keeping with the Plan’s goals of enhancing Old Montréal’s
features and distinctive streetscape and re-establishing highquality links with the rest of the city, the key long-term goal
for this sector is to reconnect rue Sanguinet between rue
Viger and rue Gosford, so as to provide direct pedestrian
access to the heritage site. The redevelopment work must
be in keeping with the heritage features of Old Montréal.
73
In the short term, the goal is to create a pleasant and safe
gateway that will give pedestrians a good impression of Old
Montréal as soon as they leave the metro station. The planned
redevelopment of the Champ-de-Mars station and the surrounding public property, in conjunction with the opening of
the CHUM-CRCHUM, could help in this regard.
Planned actions:
❖ Improve pedestrian routes leading from the metro
station exit to Sanguinet, Saint-Denis and Hôtel-de-Ville
streets.
❖ Renovate the pedestrian tunnel and improve its interior
appearance.
2.2 Rue Notre-Dame (Saint-Laurent to Saint-Sulpice)
In July 1672, François Dollier de Casson, Superior of the
Seminary, accompanied by surveyor and clerk Bénigne Basset,
planned, staked out and named the town’s new streets. The
first street they marked out followed the former path along
Côteau Saint-Louis leading to the eastern part of the settlement, and became one of the town’s three main east-west
axes. Dollier de Casson named it Notre-Dame, after the parish’s patron saint, and it would be Ville-Marie’s main artery.
Between Saint-Laurent and Saint-Sulpice, rue Notre-Dame
radically changed vocation and appearance starting in the
1860s, when it became the city’s main shopping street. The
commercial buildings that stand there today, with only two
exceptions, all date from that period.
This part of rue Notre-Dame, which links the administration
complex with Place d’Armes, is certainly one of the busiest
spots in Old Montréal. The condition of the built environment
and the lack of commercial activity make it rather uninviting
to passers-by, however. The sector has two vacant lots
belonging to the city, and the business atmosphere suffers
because of the numerous empty windows and storefronts of
highly variable quality. To date, the actions the city has taken
there – redeveloping public property and supporting commercial renovation – have not produced the desired results
in terms of improving adjacent properties and boosting its
commercial vitality.
74
In pursuing the Plan’s goals aimed at improving the district’s
commercial function, enhancing and consolidating its built
heritage and reducing the number of vacant lots, the priority
objective for this section of rue Notre-Dame is to revitalize it
by consolidating its urban fabric and boosting the quality of
commercial activity there. To this end, the actions will focus
mainly on joint initiatives with nearby property owners and
improving the maintenance of public property.
Planned actions:
❖Accelerate construction on the two vacant municipal
properties.
❖ Work with all the other nearby property owners to
explore various possibilities for improving the quality
of the area.
❖Examine means of improving the maintenance of public
property.
2.3 Place Jacques-Cartier and boulevard Saint-Laurent
These two very busy thoroughfares, both of which run northsouth, are also both very popular gateways to the Old Port –
one essentially for pedestrians and the other for drivers as
well.
Place Jacques-Cartier25
In the first half of the 19 th century, the site of the future
Place Jacques-Cartier had been converted into a marketplace
and as such played a central role in Montréal business life.
The stalls in the centre of the square did a booming trade.
Nearby, some factories lined the square, along with housing,
hotels and restaurants. It was also a winter playground at
that time. It remained a very lively place throughout the whole
19th century, although other spaces, including Bonsecours
Market, took over much of its commercial function.
The outdoor market was shut down in the mid-20 th century
and from that point on more and more restaurants opened
around Place Jacques-Cartier. In the 1970s and 1980s, this
is where people came for fine dining; at the same time, it
was popular with counter-culture youths who kept the area
hopping until late in the night.
Place Jacques-Cartier gradually became one of Old Montréal’s
main tourist attractions, with its identity and charms evolving
around the outdoor cafés on public property, craftspeople with
their wares, and street entertainers. It is the focal point of
the heritage site and an international showcase for Montréal.
It leads directly to one of the two main gateways to the Old
Port; almost all visitors arriving by metro pass through the
square and contribute to the flood of some 2,000 to 4,300
pedestrians per hour in summer.
25This part of the original French text is largely inspired by BUREAU DE RECHERCHE,
D’ANIMATION ET DE CONSULTATION (BRAC), LA PLACE JACQUES-CARTIER : LE PROJET,
Étude présentée dans le cadre du programme Réussir à Montréal, volet commerce,
Secteur de la Place Jacques-Cartier, May 2010.
75
When the square was redeveloped in 1997, the city and the
MCC wanted to confirm its role as a gathering place and
its character as a historic square, and ensure the area’s
commercial vitality. New developments made the area more
pedestrian friendly and provided the restaurant owners with
more room for their sidewalk cafés. At the same time, the
restaurant owners were involved in the major efforts invested
in drafting design principles for redeveloping the outdoor
cafés, leading to a design guide for outdoor cafés on Place
Jacques-Cartier, while nearby property owners helped develop
principles for special lighting for the square and buildings.
Despite the objectives set and the efforts and amounts
invested, however, it must be admitted that 15 years later
the square still does not meet the desired quality standards:
❖ the combination of all the patios, furniture, activities
and signage is confusing;
❖ building facades are hidden in summer by the awnings
and patios, and “scarred” in winter when they are
removed;
❖ the lack of visual consistency from one outdoor café to
another and their highly variable construction quality
detracts from the historic appearance of the square
and indeed of Old Montréal as a whole.
To date, municipal departments appear to have borne the
sole responsibility for the image of the square and its management, although this burden should be shared among all
its occupants.
The priority of the Plan where Place Jacques-Cartier is concerned follows up on the objectives aimed at protecting and
enhancing the heritage features and streetscapes of Old
Montréal and reviewing practices and approaches regarding
the occupancy of public property. The idea is to improve the
quality of the square, more specifically its appearance, and
above all to involve all the stakeholders – primarily nearby
property owners and restaurant operators – and the Old
Port of Montréal Corporation.
Planned actions:
❖ Create a working group to define target actions.
❖ Develop a specific strategy including all partners con-
cerned so as to come up with a new agreement on
the occupancy of public property by outdoor cafés and
craftspeople’s stands.
Boulevard St-Laurent
When it was laid out in 1672, the path that would later become boulevard Saint-Laurent was very short, and simply
linked Notre-Dame and Saint-Jacques streets. In the 1720s
and 1730s, when the stone fortifications were built, the
Saint-Laurent gate, the main gate leading to the countryside
north of the town, linked rue Saint-Lambert with chemin de
Saint-Laurent. Finally, in 1914, the Congrégation de NotreDame granted some of its land and various buildings were
demolished so that boulevard Saint-Laurent could be extended
all the way to the river, improving access between the port
and the northern parts of the city.
Today, the street still bears the scars of this most recent
transformation. Part of it is lined by building side walls, its
width is a reminder of how it was used in the past for access
to the port, and two vacant lots disrupt the streetscape.
Based on the Plan’s goals of optimally managing vehicle and
foot traffic, reducing the number of vacant lots and enhancing
Old Montréal’s connection with the river, the objective now
is to improve the quality of the boulevard and make it more
welcoming for pedestrians.
Planned actions:
❖ Prepare a final traffic plan for the entire section be-
tween Saint-Antoine and de la Commune.
❖ Improve the interface with the vacant lots.
❖ Redevelop public property, more specifically the side-
walks and the entrance to Cours Le Royer.
❖ Improve the connection with the Old Port site.
76
conclusion
The draft Old Montréal Protection and Enhancement Plan is
the result of a thorough analysis by the Direction de la culture
et du patrimoine, in co-operation with different authorities
in the Ville-Marie borough and city departments, with input
from the Table de concertation du Vieux-Montréal. The draft
presents a series of proposed orientations and measures that
could significantly contribute to improving the living environment, protecting and enhancing the unique characteristics
of the district and developing activities in Old Montréal.
77
By submitting this plan to the Office de consultation publique
de Montréal, the city is inviting Montrealers to join the discussion, to help determine the actions to be taken between
now and 2017 and beyond, so as to allow Old Montréal to
achieve its full potential. Thanks to this approach, the city
hopes to end up with a protection and enhancement plan
with the broadest possible support, one that will make it
possible to mobilize the resources and abilities of residents
and partners alike, for the good of Old Montréal.
The city and the ministère de la Culture et des Communications
have already begun work on renewing the Agreement on the
cultural development of Montréal, which for over thirty years
has done so much to help enhance Old Montréal’s heritage
and cultural wealth.

outlook - Office de consultation publique de Montréal

Transcription

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