Lord Dorchester can sleep well knowing that the street that was named after him could slowly heal after about six decades of destruction that left it looking like Dresden after the war. In the 80s developers opted to concentrate their new buildings along the de Maisonneuve corridor, a street now girlified with a wimpy bike path. And Dorch was largely snubbed as a result. But the handy access to two metro lines and the Bell Centre have made these parking lots primo condo construction sites. This image above, done by a contributor to the excellent skyscraper forums, demonstrates how the prophecies of the filling-in of Dorch are finally nearer to reality. What will be the next area to be rebuilt now that this one has been filled?
I'm hoping something will be done about the wastelands south of the Bell Centre and south of Place Bonaventure. Also build a ridiculous 40 floor condo tower right on top of Place Bonaventure while we're at it.
ReplyDeleteI'm pretty bummed that the proposed Palais des Congres extension will not sit on top of the 720. Just another scar that won't ever heal.
http://www.lapresse.ca/actualites/regional/montreal/201303/28/01-4635552-le-palais-des-congres-pourra-sagrandir.php
Other areas for re-development:
ReplyDelete1. Ville-Marie Expressway trench between St-Urbain and the CHUM, from Lagauchetiere to St-Antoine.
2. Cité du Havre/ Bickerdyke Pier/ Goose Village
3. Centre-Sud District (especially around the bridge and the Radio-Canada complex).
4. Shaughnessy Village/ Forum area
5. Sherbrooke Street between Berri and Parc LaFontaine
I think it's great that developers are building housing downtown. But I don't much like the places they're building. There seems to be a big push for gleaming and glassy places right out of Hong Kong or Shanghai, complete with very expensive but tiny units that are more like hotel suites than living spaces.
ReplyDeleteIt's almost impossible to find one that's bigger than 1000 square feet. Instead we get stacks and stacks of flashy-looking 800 square foot places with one or two tiny bedrooms and practically zero storage space.
I can understand that this sort of thing appeals to some people, but it seems to be the standard template now, as if EVERYBODY wants to live like that.
Wait a minute...hang on! A historical building of great significance is located at the "YUL Condos" site (area in red).
ReplyDeleteSir Louis-Hippolyte LaFontaine House on Overdale Avenue, built in the 1830's. This was the home of one of Canada's earliest prime minsters. The building is in poor shape and the interior gutted, but this isn't a structure you want to demolish!
Are there plans to preserve it, or just erase it from Montreal's landscape? And for what, more condos? Typical of Montreal mentality...
The mansion is going to be saved, from what I have heard.
ReplyDelete