You know those invisible urban borders?
Crossing one frequently involves an abrupt buzzkill, where urban enchantment suddenly disperses like a waft of sweet perfume.
Well that's what you've got on St. Catherine east of Papineau where our charming urban strip is vanquished by a crumbling monolith in the form of a huge abandoned theatre.
Not even the action from the nearby metro station can save the block east of Papineau, which is a crumbling eyesore thanks to the ongoing dilapidation on the north side.
Canril, an Ottawa-developer, purchased the entire property and planned a good-looking development for the block but in recent years ditched that plan and sold the lands.
During WWII the land was vacant and the Odeon Theatre decided to build an impressive theatre for French film screens.
On March 28, 1948 the chain's local flagship theatre had its ribbon cut in a soiree that saw such acting stars as Michael Redgrave lend their presence.
Opening night saw sold out and many people who could not get one of the 15,000 seats (that seems awfully high - Chimples) were turned back at the door.
Of course the theatre eventually went broke and was turned into some sort of church for a while but that has long since closed as well.
Alberta-based Suncor Energy now owns the properties but it's unclear what, if any, plans they have for developing the land. They have not yet returned my email query.
Those properties include everything on the north side of the block, from recently-demolished greystone to the east as well as the property to the west, on the corner of Papineau.
The property at the northeast corner of Papineau and Ste. Catherine was long known as Joy Oil which records show was constantly in court. It was assailed in 1938 for shortchanging motorists on gas and forcing its employees to work 16 hours a day seven days a week for $38 a month. It later became a Calex, so the long association with part of the property with gas possibly explains its current ownership.
Developers might be discouraged from investing in a project because that stretch of Papineau is heavily-used as an access to the Jacques Cartier Bridge. Perhaps in a few decades city planners will come to their senses and build a tunnel under the St. Lawrence from Notre Dame, which would take a lot of pressure off this area.
Crossing one frequently involves an abrupt buzzkill, where urban enchantment suddenly disperses like a waft of sweet perfume.
Well that's what you've got on St. Catherine east of Papineau where our charming urban strip is vanquished by a crumbling monolith in the form of a huge abandoned theatre.Not even the action from the nearby metro station can save the block east of Papineau, which is a crumbling eyesore thanks to the ongoing dilapidation on the north side.
Canril, an Ottawa-developer, purchased the entire property and planned a good-looking development for the block but in recent years ditched that plan and sold the lands.
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| Redgrave at opening |
On March 28, 1948 the chain's local flagship theatre had its ribbon cut in a soiree that saw such acting stars as Michael Redgrave lend their presence.
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| Canril development a decade back |
Of course the theatre eventually went broke and was turned into some sort of church for a while but that has long since closed as well.
Alberta-based Suncor Energy now owns the properties but it's unclear what, if any, plans they have for developing the land. They have not yet returned my email query.
Those properties include everything on the north side of the block, from recently-demolished greystone to the east as well as the property to the west, on the corner of Papineau.
The property at the northeast corner of Papineau and Ste. Catherine was long known as Joy Oil which records show was constantly in court. It was assailed in 1938 for shortchanging motorists on gas and forcing its employees to work 16 hours a day seven days a week for $38 a month. It later became a Calex, so the long association with part of the property with gas possibly explains its current ownership.
Developers might be discouraged from investing in a project because that stretch of Papineau is heavily-used as an access to the Jacques Cartier Bridge. Perhaps in a few decades city planners will come to their senses and build a tunnel under the St. Lawrence from Notre Dame, which would take a lot of pressure off this area.
I'm always amazed by your thorough knowledge of Montreal. This particular eyesore has always puzzled me, ever since my nutjob West Island parents used to go to the aforementioned church that briefly took over the former Champlain theatre.
ReplyDeleteStill haven't been able to find the mention of Joy Oil in The Gazette of 1948... but the ads are a hoot!
ReplyDelete