Good News For Griffintown Horse Palace

MONTRÉAL – mercredi 24 octobre 2012 (english below) – L’avenir du Horse
Palace de Griffintown semble mieux assuré avec l’annonce jeudi dernier de
l’intention de la Ville de Montréal d’acheter l’enclos devant l’écurie Horse Palace
en vue de son aménagement en espace vert. La présidente de la Fondation du
Horse Palace de Griffintown est enthousiasmée par cette nouvelle. « Le terrain
est la propriété d’un promoteur qui a voulu construire 4 ou 5 étages de haut, » a
déclaré Juliette Patterson. « Le développement aurait caché la vue du Horse
Palace de la rue. Maintenant, l’espace vert en face du Horse Palace restera
accessible à tous.»
L’intention de la Ville d’acheter l’enclos ne garantissant pas l’avenir du Horse
Palace, la fondation à but non lucratif cherche à recueillir les fonds pour acheter
le terrain sur lequel le Horse Palace est situé, et restaurer les écuries de manière
à assurer un lieu moderne et propre aux chevaux des calèches de la ville et pour
ouvrir les écuries au public.
A cette fin, la Fondation du Horse Palace de Griffintown organise un événement
artistique unique avec encan silencieux le dimanche 4 novembre. Dix artistes
vont peindre ou dessiner les chevaux sur place au Horse Palace, suivi d’un
encan silencieux. L’encan débutera à 13 h 30 quand le public est invité à
acheter les oeuvres d’art. « Nous essayons de trouver des moyens novateurs
d’amasser des fonds et d’engager notre communauté en même temps, » dit
Patterson. « La vente aux enchères réunit la communauté artistique et les
chevaux, ainsi que le public, qui peut regarder un événement artistique unique.»
L’achat prévu de l’enclos fait partie du plan d’urbanisme de la Ville de Montréal
pour Griffintown et comprend six espaces verts et places publiques et 93 M$ en
dépenses d’infrastructure au cours des quatre prochaines années.
Pour plus d’informations sur la Fondation du Horse Palace du Griffintown
ou l’encan silencieux, veuillez contacter Shauna Janssen, administratrice,
au 514 865 5872 ou la Fondation au 514-934-6346 ext 2.
MONTREAL – Wednesday, October 24th, 2012 – Saving the Griffintown Horse
Palace from development took one step closer to becoming a reality with today’s
announcement by the city of
Montreal that it is purchasing the paddock next to the Horse Palace to preserve it
as a green space.
The president of the Horse Palace Foundation is thrilled with the news. “The land
was owned by a developer who wanted to build 4 or 5 stories high,” Juliette
Patterson. “Now the green space in front of the Horse Palace will remain
accessible to all.” The development would have hidden the Horse Palace from
street view.
The non-profit foundation is still working to raise funds to purchase the land the
actual Horse Palace sits on and to restore the stables so as to ensure a modern
and clean home for the city’s Calèche horses, and open them to the public.
To that end, the Griffintown Horse palace Foundation is organizing a unique art
event and silent auction on Sunday, November 4th. Ten artists will paint or draw
horses on site at the Horse Palace and their work will be available by silent
auction. Bidding will begin at 1:30 pm and the public is invited to view the art.
The intended purchase of the paddock is part of the city of Montreal’s urban plan
for Griffintown and includes six public green spaces and $93 million in
infrastructure spending over four years.
For more information on the Horse Palace Foundation or the silent art
auction, please contact Shauna Janssen, administrator, at 514 865 5872, or
the Griffintown Horse Palace Foundation, at 514-934-6346 ext 2.

Read Full Post »

Leo Leonard

Chers amis de la Fondation du Horse Palace de Griffintown (an English message will follow)

C’est avec tristesse que je vous annonce le décès de M. Leo Leonard, le propriétaire des écuries de Griffintown pendant plus de quarante ans.

L’accueil et l’hospitalité avec laquelle il faisait visiter les écuries à tous, et leur racontait l’histoire de Griffintown, en faisait un homme remarquable.

C’est en grande partie à cause de lui que avons créé la Fondation du Horse Palace de Griffintown.

Nous organisons ce samedi 14 juillet à 10h une visite des écuries en son honneur.  La visite sera suivie d’un ‘blitz’ de nettoyage pour préparer la prochaine étape dans l’existence des ‘Écuries de Leo’.

Vous êtes chaleureusement invités à vous joindre à nous.

Pour plus d’information, veuillez svp communiquer avec moi.

Dear friends of the Horse Palace Foundation,

It is with sadness that I inform you of Leo Leonard’s passing.  He was the owner of the Horse Palace Foundation for more than forty years.

His hospitality, and graciousness in allowing people to visit the stables, made him a remarkable man.

It is in large part because of him that we created the Griffintown Horse Palace Foundation.

We are organising this Saturday, July 14^th at 10 am a visit of the stables in his honor.  The visit will be followed with a clean-up of the site, to prepare the next incarnation in the life of Leo’s Stable.

You are warmly invited to join us, and participate in this activity.  Please contact me for more information.

Best Regards,

Juliette Patterson

architecte, architecte-paysagiste, PA LEED

 

Catalyse Urbaine architecture et paysages

nouvelle addresse / new address

1100 de Condé

Montreal QC H3K 2E3

T: 514-934-6346 ext 2

F: 514-934-1414

 

www.catalyseurbaine.com

Read Full Post »

Griffintown Horse Palace

Le Sud-Ouest demande à la Ville d’intervenir rapidement
pour sauver le Horse Palace

Montréal, le 12 avril 2012 – Le maire de l’arrondissement du Sud-Ouest, monsieur Benoit Dorais, presse la Ville centre d’imposer le plus rapidement possible une réserve sur le terrain adjacent au Horse Palace qui lui sert d’enclos à chevaux (paddock) depuis toujours. « Seule une réserve suivie d’une expropriation peut empêcher tout nouveau propriétaire de construire de plein droit un édifice résidentiel de 25 m (environ 8 étages) qui étoufferait complètement le Horse Palace en plus de l’empêcher de maintenir sa vocation d’écurie », a plaidé le maire Dorais. Il y a urgence, car des transactions immobilières sont sur le point de se conclure entre le propriétaire actuel, trop âgé pour continuer, et des promoteurs immobiliers qui profitent du dézonage effectué par la Ville centre avec le PPU Peel-Wellington. »

Le Horse Palace est l’une des dernières écuries urbaines à Montréal. « Il est par ailleurs le seul ensemble typique du régime français à subsister dans Griffintown. Sa valeur patrimoniale, architecturale et historique ne tient pas seulement à ses bâtiments, mais aussi au maintien de ses activités d’écurie », a déclaré Véronique Fournier, conseillère de Saint-Henri–Petite-Bourgogne–Pointe-Saint-Charles.

« L’arrondissement a un certain pouvoir pour empêcher la démolition des écuries, mais nous pouvons difficilement nous opposer à une construction de plein droit, a-t-elle expliqué.  Il faut s’assurer qu’elles ne seront pas étouffées par des projets qui sortiraient de terre juste à côté. »

Moratoire
L’arrondissement du Sud-Ouest a amorcé dès février 2011 des démarches auprès de la Direction de la culture et du patrimoine de la Ville de Montréal afin de faire citer le Horse Palace de Griffintown ainsi que la New City Gas et l’Édifice Rodier, deux autres bâtiments situés dans le secteur Griffintown.

« Ces démarches se sont heurtées au moratoire de la Ville qui met sur la voie de garage toute demande d’étude de dossier, d’où notre inquiétude grandissante quant au sort de ces joyaux de notre histoire, a fait valoir le maire Benoit Dorais. C’est pourquoi nous demandons à la Ville de Montréal de lever ce moratoire de façon à nous permettre d’entamer au plus vite le processus de reconnaissance patrimoniale en plus d’imposer une réserve sur l’enclos à chevaux du Horse Palace. »

Héritage Montréal
Face à la pression du développement dans ce secteur, l’Édifice Rodier et le Horse Palace ont été identifiés par Héritage Montréal comme étant des sites menacés alors que la New City Gas a été placée en observation.

« Lors des audiences tenues récemment par l’Office de consultation publique de Montréal sur la planification détaillée de Griffintown, plusieurs experts sont venus témoigner que la qualité du quartier passe aussi par la protection et la mise en valeur de ses richesses historiques », a rappelé Véronique Fournier aussi présidente du Comité consultatif d’urbanisme (CCU) de l’arrondissement.

Conseil municipal du 16 avril
Lors du conseil municipal du 16 avril, Benoit Dorais, au nom de l’Opposition officielle, déposera une motion visant la préservation de trois édifices patrimoniaux du secteur Griffintown soit le Horse Palace, la New City Gas et l’Édifice Rodier.

La New City Gas, monument historique datant de l’époque de l’industrialisation et de la modernisation de Montréal, est aussi la plus grande usine de gaz d’éclairage de première génération (1830-1860) encore existante dans le monde. Quant à l’Édifice Rodier, il est le témoin historique du square Chaboillez, tel qu’énoncé dans le document « Édifice Rodier », déposé par le Bureau du patrimoine, de la toponymie et de l’expertise en 2010.

« Bien que la New City Gas et le Horse Palace soient cités comme étant des bâtiments d’intérêt patrimonial à l’intérieur du programme particulier d’urbanisme (PPU) Peel-Wellington, cela ne constitue aucunement une garantie de leur préservation ou de leur mise en valeur comme le montrent les derniers développements dans le dossier des écuries du Horse Palace. Quant à l’Édifice Rodier, il est menacé d’être charcuté par le corridor Dalhousie et le passage quotidien de quelque 1 300 autobus », a conclu le maire Dorais.

-30-

Read Full Post »

Developer Buys Griffintown Horse Palace

Some nice ideas brought up, but basically they can do what they want with it.

Developer buys historic Griffintown Horse Palace

By Allison Lampert and Marian Scott, The Gazette March 7, 2012

Photograph Dario Ayala

 

MONTREAL – The Griffintown Horse Palace, listed among Montreal’s 10 most endangered historic sites, was sold to a developer last week, raising new questions over how to reconcile preservation and profitability during the tail end of the city’s real estate boom.

The 150-year-old stables were identified by Heritage Montreal as one of 16 sites at risk for neglect, or demolition, at a time when prime city land still continues to fetch near-record prices despite an anticipated slowdown in the housing market this year. On Tuesday, opposition party Projet Montréal called on city officials to intervene on behalf of another at-risk historic site – the decaying Sir Louis Hippolyte LaFontaine Mansion – located on one of downtown Montreal’s largest remaining site available for development.

Owners of some of these sites, including the Horse Palace, the Lafontaine Mansion and the recently closed Mount Stephen Club, insist they will be preserved, but have yet to decide on their future vocations.

Read Full Post »

Griffintown Development Full Of Tremblay’s Hatred Of Good Urban Planning

Henry Aubin: City’s approach to Griffintown shameful

“This is what Tremblay’s improvisation has begat: An emerging area that, with cranes swinging overhead, still has no coherent sense of direction. Who knows if future development will aim to make Griffintown a highrise extension of downtown, a heritage-enhancing extension of adjacent Old Montreal or a family-friendly neighbourhood with a school and plenty of space for recreation. If the OCPM comes up with sensible advice this spring, let’s hope that if it is applied it wouldn’t be too late to determine the dominant character of the place.”

Full story

Tremblay’s love of  condo development over heritage has already damaged Griffintown. This city desperately needed a real urban development plan in place by 2007 at the latest. It’s been a farce ever since with projects revamped, heritage and public transport dismissed,  and the left hand continues to not have a clue what the right hand is doing as we create an urban mess from Turcot through Griffintown to Old Montreal and in scattered pockets across the city,  sterilizing lived in neighborhoods with “evocations” of what city life can be like – looks good in brochures and sucks badly at street level.

Tremblay continues working hard at completely destroying that intangible invisible “spirit” that has always made Montrealer’s so passionate about their city. Take a walk along The Main and head over to Place Des Arts, but don’t look so much as “feel” your way along. I can guarantee you that something, and you might not be able to put your finger on it, but something will be missing, something will just seem wrong.

Read Full Post »

Griffintown Horse Palace At Public Consultation Office Monday

Dear friends of the Griffintown Horse Palace Foundation,

 The Office of public consultation of Montreal has undertaken a very promising process that gives residents and other stakeholders a say on the future development of Griffintown. To this end, a symposium took place on January 20 and 21rst to debate alternative futures for the neighbourhood, and allow residents to express their views. The Griffintown Horse Palace met the public at its stand, which featured the trailer of Nadine Gomez’s film on Leo Leonard and the Horse Palace, as well as Scrapped, a life-size monument to a horse, made of recycled materials by artist Jane Zdansky. In the presentations and debates that followed, authorities on architectural preservation such as Phyllis Lambert and David Hanna asserted publicly the importance of preserving this unique historic site and its usage.

A desire for a mixed-use neighbourhood was expressed by many stakeholders, in which residential buildings interweave with street level shops and pocket parks in a fine-grained urban fabric.  The Griffintown Horse Palace Foundation’s goal is true to the growing realization that a real neighbourhood must offer more than condominium units. Renovating the stables and opening them to the public will offer a distinctive experience in the midst of the city.

Following our increased visibility at the symposium, last week the Foundation met the City of Montreal urban planning department, and a real estate developer interested in buying the property, to discuss partnership possibilities.

On Monday the 13th, the Foundation will present its memoir at the public hearings on the future of Griffintown.  We warmly invite you to attend: February 13^th, 8:30 pm, Office de Consultation Publique de Montréal – 1550 rue Metcalfe – 14e étage.

 

In the meantime, please have a look at our new website: www.griffintownhorsepalace.com

 Thank you for your support, it really makes a difference in keeping our enthusiasm and passion alive.

 

The Griffiontown Horse Palace Foundation Board

Read Full Post »

Devimco Still Playing Games In Griffintown

Devimco: Irked by demolition, or competition?

Posted by Alison Lampert

Residents were supposed to be gathering Wednesday at a Southwest borough hearing over the demolition of a building at the corner of Wellington and Peel Sts.

Or so I was told by an unlikely source – a public relations specialist who regularly works for the well-connected developer Devimco. In an email to several Gazette reporters this week, André Bouthillier noted that residents would voice their concerns at the meeting over the demolition of the “building which has a certain historical value.”

Now apparently Bouthillier was at the meeting. But from what I heard, there weren’t too many protesters. No Heritage Montreal placards in sight. The project was approved – as long as it respects borough conditions like maintaining part of the façade.

In case you haven’t heard of them, Devimco has a nearly $1 billion plan to redevelop Montreal’s working-class Griffintown district. Indeed, Devimco is behind the construction on the South corner of Peel and Wellington, right across from where the demolition is to make way for an 20-storey, 180 unit condo tower by private developer Diamond Trust.

The demolition of a building from the 1930s is also close to the site of a former gas station that’s to be used for phase 2 of Devimco’s District Griffin project.

In an email, Bouthillier told me that he informed the press about the building out of a personal concern for the protection of Montreal’s heritage – and not on behalf of Devimco.

“It (Devimco) has no interest in the land,” Bouthillier told me.

I’m skeptical.

Company bosses - let alone their spokespeople – rarely talk about other developers’ projects. And when they do it’s in a far more discrete fashion than sending letters out to multiple reporters. I suspect that Devimco has a far greater interest in its rivals’ condos than the developer is letting on.

Devimco has by far the greatest presence in Griffintown of any developer. Perhaps it still isn’t enough.

alampert@montrealgazette.com

Original Gazette Page

Read Full Post »

“District Griffin” Begins…

Good friend, Factotum, has some pictures of the first phase of this absurd degradation of one of Montreal’s most fascinating neighborhoods.  If anything distinguishes Montreal from other North American cities, it is our older architecture and unique off the grid layout of some districts. We used to be the “Paris of North America”,  but it looks like City Hall and it’s developer buddies would prefer we become the “Atlanta of Canada”. This is no way to handle heritage or enhance a great city, it’s the way you become mediocre. And Time will bear this out indeed.

“In accordance with both municipal zoning regulations and the Programme particulier d’urbanisme, Phase 1 of District Griffin will feature 1,375 residential units, including affordable social and family housing, as well as a 150‐room hotel, 200,000 square feet of office space and 130,000 square feet of business space.

Phase 1 of District Griffin will be made up of four blocks, bordered by Wellington Street to the north, Shannon Street to the east, the Lachine Canal to the west and Smith Street to the south, along the railway viaduct. Its development will require no expropriations.
The work will begin in the block formed by Wellington, Young, Peel and Smith Streets, where a 19‐storey residential tower and the hotel will be built. The two first floors of the two buildings will house local businesses, a daycare centre, restaurants, a spa and a physical fitness centre. The hotel tower will also include five floors of offices and twelve floors of hotel rooms. The residential building will offer 166 condominiums, including affordable housing, shared over 17 floors, with a rooftop recreation area that includes a swimming pool.
“Our residential project will be of interest to young people and families who will appreciate living close to the Lachine Canal, the prestigious future entrance to the Quartier Bonaventure, downtown and Old Montreal. We will offer 31⁄2, 41⁄2 and 51⁄2 units at prices varying between $250,000 to $750,000,” said Mr. Cholette.”

Affordable housing?

“Irony -  Formerly the offices of Atwill Morin, experts in masonry restoration”

Sad.  But the truth is Gerald Tremblay is simply our version of Rob Ford. Weird times.

More pictures at Flickr and at Factotum’s Photo Blog.

Read Full Post »

Scrapped In Griffintown On Saturday

Scrapped
En collaboration avec la Fondation du Horse Palace de Griffintown, UOU vous invite au Horse Palace de Griffintown pour l’inauguration de Scrapped, une création de Jane Zdansky.

Vouée au développement communautaire, Jane Zdansky est une artiste montréalaise qui vit et travaille à Saint-Henri. Elle dirige, entre autres, l’événement semestriel Les soirées d’art de Saint-Henri. Les créations de Zdansky abordent les défis auxquels se heurte la biodiversité et, plus récemment, la démolition de maisons d’habitation et d’écuries à Griffintown.

Ur
Zdansky commémore le Horse Palace de Griffintown en créant un monument sculptural équestre. Ce monument transforme des matériaux urbains oubliés en un artefact culturel représentant l’état et l’avenir précaires du Horse Palace de Griffintown. Jouant un rôle important au cœur du patrimoine architectural montréalais, les écuries du Horse Palace sont en activité depuis 150 ans et sont parmi les derniers bâtiments de ce en Amérique du Nord.
Nous vous invitons à la mise en place de Scrapped, la visite des écuries, et découvrir les initiatives de la Fondation du Horse Palace de Griffintown pour préserver les écuries.

Quand : Le samedi 14 mai (en cas de pluie, le dimanche 15 mai) de 13h00 à 16h00
Où : 1220-1226, rue Ottawa, Griffintown, Montréal

Urban Occupations Urbaines

Read Full Post »

A Sounding – St. Anne’s Reimagined- Griffintown

Urban Occupations Urbaines (UOU) has a number of events coming up throughout the summer. In collaboration with Le corridor culturel de Griffintown and Espace ALTER, the first of many interventions begins with Candice Ivy’s project “A Sounding: St. Ann’s Reimagined.” Candice will also be giving a talk about her process and collaboration with some of the former congregation members of St. Ann’s Church at the Center for Oral History and Digital Storytelling (COHDS) at Concordia University on May 5th. Time: 12 noon. Location: LB 1042 – The Oral History Lab 1455 de Maisonneuve Blvd W.

For more information about Candice’s work visit the UOU website http://www.urbanoccupationsurbaines.org/uou-monthly-programming/ivy/ and http://www.urbanoccupationsurbaines.org/may/.

Please join us if you can!

For the best way to find St. Ann’s park see the google directions here:

http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?f=d&source=s_d&saddr=Qu%C3%A9bec+H5A+1L7,+Canada+(Place+Bonaventure)&daddr=de+la+montagne+and+wellington,+montreal&geocode=FRZEtgIdzHud-yFD9J3IUXgKSQ%3BFTomtgIdwpad-ynRWO95ihrJTDHlZfDS3ckWig&hl=en&mra=pd&sll=45.528076,-73.557031&sspn=0.122183,0.2314&ie=UTF8&t=h&z=15

Read Full Post »

Griffintown Nuit Blanche = Awesome!

Another great edition of the Griffintown Nuit Blanche, brought to you by all the good folks at the Griffintown Cultural Corridor, went down on Saturday. Around 1700 passed through the main building at New City Gas on Ann street, so it’s safe to say over 2000 people attended this wonderful event in Griffintown. Here are some pictures and please excuse the blurry as my old trusty point and shoot is being a little moody there days.

G. Scott MacLeod


Anna Nixon

Laura Duval

Kelly Thompson

Shawn Macniak

Nadine Hennely

Jeremy Gordaneer
Poet’s Corner

In the building next door was this incredible installation. Trust me, this was amazing in person as your eyes adjusted to the dark.

Urban Nerds Collective were painting these garage doors.

Les Gisèle Uppercut with Cheesecake Ninja

Ongoing art project.

Bare Bones Dance






Musicians Of The World Symphony Orchestra

Soprano Chantal Parent

When it comes to context I don’t know if I will ever see a better concert than that orchestra in New City Gas, remarkable!

Of course, there was much, much, more but I can only be in one place at a time and the ‘ol legs can’t do 12 hour shifts like they once did

So how did this year stack up against last year’s inaugural event? Impossible to compare with so much incredible stuff going on all the time. You can only wonder how they will be able to maintain the standard – the bar seems to keep getting higher, and I look forward already to next year’s edition.

Will the City of Montreal ever realize that there is already life in Griffintown? Not likely, they have too much in the way of idiotic investments to be concerned, and certainly no shame when it comes to very shoddy, not to mention suspicious, ideas about urban development. Heritage is not important at Montreal City Hall, and Mr. Payola likes it that way. Griffintown, the Griffintown of now, not some sterilized designer blight of the future, teaches us more about how cities can breathe and grow, and become, than all the pre-torchered bleckmodern condo projects on the island put together.

Thanks to all the poets who filled the rooms with their words non stop again. Special kudos to the people working the kitchen who work, work, work and serve great food with a smile! All the volunteers can take a bow. I want express a lot of gratitude to Harvey and Esther who enable this wonderful event to happen and play such an important role in the vision and creating an atmosphere that is warm and inspiring. And special thanks to Judith Bauer, who is something of a miracle worker in putting it all together, and actually makes a lot of it look easy, Thank You!

Read Full Post »

Griffintown Architecture Walk Friday

Sorry for a such a late posting but been very distracted lately. I can’t make it myself but this one looks like it will be really interesting!
English version follows

Read Full Post »

Performance in Griffintown On Friday

Urban Occupations Urbaines, in collaboration with Playwrights’
Workshop Montreal and Le Corridor Culturel de Griffintown, presents
New City Happening
a 24 hour performance installation created by S.Q.U.A.T, Chad
Dembski, Joanna Donehower, Greg MacArthur and Alan Reed.
Four strangers come together in the loft above a paper factory and the remains of a
nineteenth century power plant to discover and experience what it means for four
strangers to dwell together and meditate on ways of living in what Griffintown is
becoming.
Friday, December 3rd 2010
19h00
New City Gas, 141 Ann Street (Bonaventure Metro)
The event is free.
Urban Occupations Urbaines (UOU) is a creative platform with the aim of
promoting the cultural fertility of Griffintown by inviting artists to engage with the traces
of Griffintown’s built, social and spatial history.
For directions to New City Gas and more information about UOU, the artists and
programming please visit the website: http://www.urbanoccupationsurbaines.org
Contact: info@urbanoccupationsurbaines.org

Read Full Post »

Catherine Kidd Solo @ New City Gas – Free! One Night Only

This November 27th an enchanting experience awaits audiences as two Montreal originals combine for one special evening of performance poetry in situ.

Beneath the rafters of New City Gas’s Dalhousie Hall, Catherine Kidd will preview works from her upcoming solo show ‘Hyena Subpoena’ (to be launched in 2011) alongside road-tested favourites from previous works ‘Sea Peach’ and ‘Bipolar Bear’. The pieces will feature original soundsc…apes by DJ Jacky Murda (Barcelona) and video environments by Kidd and Geoff Agombar.

This performance marks a return to source for Catherine, following an extended absence from Montreal stages to work on the Hyena Subpoena manuscript – a series of stories that interweave the personal traumas in the life of narrator Ramona Morse with experiences and wildlife footage collected by Kidd and Agombar during a 2007 tour of South Africa.

**********************************************
NEW CITY GAS
Built in 1859-61, New City Gas was a key player during the industrialization of Montreal, producing and distributing gas which lit the city’s streets, homes and factories. The buildings’ stone masonry, vaulted spaces and stout, open rafters stand in testament to the ambitions of a bygone era of social upheaval and energy revolution. Today this industrial heritage lives on as the complex still houses a paper warehouse, even as various sections are converted to fresh uses as galleries and ad hoc performance spaces.
• More information available at http://www.heritagemontreal.org/en/new-city-gas or http://www.griffintown.org/corridorculturel/nuitblanche.

**********************************************
CATHERINE KIDD
An ‘incontournable’ of Montreal’s spoken word scene since the early ’90s, Cat Kidd has forged a reputation as one of the nation’s most surprising and inspiring voices for page and stage. Her award-winning multimedia poetic creations have toured Europe, Asia, Africa, UK, US and Canada.

Samples of Kidd’s work are available at
http://www.catkidd.com
http://www.youtube.com/catkidddotcom
or http://www.myspace.com/catherinekidd

New City Gas (Griffintown – built circa1860)
950 Ottawa (Métro Bonaventure)
Montreal, QC

Facebook Page

Read Full Post »

City’s ‘Cultural Corridor’ Takes Shape in Griffintown

City’s ‘Cultural Corridor’ takes shape

From The Suburban

By P.A. Sévigny

It’s been only a year since architect Juliette Patterson opened her Griffintown Horse Palace Foundation and now a lot of people, including a full house of local politicos, are beginning to think it’s more than just a good idea. It’s been a long, hard year since last year’s fundraising party when Patterson first announced the creation of the Foundation, but this year’s party at the Darling Foundry proves her project is beginning to find some heavy support in the city’s business community as well as among its leading politicians. Federal MP Thierry St. Cyr, Liberal MNA Marguerite Blais and local Sud Ouest Mayor Benoit Dorais were all having a good time as waiters bearing plates piled high with some of the Cluny restaurant’s best hors d’oeuvres made their way through the crowd. As mentioned during a previous interview, Griffintown resident Judith Bauer (and others) all believe the district’s new cultural corridor could spark a post-modern cultural renaissance by which Montreal could easily place itself on the cutting-edge of 21st century urban design.

Stretching along an east-west axis through the south-west sector of the city from Old Montreal to the newly developed areas around the Lachine Canal near the St. Ambroise Center, the corridor could redefine large parts of the city including the Griffintown wastelands along with residential areas in both St. Henri and Little Burgundy. More than anything else, Bauer and her colleagues are beginning to notice how new business opportunities are beginning to brand the sector’s potential as a future urban ‘hot-spot’ as opposed to its usual status as an inner city wasteland.

“Conceptually,” writes Bauer, “the cultural corridor defines what the future of this area could be in the best of all possible worlds.”

Patterson, Bauer and the rest of the Griffintown community all believe the future development of this area should be open to cultural, heritage and assorted community projects which help provide the glue which defines neighborhoods and future communities. However, even as Bauer and others continue to do what they can to improve their immediate urban environment, they are still concerned about the Tremblay administration’s intention to maintain their Mondo Condo approach to the district’s immediate urban development. But apart from a new high rise condominium development project scheduled for the district on the southern side of Wellington Street, Bauer and her colleagues hope local politicians will provide the kind of muscle local residents need to face down the city’s omnivorous real estate developers. Inspired by a combination of powerful local politicians offset by a slow if not momentarily stalled real estate market, Bauer and her colleagues also hope it’s just a question of time before Griffintown and the rest of the Sud Ouest begin to manage and enjoy its new status as an inner city landmark.

Read Full Post »