The iconic building that once housed the Snowdon Theatre is being given new life.
Construction has begun on a new six-storey condo project that is expected to be completed by the end of 2020.
“It’ll have 55 units overall, mainly residential,” said Marc Lefort, cice-president of business development at McGill Real Estate, the firm that’s selling the units.
“There’s three commercial spaces at the ground level.”
He said the residential units will range in size from studios to three-bedroom apartments.
The building, which had been closed for years, went through several changes since it opened in 1937.
It first saw life as a theatre, which closed in 1982 after business declined. Other companies took up shop in the building until they were forced to leave in 2013 when city of Montreal authorities declared the structure unsafe.
Then a fire in 2016 so severely damaged the interior that any thought of renovations was ruled out. The city finally sold the heritage property for $1.6 million in 2018.
People still have fond memories of the old Snowdon Theatre’s glory days.
“Being able to line up and go in,” Wayne Yearwood reflected as he walked by the construction zone.
“It was always nice. The popcorn was right out in front, you know what I mean? The ambience, it was nice.”
Lefort thinks neighbours and owners alike will enjoy the final results of the current project.
“For the residents, I think it’s going to be amazing to live in an historical building,” he said.
One of the conditions the new owners had to respect was keeping the façade and the original Theatre Snowdon sign, something Yearwood said he’s happy about.
“Well, that’s good,” he smiled. “At least we kept something, you know? So we keep that look, which is what we like.”
Some people in the area, however, think that converting the structure into condominiums was a missed opportunity. People like Allisa Ali think maybe enough thought wasn’t put into the project.
“I think they could do something a bit more community-oriented, kind of revitalize the area a bit more,” she told Global News.
Delivery of the first units is expected by the end of 2020.