The fate of the historic Empress Theatre will be in the hands of Notre-Dame-de-Grâce residents. The borough has officially launched a month-long consultation process into the future of the 93-year-old building.
“We want to hear from residents,” borough Mayor Sue Montgomery said.
“What do they want to see here? What is their vision?”
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The iconic building has been standing on a Sherbrooke Street corner since 1927. Originally used as a theatre, it was forced to shut down after a devastating fire in 1992.
Since then, the building has been abandoned. After numerous development proposals failed in the past, the borough bought the property from the city of Montreal in 2011.
According to the borough, several organizations have tried to develop projects to reopen and make use of the Empress Theatre over the past 29 years. They were all unsuccessful.
In March of this year, the borough gave a mandate to the Société d’habitation et de développement de Montréal (SHDM) to develop the former theatre.
The new space will be a multifunctional building. It will incorporate numerous affordable housing units, according to Montgomery, as well as a cultural or community aspect.
READ MORE: Councillors vote to help re-open old Empress Theatre
Residents will be able to have their say on what they would like to see the building transformed into.
“This project will enhance Sherbrooke West, give a boost to our local businesses and complement our already popular Notre-Dame-de-Grâce Park,” Montgomery said.
The iconic Egyptian façade will also be up for discussion.
Now left crumbling and cracked, residents will be asked if the exterior should be saved or demolished, something Montgomery says she does not want to be done.
“If we can keep some part of it or all of it. We will have to look at those possibilities,” she said.
Heritage Montreal was pleased to hear the building was receiving the attention it deserves but stated the building’s façade should be preserved.
“It should be preserved. We believe some pieces of the original neo-Egyptian decoration, which has survived here and there, should be, if not kept, at least scanned and documented properly,” Heritage Montreal spokesperson Audrey Pouydebasque said.
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No timeline or budget on the project has been finalized.
Due to the pandemic, the process will be done online.
Residents have until Dec. 3 to submit their ideas.
A final public vote on the proposals is scheduled for Dec. 11.