Great expectations

That venerated landmark, gratuitously hailed as a cultural holy ground by those too young to have known it as anything other than a repertory cinema back in the days before home video, has been a decaying eyesore for many years. Now, a plan to raze the sad old shell to make way for multiple housing has been announced to positive reception.

The project is expected to help revitalize that "seedy" strip of Ste. Catherine Street between Atwater and St. Marc. That neighbourhood is of local concern because it leads right into Westmount’s eastern commercial sector. Though it cannot be described as “seedy,” our Alexis Nihon area has always benefited from being on the Westmount side of Atwater Avenue — but there is nothing stopping economic despair from crossing the street.

The Seville saga is familiar to most. Over the years, the cause of saving the Montreal heritage site has been taken up by concerned citizens, including Westmounter Janet MacKinnon, whose efforts landed her in court to face a nuisance libel suit by the property’s owner after she pointed out that the “protected” building was being demolished by neglect. That was 10 years ago, and anyone who has passed the site since then knows she was absolutely right all along.

The gradual decay of the building has been a black mark against the City of Montreal and its policy concerning the protection of heritage buildings.

As some people pointed out at the time of the MacKinnon case, this would never have been allowed to happen in Westmount. Legislation to protect the physical attributes of our treasured old buildings may appear downright draconian to those who happen to own one and are forbidden to change their windows to suite their own tastes, but at least there is clear vigilance. Westmount’s system is far from perfect, as the still-unresolved case of the Cedar Avenue mansion construction/demolition clearly illustrates, but it is far superior to Montreal’s.

The announced project for the Seville site is indeed a noble one, and in all fairness may help the area to some degree, but given the current economy and the extent of the "seediness," any great expectations that it will "bring back" the neighbourhood are overly optimistic indeed.