NDG's Empress Theatre to be converted into social housing, community hall, borough says
Planned redevelopment could mean either partial or complete demolition of the building
For more than 25 years, the Empress Theatre in Notre-Dame-de-Grâce has been boarded up and abandoned, despite numerous efforts to revitalize it.
Now, the borough is hoping to give it a new lease on life, converting the old building into a mixed-use space with social housing and a community hall.
The redevelopment could mean either partial or complete demolition of the building, the borough said in a news release.
Peter McQueen, city councillor for NDG, said the borough is hoping to preserve the original architectural look.
"We're going to try to save the façade. It's not going to be easy. But obviously it's worth a lot," said McQueen.
"If they can come up with a solution, that's what we're going to do."
The theatre, designed by architect Alcide Chaussé, was built in 1927 in the Egyptian Revival style.
A similar effort was undertaken in 2017, when a group known as the Friends of Empress banded together to try to revitalize the theatre.
In this instance, the borough said it will work with Montreal's municipal housing corporation, the Société d'habitation et de développement de Montréal (SHDM).
A $250,000 grant will be given to the SHDM to allow it to generate several proposals for the project. Citizen consultation sessions will be held in April 2020.
"NDG residents have been waiting a long time for the Empress Theatre's rejuvenation," Sue Montgomery, the mayor of Côte-des-Neiges—Notre-Dame-de-Grâce, said in the statement.
"Today, the interminable intermission is over! We are taking action to give the neighbourhood back this hub for community gatherings and cultural activities, while adding a component dedicated to housing."
"This is a project that will inject a healthy dose of sparkle to Sherbrooke West in NDG and, in turn, help surrounding businesses thrive," she said.
The Empress Theatre was damaged by a major fire in 1992. The City of Montreal bought the building in 1999, and the borough of CDN-NDG became its owner in 2011.
With files from CBC's Kate McKenna