Urban restructuring

Developers put new face on inner city by reclaiming old and decrepit buildings

By PHILLIPA RISPIN

Every generation has a few key words that carry a wealth of meaning and feeling. For anglophone Montrealers of a certain age, Selby is one such word. It evokes memories of the first year of Dawson College, the first independent English-language cegep in the province and an exciting place to be in exciting times. In the late 1980s, however, the Selby campus was abandoned when the college consolidated its operations in the former Mother House of the Congrégation de Notre-Dame. For years the Selby building has stood empty, but it’s now reoccupied, a building in transition as, in the next step in the gentrification of Saint Henri, it is converted into condos. Why the Selby building? “Location is what it’s all about,” says Roland Hakim, president of Selby Campus Inc., the company that’s “recycling” the building. “It’s in Westmount on the edge of the downtown core. It’s a central location, close to highway exits and entrances. The Lionel-Groulx métro is less than 500 metres away, and it’s the last stop on the 747 bus going to the airport, so residents can get there directly. Atwater market is close by.” Selby is the latest in a string of projects that have transformed aging and derelict buildings in Montreal, many of them former industrial sites, into housing, revitalizing urban neighbourhoods in the process. The historic Redpath sugar mill in Point St. Charles, for instance, was so decrepit before architectural firm Cardinal Hardy breathed new residential life into it that it was used by a film production company to depict a war zone. Before conversion to condos, it sat abandoned on the shores of the Lachine Canal for years.

Similarly, the Selby project has been more than 10 years in the making. Hakim knew that the building and its site had potential, but before starting work “it was important to establish the needs of the community,” he says. “It took 10 years to gather information, and the neighborhood changed over that time from what was seen as a dangerous area into a gentrified area that was in demand.” Hakim also recognized the value of the structure itself. Like many other buildings in the neighbourhood, it’s a handsome specimen of early twentieth-century industrial architecture. Working with architect Mira Katnick of Architem, Hakim is maximizing the building’s assets. “It’s got beautiful volume, exposed to sun and light,” he says. “People like to bathe in light. Light from the south and west is unobstructed. Some apartments will see sun all day long.” That abundant light gives the development an ecological advantage, providing passive solar heating. All the windows will be tripleglazed and the largest size possible – typically nine to 10 feet high and 12 feet wide. However, a building that size requires far more energy than solar gain furnishes, so geothermal energy is being put to use for climate control, with significant savings to be had. “Some units will pay as little as $250 a year for heating and air-conditioning,” Hakim notes. “There is no combustion of fossil fuels. The building does not emit greenhouse gases.” Car owners will benefit, too; the underground garage will have plug-ins for recharging electric cars. The project also uses only metallic, not plastic, pipes for plumbing. Ecological concerns are a hallmark of many recycling projects. For instance, the Lowney loft development in Griffintown has numerous green features such as dual-flush toilets, solar panels for heating the swimming pool, and rainwater collectors for watering interior courtyards.

Like the Selby development, the biggest “recycling” project is, of course, the structure itself. “We don’t believe in tearing down functional buildings that have aesthetic value,” says Jonathan Sigler of Prével, the company responsible for the Lowney and Imperial loft conversions. “Heritage is important.” As he notes, buildings such as those of the Imperial project “have everything a developer could want: high ceilings, large windows, and they’re not too deep. But most important, [developing the site] was an opportunity to revitalize three big blocks of St. Henri that were deserted. There’s been a huge positive effect: the arrival of 700 condo owners. Those are the parts of developing I love, finding a building that has potential.” Large industrial buildings offer plenty of potential. For instance, they usually contain interesting spaces and have the structural integrity for special features. In the case of the Imperial lofts, the clock tower has become a clubhouse, offering a kitchen, fireplace, and large-screen tv. “One of the buildings had a huge loading dock that we were able to convert into a sports court,” Sigler says. “There’s basketball, badminton, indoor hockey. On the upper level we have an aerobics facility with 50 machines, and a yoga studio.”

Another iconic structure saved from dereliction is l’Héritage du Vieux-Port at the east end of Montreal’s Old Port. Once a vast cold storage facility for perishable goods entering the city’s port, the 1922 building was transformed into 207 luxury condominiums by trams Property Management. Although the building had been gutted when trams bought it a decade ago, it would take about five years to complete the work. “The building had a heritage designation so we were working with all the governmental agencies and the heritage groups involved,” says trams chief executive officer, Terry Pomerantz.

Pomerantz agrees that it takes vision to see potential in an abandoned, decaying building. His company had to remove every brick from the building’s enormous facade and then reapply them. “Some people won’t touch old buildings because you don’t always know what you’ll find,” he says. “But this one was an engineering marvel.” Moreover, Pomerantz adds, his company had tackled recycling projects in the past. “This was the third time,” he says. “The building happened to be there and the time was right. It’s a lot of work but I love the look of old buildings.” “Those are the parts of developing I love, finding a building that has potential.” The Selby building was originally a manufacturing facility for the Frosst pharmaceutical company (and was referred to fondly by some Dawsonites as “the pill factory”). “Because it was originally a factory, the building is extremely sturdy,” Hakim notes. “It offers features such as high ceilings, between nine and 13 feet high, and soundproofing. It has areas designed for 300 pounds per square foot, so something like a water bed or a Jacuzzi will be no problem.”

Homeowners can choose among three types of units in which to put that Jacuzzi: condos, lofts, and villas. There will be 23 lofts and condos and seven rooftop villas. Prices begin at $300 a square foot and range up to $500 a square foot. A Selby condo will be typically between 1,200 and 1,700 square feet. It can have up to four closed rooms, suitable for a family with children. The lofts will be open spaces with no mezzanine, between 700 and 1,500 square feet. There will be one or two closed rooms with large doors that can be opened so that light penetrates. Hakim characterizes these lofts as “the best value for the money in terms of square feet.” The rooftop villas are additions to the original building. They’ll be one- or two-storey structures, between 1,200 and 2,000 square feet. Selby will offer the usual amenities such as a common room with kitchen facilities, and a gym, both areas with access to the garden. There will also be a daycare centre. “Young couples are attracted by the quality of life in the building, and the daycare center,” Hakim says. “We’re seeing young executives and singles buying apartments, and empty-nesters coming back downtown. Parents with students in university are buying two units, one large and one small, and connecting them. Later, when the children have left, they can separate the apartments and sell one.” The first unit is slated for delivery in October, 2012. Empty for more than a decade, the building will once more be alive with people of all ages – exciting times once again.