Blog notes + small house demolished on Wellington st - Verdun

Well, it's almost the end of 2012 which was a busy year here at Vanishing Montreal. I've compiled a lot of stuff (and still have loads more from 2012 to upload) which was fascinating and heartbreaking and sometimes even uplifting. Things might change a lot though for the blog as Google has recently updated their Google Maps and Streetview with new images captured back in April 2012. This will make my job that much harder to figure out changes going on here in Montreal. I started this blog in 2009 and by chance Google Maps captured most of Montreal in 2009 and the condo boom, which has really exploded during the past 3 years, all helped me in creating this blog. It was perfect synchronicity. One of the reasons why I decided to do the blog was because I had taken tons of photos of the city for the past 10 years prior to 2009 but as things went on that year I noticed that several spots which had laid dormant and decaying for decades were quickly being replaced with condo projects which prompted me to create this blog in order to catalog all of these major changes going in our urban landscape.

It's technically impossible for me to know which building is set to be demolished (unless there's a big sign stating so) and to photograph all of Montreal. This is where Google Maps became vital for the blog. It was easy to see a new construction going on somewhere and then just checking out how it looked like back in 2009 with Google Maps but with the new 2011/2012 updates, it's gonna be hard to continue doing the same thing I've been doing for the past 3+ years. I've checked many areas, mostly in Saint-Henri, just to see how extensive the updates are and there's still a few places with images from 2009 but most of it was captured in 2011 and April 2012. This means that I can only really monitor any new changes starting from 2011 or from this year and knowing how extensive the condo boom has been going on in the city, it's going to be almost impossible to keep up or figure out what's going on or to do "Before & After" anymore. So the blog's future is sorta in the air. I'm going to spend some time trying to figure out a work around or maybe make some changes to the way the blog is designed but from now on the blog's updates will decidedly slow down considerably. I'm not stopping the blog but the updates probably won't be as frequent as they used to be.

Anyway, thanks for all the supporters and those who provided me with photos or tips.

I won't be updating the blog until next year so until then happy holidays, merry Christmas, joyeux Noel, happy Hanukkah and have a happy new year.

John
VM

(image above: google streetview)

This small duplex was demolished on Wellington street in Verdun for a new triplex project. The photo below was taken last summer. I haven't been there since to see if the construction has now been completed.

Esso station corner LaSalle blvd and De L'Eglise - Verdun

The Esso on the corner of blvd LaSalle and De L'Eglise in Verdun closed back in early spring this year and when I took the first and third photos, which was in June, the grounds were being dug up and dug out. The Esso was a busy place so this was surprising. This is near the old Hollywood Cafe (see post below) which was also demolished. No construction going on as of this writing.

(image above: google maps)

Demolished cafe and apartments on De L'Eglise - Verdun

The Hollywood Cafe and apartment unit around it were totally razed to the ground on De L'Eglise in Verdun. This one is quite surprising. The place looked clean and not neglected and yet the entire structure was demolished. There are a lot of restaurants and a Tim Hortons, St-Hubert and a McDonald's in the same area so I guess competition is tough there but it seems a bit drastic to demolish everything. No construction going on as of this writing.

(image above: google streetview)

2 small houses demolished on Claude st - Verdun

Two small houses on Clause st in Verdun were demolished for a new condo project. The beautiful yard next to one of the houses has also been gobbled up by this new project. Disappearing green space for another generic condo project is always a sad thing to see. The trees in the yard and in front of the house were cut down. As reported here at VM a lot of these small houses (and their big yards) are disappearing fairly quickly these days.

(image above: google streetview)

(image above: google streetview)

Corner Joseph & Atwater/Blvd Henri-Duhamel - Verdun

Flickr

This busy intersection just at the limits of Verdun, on the corner where Joseph st and Henri-Duhamel blvd meet with Atwater ave in Verdun, has seen a lot of activity recently. I've already posted about the demolition of the old garage back in October 2011 (link) which was set to be the site of a new condo complex called Verwater (?). The demolition actually took place in the summer of 2011 (photo above) and nothing was going on there since that time.

Now just this past couple of weeks, the big building just next to the empty lot was demolished in the span of a few day. The first sign that the building was going to be demolished was the exterior brick wall being removed (second photo) and then a few days into the following week and the entire building was gone (third and fourth photos). That's the fastest demolition I've ever seen. And it's not a small dainty building.

I'm assuming that the condo project was stalled for over a year because it lacked space but now with the demolition of the other building this is going to be a big condo project.

From Joseph st looking towards Henri-Duhamel blvd. Lotsa space now for new project.

(image above: google streetview)

This screenshot of the corner from Google maps shows how big the area is now with the addition of the extra space from the recently demolished building.

Long-abandoned building on Rose de Lima gutted - Saint-Henri

part of the changing face of Saint-Henri

The long-abandoned building on Rose de Lima street in Saint-Henri (mentioned November 2011 here) is being gutted right now. Here are some of the images of the inside and of the skeletal structure being gradually brought down.

This will be my last post on Saint-Henri for a while, unless something major happens.

Updates: All Quiet on the Saint-Henri Front

part of the changing face of Saint-Henri

New for 2012

51 - CineFilms building renovated, floors added for condos
52 - Famous depanneur on Ste-Emilie and Bourget demolished; updated
53 - New construction on the corner of St-Ambroise and Turgeon
54 - Alleyway (Collecteur Saint-Pierre) Woonerf project
55 - Triplex on Ste-Emilie and Turgeon: demolished
56 - Former Garda offices converted into condos
57 - 6 apartments boarded up on Acorn and Delinelle; updated: apartments demolished
58 - New condos on Ste-Emilie near St-Remi street
59 - Garage renovated and quadruplex almost abandoned
60 - Small house demolished on Ste-Marguerite
61 - Heritage site on Rose de Lima; targeted by developers
62 - Small project on Ste-Emilie
63 - Demolished small house and garage on Bourget (actually completed in 2011, with red dot)

2012 was relatively quiet in Saint-Henri compared to 2011, which saw over 40+ on going projects last year compared to the dozen or so in 2012, as listed above. The difference was quite surprising. There are still new projects popping up here and there but it has quieted down considerably in that neck of the woods. Because it would take too long and too many posts to cover all of the updates on those 40+ projects, I'll instead make a quick list of the most interesting projects:

The condo project on Bourget street is almost completed:





A new construction project was taking shape on the empty lot on Therien:




The massive SAMCON condo project on Maria street is completed by now:




The long-abandoned and spooky building on Louis-Cyr street has been demolished:



The long-abandoned and crumbling small house on St-Philippe street has been demolished:



The tiny empty lot on Laporte street is now a tiny condo project:



Les Jardins Westmount project has been wisely rebranded as the Selby condos:




And finally, was the project on Saint-Jacques street cancelled? The last time I walked there, the banner was gone and there was no activity.

Small house + old tree on Turcot - Saint-Henri

part of the changing face of Saint-Henri

This long-abandoned small house was demolished and the old tree in front of it was cut on Turcot street in Saint-Henri. The photo above was taken in the summer of 2011. The photo directly below was taken a week ago. The 4th photo was taken in spring 2012. The dilapidated house is replaceable but it's a shame they had to cut the tree. You can see the cut tree trunk in photo no 3. 

(image above: google streetview)