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Montreal, January 27, 2011 – On November 8, 2010, a majority of Ville‐Marie borough
councillors adopted a resolution authorizing a zoning variance for the site of Redpath House,
located at 3455‐3457 Du Musée Avenue, thus allowing a real‐estate developer to build a high‐
rise 25 metres tall. This variance does not respect current municipal by‐laws, which limit the
height of buildings to a maximum of 16 metres.
In recent weeks, this issue has been of great concern to the Board of Trustees of the Montreal
Museum of Fine Arts (MMFA). Given the major impact this project would have on the Museum
and its historic neighbourhood, the MMFA’s Board of Trustees unanimously adopted a
resolution, on Tuesday night, calling on councillors from the Ville‐Marie borough to defeat a
proposed by‐law that would authorize the construction of a building 25 metres high on the site
of Redpath House, located at 3455‐3457 Du Musée Avenue, and demanding that the developer
respect the zoning standards in place, that is, to build to a maximum height of 16 metres. In
addition, the Museum’s Board asked that any real‐estate development in this sector respect the
zoning by‐laws in effect.
In the fall of 2011, the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts will inaugurate the new Claire and Marc
Bourgie Pavilion of Quebec and Canadian Art and a new 450‐seat concert hall in the former
Erskine and American Church, a national heritage site that the Museum acquired to safeguard
and restore.
The new pavilion’s design is based on an ascent towards light, with fenestration that reveals
more and more of the urban landscape as the visitor ascends, with a top floor featuring a large
glassed‐in gallery that looks out onto Mount Royal, the jewel of our city. The construction of a
high‐rise over 16 metres tall on the site of Redpath House, next door to the Museum’s new
pavilion, would mar the architectural design of the Museum’s new galleries and spoil the view of
the mountain. It would also set a dangerous precedent for other high‐rises in this sector. This
architectural concept was specifically chosen for the Museum’s new pavilion because it was
unthinkable that such a zoning variance would ever be granted.
This pavilion will be accessible free of charge to all at all times, which will allow 600,000 people,
including many tourists, to discover our artistic heritage. Thanks to the support of the
governments of Quebec and Canada and many donors, the Museum chose to revive a heritage
building, as the Museum’s mission dovetails beautifully with the revitalization of the church.
This endeavour represents a major investment in the beautification of Montreal. It is also an
architectural conversion that will serve as an example on the international stage, as few projects
such as these have been carried out in the Western world, and the alarming state of religious
heritage in Quebec is well known.
Architects Provencher Roy et Associés and Museum management have worked on this project
for several years to meet the City’s zoning requirements and ensure that the new building fits as
harmoniously as possible into the Museum neighbourhood, which is located in Montreal’s
historic Square Mile. Over the past few years, the Museum has held several meetings with
representatives of the City of Montreal, neighbourhood residents and Du Musée Avenue
residents, in order to meet everyone’s expectations. Throughout the project, the Museum has
respected the City’s zoning standards and adapted the project to meet municipal by‐laws,
requests from the neighbourhood and the City’s advisory committees, assuming that the
mountain view would remain unobstructed, given the fact that municipal by‐laws prohibit the
construction of buildings higher than the established norms. It is imperative that zoning by‐laws
be respected by all real‐estate developers in this sector so that the Museum and its
neighbourhood are not adversely affected.
The Museum’s Board of Trustees was therefore surprised to realize that the City of Montreal
had granted a developer a zoning variance for the site of Redpath House, just a few dozen
metres from the Museum’s new pavilion. Not only does this decision run counter to the zoning
by‐laws in the Museum neighbourhood, it may set a dangerous precedent for the Museum, its
600,000 visitors and its neighbourhood. The Museum is not against the construction of a new
building on the site of Redpath House, but asks that the zoning by‐law that limits building
heights to 16 metres be respected.
The Museum has demonstrated its commitment as a corporate citizen and acted in good faith
by choosing to save and restore the former Erskine and American Church, which will integrate
the new Pavilion of Quebec and Canadian Art. This project, the only one of its kind in Canada,
has added to the wealth of our city’s architectural and artistic heritage and has been awarded
the 2010 Canadian Architect Awards of Excellence.
Source: Danielle Champagne
Director of Communications
The Montreal Museum of Fine Arts
514‐285‐1600 201103