McGill School of Architecture MSoA — ARCH673
Site
The "City Below the Hill"
by Charles Acton-Morin, Olivia Janiszewsky, Mathias Madelein & Julien Rozon
The second component of research was the site, considered at various scales and viewpoints. Located in the South-West borough of Montreal, Little Burgundy is the cradle of the Black community in Quebec, and in Canada aside from the Maritimes. Site analysis investigated ecology, environmental conditions, the built environment, transformations, zoning, the extended south-west, landmarks, mobility and program. The specific site of inquiry: the former NCC property, located at 2035 Rue Coursol.
2035 Rue Coursol
More than thirty years
after the NCC/Charles H. Este Cultural Centre closed its doors, the western wall of the century-old building collapsed, forcing the board to declare bankruptcy and sell the remains of the building to a
private condo developer in 2014. Until now, unable to build rental units due to the zoning, the lot remains fenced and inaccessible
to the public, displaying the void left by the demolished institution to passersby.
“This was a precious place to us all. A home away from home, it was a safe haven where people could learn and be together.”
-David Shelton, Little Burgundy Resident“This was a precious place to us all. A home away from home, it was a safe haven where people could learn and be together.”
Just South of the
Georges-Vanier metro on Coursol St. in Little Burgundy, the site where the NCC once
stood up leaves an important scar in the urban fabric.
Site plans
Located at the corner of the block including George-Vanier’s metro aedicula, the site frames the Oscar-Peterson Park and hosts different public infrastructures. Surrounded by social housings which were implemented during the late 20th century’s urban renewal projects, the lot transitions from the Ville-Marie Expressway to the Promenade de la Petite Bourgogne. Coursol and Canning streets being one-ways, car traffic around the site is minimal, allowing pedestrians to prevail. These characteristics, as shown by the results of the workshop, puts the former NCC site as an anchor point in the neighbourhood’s soft mobility.