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UER Forum > Archived Canada: Quebec > Seville Theatre, etc. (Viewed 756 times) Emperor Wang  Location: On an island, in a river Fetish? What fetish?  |  Seville Theatre, etc. < on 10/6/2007 3:52 PM >   Article from this morning's Gazette, with photo gallery The outer limits of downtown ANDY RIGA, The Gazette The last surviving business on a strip of Ste. Catherine St. W. has closed, and now the entire block is a dead zone The strip of Ste. Catherine St. W. was once alive with nightlife, full of Montrealers heading for Canadiens games at the Forum, movies or shows at the Seville Theatre, and meals and cocktails at restaurants and bars. These days, the only nightlife involves drugged and drunken homeless people, squatters sleeping in squalid conditions, rats gathering in abandoned buildings, and pigeons roosting on exposed beams in the gutted, decrepit Seville, oblivious to its status as a heritage building. This week, the last tenant, the Bombay Palace restaurant, moved out, making the block on the north side of Ste. Catherine, between Lambert-Closse and Chomedey Sts., a dead zone, a black hole, a ghost block. The Seville closed in 1985 and the Canadiens moved out of the Forum in 1996, but some experts say the descent that turned the entire city block on Montreal's major commercial thoroughfare into a quasi-slum began long before the closures. The city now says a developer wants to buy the block and transform it into privately run student housing that would help revive nearby businesses. Montrealers can be forgiven for being skeptical. Previous plans - for retail outlets, office space, apartments, condominiums, even a mixed-use environmentally friendly complex - have fallen through. Claridge Properties Ltd., the company that in 2002 bought the entire block for $10 million, won't disclose its plans. The company is owned by a branch of the Bronfman family, relatives of Montreal heritage activist Phyllis Lambert, founder of the Canadian Centre for Architecture, located four blocks from the Seville. The Seville opened in 1929, its interior designed in the "atmospheric style" meant to simulate a fantasy outdoor setting, the walls and ceiling painted to look like a nighttime scene in a forest in Spain. At the time, the western part of downtown Ste. Catherine was hopping, said Dinu Bumbaru, policy director at Heritage Montreal, an architectural preservation society. The Forum had opened five years earlier. A streetcar served the street. Business flourished along Ste. Catherine, with side streets lined with houses. But the scene has changed drastically over the years. Nightlife moved eastward, toward Guy and later Bishop and Crescent Sts. In the 1960s, the bus terminus at nearby Cabot Square was largely replaced by the Atwater métro station, sending commuters underground; and the Alexis Nihon Plaza shopping mall opened two blocks west of the Seville, sucking away more shoppers. Foot traffic from the Forum and the Seville was the area's commercial lifeblood, said Pierre Gauthier, a Concordia University urban-planning professor. With it gone, the Seville block was doomed, despite the fact it's in one of the city's most densely populated areas. Blame the neighbourhood's layout, Gauthier said. Diagonally across from the Seville block is Cabot Square. And directly across from the Seville - on the south side of Ste. Catherine - is a block that's about twice as long as a normal downtown block. "Having a (square) is great but typically they don't contribute much to a commercial street - they're even detrimental," Gauthier said. "It's a buffer, it pushes the potential clientele a block away, meaning they have to walk the distance of a block to get to the commercial street." Behind that long block across the street are two high-rise residential buildings on Tupper St. But the long block is a major deterrent. "Even though you have many people living there, for them to come and patronize these stores requires effort. They have to walk all the way around. They don't do it." He said research he and his students have conducted shows that for a commercial street to thrive it must be intersected by many streets. Streets with long blocks tend to flounder, he said. Despite fears in the 1980s and early 1990s that Ste. Catherine was dying, the central part of the street - between Guy and Jeanne Mance Sts. - experienced a revival and is now flourishing, Gauthier said. Meanwhile, the strips on Ste. Catherine's eastern and western extremes are still struggling. That's not surprising, because Ste. Catherine is an unusually long commercial thoroughfare, Gauthier said. "You can't expect such a street to be very vibrant for the whole length. "Think of the number of stores there are between Guy and Jeanne Mance - there are hundreds," he added. "There's a limit to the number of stores" a downtown can support. Controversy and abandoned renewal projects have dogged the Seville since it closed, with heritage activists joining resident and business groups clamouring for redevelopment. Despair turned to excitement in 2002 when 158115 Canada Inc. bought the by-then-gutted Seville, along with neighbouring buildings and a parking lot in back. Claridge Properties Ltd., a company controlled by Stephen R. Bronfman, is 158115 Canada's majority shareholder. That raised hopes for those frustrated by the state of the Seville. After all, in 1997, Bronfman's aunt, architect and heritage activist Phyllis Lambert, had written a letter to the editor of The Gazette to promote the idea of saving the Seville and reopening it as a live theatre venue. "It would be inexcusable to destroy a rare interior of this significance," Lambert wrote. A spokesperson said Lambert was not available for an interview this week. The theatre's interior was eventually eviscerated, with the project planned at the time never materializing. By the time, the current owners took over, the Seville was just a shell. Because of its heritage-building designation, the Seville's exterior must be kept intact. Heritage Montreal says two of the block's other buildings are architecturally significant and should be preserved, though they are not legally protected. Claridge, a private company, keeps its plans close to its chest. But its original project for the Seville is laid out in a Canada Mortgage and Housing Corp. document outlining the results of a brainstorming session by experts, including Lambert. They looked at how to make the project energy efficient using solar and geothermal heating, and natural light. Claridge's planned 100,000-square-foot complex would have included a "big-box store," an organic grocery store, an organic microbrewery/restaurant/café, an art gallery and art studio, apartments, condos and offices. One option the experts considered would have involved a "re-creation of the former entrance to the Seville Theatre, opening on to a wall garden as a focal point." The project was to be "a living museum for environmental techniques and practices," the document says. Some businesses on the block were told to move out two or three years ago, according to Roger Peace, president of the Shaughnessy Village Association, which represents people who live in the neighbourhood. "We thought that meant something was going to happen," he said. No such luck. The eco-building never materialized. Today, some neighbours complain that the dilapidated structures are attracting rats, as well as drug users and dealers who congregate in back alleys. This week, piles of garbage, including beer bottles, a mattress and a carpet, were piled behind the Seville, as were remnants of a small fire in which chairs and other debris were burned. Out front, some windows are boarded up and garbage was strewn on the sidewalk this week. Graffiti defaces the buildings (including the Seville's facade), as well as the decaying mural painted on wood fastened to the buildings' exterior. "The whole block is just an eyesore, it's horrible," Peace said. The block's owners would not comment on the state of the property. "It's a private company and we don't comment on these things," said a Claridge employee involved in the company's investments. He asked that his name not be used. "It's awful, absolutely terrible," Karim Boulos, city councillor for the area, said of the Seville block. "But the city can only do so much. We repaved Ste. Catherine, installed more garbage cans, sent in cleaning brigades. And we're working with the police to deal with rowdy behaviour." Police have increased patrols and Cabot Square is now closed at night to prevent drug dealers from using it as a base. There's little the city can do about abandoned buildings, Boulos said. It can ensure a building is locked and secure and doesn't pose a danger to the public. But "we're not in the business of development. We don't buy property. What we can do is make it easier and more welcoming for promoters to invest money" in the borough. Problems are not restricted to the Seville block. Commercial buildings on other nearby blocks stand empty. Last year, a five-alarm fire in a row of vacant apartments one block east of the Seville was blamed on squatters using an open flame to cook. Hopes were raised again last year by a rumour that the Seville block would be turned into a Concordia student residence. But that project never happened, with Concordia opting to house students at the nearby former Grey Nuns motherhouse, which the university owns. Now, Boulos said, another student residence project is in the works. This one would be privately run and would not be restricted to Concordia students. It's more than a rumour, he said. He said the developer is in advanced discussions with Claridge to buy the property. Claridge would not comment. Boulos, recently named chairperson of the borough's urban-planning committee, said such a project "would be the anchor around which everything else will be built in the neighbourhood. People aren't going to invest in an area where they aren't assured of a clientele." A student residence "would remove that blight, that awful spot, and bring in people and a certain level of life and vibrancy," Boulos added. Bumbaru, of Heritage Montreal, said there's "huge pressure in Montreal to create residential units, especially for students." And an influx of young people "could certainly support some commercial activity on Ste. Catherine. "It might not be the Holt-Renfrew type of shop because students can't afford that, but it certainly would bring some business. Perhaps it's a matter of not being overly ambitious." A new residential building - if it offers quality flats at affordable rents - could also put pressure on owners of dilapidated rental units in the area to spruce up their properties, added Jean Giguère, who heads a panel looking at ways to revitalize downtown's western edge. The panel includes residents, business people, social agencies and the Canadian Centre for Architecture. Giguère said such a project could bring hundreds of new residents and could do for the neighbourhood what Concordia's building boom is doing for the Guy St. area - encourage new businesses to move in. The western part of Ste. Catherine is already teeming with students from Concordia and LaSalle and Dawson colleges, said Giguère, who is also director of the Lincoln-Tupper Promotion and Development Corporation, which represents area businesses and residents It might be time to promote the area as a student destination, perhaps branded as "Campus West," Giguère said. Businesses catering to students could be wooed. That might be easier said than done, according to Gauthier, the Concordia urban planner. Typically, specialized commercial destinations that succeed aren't planned - they just happen after a few businesses set up shop. He cited the Gay Village and Notre Dame St.'s antique row as examples. Gauthier also questions the wisdom of including any commercial space in a new residential complex on the Seville site. The last thing the area needs, he said, is more storefronts. For Peace, of the Shaughnessy Village Association, "at this point, just about anything that can be done would be better than what's there now." He said a student building could bring with it cafés and boutiques. "It would be nice to have it sort of like Greenwich Village" in New York City - cafés and small boutiques in a laid-back atmosphere, Peace said. Currently, the Seville block's zoning calls for buildings of a minimum of three storeys and a maximum of four, a city official said. Commercial space is mandatory at street level, while commercial and/or residential activities can go on other floors. There is speculation a developer might ask for permission to build a taller tower, perhaps of 12 or 15 storeys. Peace said residents would balk at that height. The neighbourhood could not absorb the influx such a building would bring, he said. He and his neighbours would rather see smaller buildings in line with the two- and three-storey homes on side streets, Peace said. After watching the block and the entire neighbourhood deteriorate amid many false starts, some hope the departure of the Bombay Palace is actually a good thing - a sign that something is about to happen. Peace said a high-ranking city official told him an announcement about the student building is expected in weeks. But he has heard it before. He's not holding his breath. "If it was midtown, if it was down at Peel St., they'd never have allowed this to happen to a block," Peace said. "Because it's down at this end they just don't seem to be interested." [email protected] Theatre venue, heritage site, empty shell The Seville Theatre was a live-theatre venue, concert hall, movie house and repertory cinema. The building's story reflects the story of downtown's black hole: Ste. Catherine St. W. between Lambert-Closse and Chomedey Sts. 1929 Seville Theatre opens, one of only 15 "atmospheric" theatres built in Canada, its ceiling painted to resemble a blue sky with twinkling silver stars. Though a movie house for most of its life, it also featured live entertainment at times, presenting the likes of Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis Jr., Nat King Cole and Louis Armstrong. 1978-1985 The theatre is a repertory cinema, with regular screenings of the Rocky Horror Picture Show for fans dressed up as characters from the film. The rep's operators say they have to close after the building's owner quadruples the rent. Stop Making Sense is the last movie scheduled to be shown on closing day, Oct. 31, 1985. 1990 The city declares the Seville a heritage building because of its interesting architecture and historical value. The designation means the building cannot be demolished and its exterior is protected from major changes. The interior is not protected. 1994 The owners of the building try unsuccessfully to overturn the city's historic-site designation. A 12-by-20-foot wall of bricks tumbles from the Seville on to the sidewalk on Chomedey St. Thirteen years later, the hole remains, along with gaps in other walls and the roof, making the building popular with pigeons. 1996 A block west of the Seville, the Forum closes as home to the Montreal Canadiens. At the Seville, a heritage activist calls police after she sees workers taking down part of the marquee. Controversy erupts over whether the sign is protected. In the end, the sign is removed and discarded. 1998 Mayor Pierre Bourque is on hand as it is announced the Seville's interior will be gutted to make room for a $2-million, two-storey retail and office building. The facade is to be restored. The theatre's interior is eviscerated but the complex is never built. A painted-over "For Rent" sign from this era is still visible on the theatre's facade. 2001 After a $75-million transformation, the Forum reopens as the Pepsi Forum entertainment complex, featuring movie theatres, restaurants and retail outlets. Six years later, the complex is still struggling. 2002 158115 Canada Inc., a company whose majority shareholder is a company controlled by Stephen R. Bronfman, spends $10 million to buy the Seville and neighbouring buildings on the block of Ste. Catherine St. W., between Lambert-Closse and Chomedey Sts., as well as a parking lot in back. 2003 Claridge never announced its plans but according to a Canada Housing and Mortgage Corp. document, the company wanted to create an environmentally friendly, mixed-use complex featuring retail space, offices, apartments and condominiums. 2004-2005 Claridge asks a few tenants on the block to vacate the premises, according the Shaughnessy Village Association, a group of local residents. But the eco-project never happens. 2007 The block's last tenant - the Bombay Palace restaurant - moves out, complaining about the state of the neighbourhood and high insurance costs. Neighbouring restaurants had already shut their doors, including the Texan and Harvey's. Several businesses across the street closed in recent years, including a St. Hubert barbecue-chicken restaurant and an Omer DeSerres art-supply store. Now, the city says a developer wants to buy the Seville block and put up a privately run student residence. © The Gazette (Montreal) 2007 It's great to be alive! swiftman007  Location: MTL Area Gender: Male  |  Re: Seville Theatre, etc. <Reply # 1 on 10/9/2007 4:53 PM >   Wow I studied at the College Inter Dec in 2000, and I always wondered what was this abandonnned building .. Now I know that It was the Seville Theater. Thanks for all those infos ! sebastian  Location: muthafuckin'downtown 514  |  |  Re: Seville Theatre, etc. <Reply # 2 on 10/9/2007 5:47 PM >   What a shitty area. I once had a music studio right in front of the Theater on St-Cat street. It was always full of stupid wiggers and wannabe gangsters, sluts, whores and sometimes crackheads. The city definitly needs to do something with this area... FLICKR... http://www.flickr....-photography/sets/ SPEK Photo  Location: Where you were not. "Chere cachère!"  |  |  Re: Seville Theatre, etc. <Reply # 3 on 10/9/2007 9:58 PM >   At High school I often went to the Harvey's there and to the hot-dog place right in front, I explored the Seville and many small building that were already abandoned at the time. There was even an abandoned St-Hubert in front! I have some pictures that need to be scanned. Pour fins d'archives. WWW.EXPLORATIONURBAINE.CA nostra-YOUPPI!  Umpire Location: Shahre:'on Kaybec Bonsoir et cest partie  |  Re: Seville Theatre, etc. <Reply # 4 on 10/10/2007 2:15 AM >   Posted by SPEK Photo At High school I often went to the Harvey's there and to the hot-dog place right in front, I explored the Seville and many small building that were already abandoned at the time. There was even an abandoned St-Hubert in front! I have some pictures that need to be scanned. yeah i remember the st hubert its a church now i think, how bout the freshly renovated and promptly closed canadian tire, they renod then closed a year later only to become omer de serres and close Montreal Expos 1969-2004 Forever Proud Lets Keep The Dream Alive swiftman007  Location: MTL Area Gender: Male  |  Re: Seville Theatre, etc. <Reply # 5 on 10/10/2007 2:47 PM >   Posted by SPEK Photo At High school I often went to the Harvey's there and to the hot-dog place right in front, I explored the Seville and many small building that were already abandoned at the time. There was even an abandoned St-Hubert in front! I have some pictures that need to be scanned. do it !! we are curious ;) mewthree  Location: Montreal, Quebec, Canada Gender: Male  |  |  Re: Seville Theatre, etc. <Reply # 6 on 10/18/2007 2:22 PM >   yes well apparently one reason the places on that strip can't stay open is because of the extremely high rents. I read a few years ago some article talking about that block. They said something about how after the forum closed, the rents did not go down but there was far less people around there with no forum. Yes i remember the st hubert quite well... they turned it into a lighthouse church (some kind of pentecostal parish or something similar but more aimed at young adults) and there was a wendy's right next door almost. Yeah and where bombay palace was, there used to be a georgio's Italian restaurant if I remember correct. I remember the Canadian tire, that was even before the blockbusters was around... and that was back when movie land was where mouralatos is near st mathiew. The same era that there was the "M store" where zellers is now in Alexis Neon. Remember when canadian tire was two floors and had the escalator going up to where the winner's is now? remember way before that when canadian tire took up all 3 floors (if I remember correct) haha.. long time ago when you think about how many years ago that in fact was. nostra-YOUPPI!  Umpire Location: Shahre:'on Kaybec Bonsoir et cest partie  |  Re: Seville Theatre, etc. <Reply # 7 on 10/21/2007 5:55 AM >   Posted by mewthree yes well apparently one reason the places on that strip can't stay open is because of the extremely high rents. I read a few years ago some article talking about that block. They said something about how after the forum closed, the rents did not go down but there was far less people around there with no forum. Yes i remember the st hubert quite well... they turned it into a lighthouse church (some kind of pentecostal parish or something similar but more aimed at young adults) and there was a wendy's right next door almost. Yeah and where bombay palace was, there used to be a georgio's Italian restaurant if I remember correct. I remember the Canadian tire, that was even before the blockbusters was around... and that was back when movie land was where mouralatos is near st mathiew. The same era that there was the "M store" where zellers is now in Alexis Neon. Remember when canadian tire was two floors and had the escalator going up to where the winner's is now? remember way before that when canadian tire took up all 3 floors (if I remember correct) haha.. long time ago when you think about how many years ago that in fact was. miracle mart occupied 3 floors, crappy tire only moved into alexis nihon in the early 90's, there was once an ikea in alexis nihon though Montreal Expos 1969-2004 Forever Proud Lets Keep The Dream Alive mewthree  Location: Montreal, Quebec, Canada Gender: Male  |  |  Re: Seville Theatre, etc. <Reply # 8 on 10/22/2007 12:46 PM >   Remember being able to smoke everywhere in alexis neon? UER Forum > Archived Canada: Quebec > Seville Theatre, etc. (Viewed 756 times) All content and images copyright © 2002-2024 UER.CA and respective creators. Graphical Design by Crossfire. 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