Updated yesterday at 12:00 p.m.
What if the former NFB studio screening rooms became neighborhood cinemas? Parking lots, parks? And the cafeteria, a restaurant? “What we want are ideas,” says Marcelo Gomez-Wiuckstern of Canada Lands Company (SIC).
During the second weekend of December, SIC held two open houses at the former National Film Board (NFB) studios, located in the Saint-Laurent neighborhood on Highway 40.
PHOTO MARTIN CHAMBERLAND, THE PRESS
The former NFB studios
Six tours were offered to the public. The goal ? Ask the citizens concerned what they think… but also let them dream. What to do with the 50,000 square meters located behind 3155, Chemin de la Côte-de-Liesse, near a future REM station that will provide quick access to the city center?
“In the context of profitability, anything is possible,” argues Marcelo Gomez-Wiuckstern, vice president of corporate communications and public affairs at CLC.
“We want to see what social needs the community groups have. Do you also see what is missing in terms of shops: grocery stores, small cafes? » adds Christopher Sweetnam Holmes, real estate director at SIC.
PHOTO MARTIN CHAMBERLAND, THE PRESS
Christopher Sweetnam Holmes and Marcelo Gomez-Wiuckstern from CLC
For the first “public workshop,” to be held on January 24, SIC wants to take the pulse of community organizations, the artistic community, event organizers and elected officials.
Nevertheless, the Canada Lands Company has goals including the provision of affordable and social housing to address the housing crisis. and be a role model for ecological development.
PHOTO MARTIN CHAMBERLAND, THE PRESS
The numerous parking spaces offer a lot of potential. “In our vision there will be parks, cycle paths, green spaces, small shops and cafés,” assures Marcelo Gomez-Wiuckstern.
After the NFB left in 2019, the CLC took possession of the premises and maintained it well, assures its real estate director Christopher Sweetnam Holmes. “CLC is an independent federal Crown corporation that transforms former federal sites to reintegrate them into the community,” he explains. We are not a developer like the others. We can take more time to consult, brainstorm and do more innovative things. »
In order to change places, you have to understand them.
Christopher Sweetnam Holmes, Real Estate Director at CLC
Decor from another time
PHOTO MARTIN CHAMBERLAND, THE PRESS
The old makeup room
When you visit the former NFB house, time stands still: the furnishings are reminiscent of another time, but everything is still there and in good condition. The makeup room, the dressing rooms, the projection rooms, the names of the employees in front of their old desks, the cold rooms where the reels were stored, the cafeteria, the huge studio where sets were reproduced… We even find always money – sand and gravel floors in the recording studio and a Norman McLaren neon sign where he wanted to reproduce the ideas that followed each other in his head like an X-ray. “We’re in the Norman McLaren Building. We will find a place for this extraordinary work,” assures Christopher Sweetnam Holmes.
PHOTO MARTIN CHAMBERLAND, THE PRESS
The console in the largest projection room is particularly impressive.
The largest screening room with 280 seats has “incredible acoustics,” he boasts. We were able to make some final improvements to the huge console.
PHOTO MARTIN CHAMBERLAND, THE PRESS
The former large film studio, where fictional locations were reproduced until 1996, before the NFB focused only on documentaries and animations. Its 9,000 square meters are small compared to the industry. “There is something to be done here,” enthuses Christopher Sweetnam Holmes.
PHOTO MARTIN CHAMBERLAND, THE PRESS
It would be easy to turn the old screening room into a neighborhood cinema.
PHOTO MARTIN CHAMBERLAND, THE PRESS
An old makeup room
PHOTO MARTIN CHAMBERLAND, THE PRESS
The old recording studio is full of treasures.
PHOTO MARTIN CHAMBERLAND, THE PRESS
Trap doors conceal subfloors, particularly gravel and sand, which made it possible to reproduce the sounds of footsteps on various surfaces.
PHOTO MARTIN CHAMBERLAND, THE PRESS
While still in the recording studio, panels also made it possible to change the sound.
PHOTO MARTIN CHAMBERLAND, THE PRESS
The hallway and stairs leading to the former administrative offices have lost none of their splendor
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Could it just remain a cinema? “It's a possibility. “Everything is on the table,” emphasizes Marcelo Gomez-Wiuckstern, vice president of corporate communications and public affairs at CLC. If there is a sensible future use, it is a possibility. »
Commemorating 65 years of history
PHOTO MARTIN CHAMBERLAND, THE PRESS
The former NFB headquarters was a kind of campus.
Nearly 70 years ago, the NFB decided to locate in a field far from the city center to create a “campus” effect, recalls Christopher Sweetnam Holmes. Moving the headquarters from Ottawa to Montreal was also a way to promote French-language production and to break with the state and the World War II era when the NFB became involved in the propaganda effort.
Christopher Sweetnam Holmes remembers all the technological innovations that emerged within the walls of 3155, chemin de la Côte-de-Liesse. He cites “In the Labyrinth,” a film that was shown on multiple screens at Expo 67 and led to the birth of the IMAX format.
PHOTO MARTIN CHAMBERLAND, THE PRESS
“I bring people here to show them that we are less far away than people think, and even close to everything,” says Christopher Sweetnam Holmes from the floor overlooking Mount Royal, the Saint-Joseph -Oratory and the University of Montreal.
The complex's six pavilions, used by the NFB – and around 3,000 employees – from 1956 to 2019, are still occasionally rented for filming. It was “unique” that the SIC offered public tours for one of its projects, emphasizes Marcelo Gomez-Wiuckstern. “These are buildings with such a rich history. People lived around them without visiting them. »
PHOTO MARTIN CHAMBERLAND, THE PRESS
Marcelo Gomez-Wiuckstern worked at the NFB at the beginning of his career.
These are memories for the CLC vice president of communications, as he headed production at the NFB at the beginning of his career. Not to mention, his father-in-law, Claude Chantelois, worked there in human resources for 20 years.
patience
If the Canada Lands Company is committed to a “responsible and concerted renovation” of the premises; you have to be patient before shoveling the earth for the first time. The SIC hopes to receive approval from city authorities for the master plan in 2025, which will result from public consultations. Several development phases will then be carried out in collaboration with various project sponsors. The SIC's task will then be to protect mixed uses, particularly through easements.
“I can guarantee one thing: it will be a new district,” promises Marcelo Gomez-Wiuckstern.
SIC in brief
Canada Lands Company is a self-funded federal Crown corporation specializing in real estate, development and attraction management. SIC was dormant before resuming its activities in 1995 with the privatization of CN properties.
For example, CLC owns the CN Tower, but also the Old Port of Montreal site and the Science Center. Three other major projects are currently underway in the greater Montreal area: Pointe-du-Moulin with Silo No. 5, the Pointe-de-Longueuil site and the Wellington Basin.