Verdun plans to demolish Notre Dame de la Paix church and build school on Nun’s Island
At a special meeting called last May 16, Verdun councillors voted to begin the process to tear down Verdun’s Notre-Dame-de-la-Paix church on 3465, rue Ethel / 345, rue Strathmore. They also voted to construct a school at the southwest intersection of boulevards de l’Île-des-Sœurs and René-Lévesque on Nun’s Island.
The project to demolish the Notre-Dame-de-la-Paix Church began when the property was sold last year. A heritage evaluation of the structure was submitted to the city last August by a working group made up of experts from Verdun, the City of Montreal, the potential new property owners and Laurent Messier, who represented Notre-Dame-de-la-Trinité, the owners of Notre-Dame-de-la-Paix. Individuals included; Yves Bonneville, the president of Développement Bonneville; former Verdun Mayor Georges Bossé, who now owns BC2FP Groupe conseil; Philippe Desrosiers and Benoît Malette from Verdun; Anne-Marie Dufour, a City of Montreal architect; Jennifer Ouellet, who works with Montreal’s heritage department and François Racine, an architect with Atelier B.R.I.C.
Verdun councillors requested that Montreal city councillors modify Montreal’s urban plan to remove the Notre-Dame-de-la-Paix church from its list of exceptional heritage buildings in Verdun and authorize the demolition and rebuilding on lot 1 153 010. They also authorized the building of a single family home on part of the property, which will be 3033, rue Wellington. The resolution was moved by Andrée Champoux and seconded by Paul P. Beaupré.
A second resolution, to request that Montreal city countil authorize the construction of the school on Nun’s Island was moved by Alain Tassé and seconded by Andrée Champoux. To make that possible, the Office de consultation publique de Montréal will have to hold public consultations in June and ask for submissions in July, something it doesn’t usually do.
Note: This article appeared on p16 of the City Edition of the The Suburban on Wednesday, June 12.
