FIGHTING FOR THEIR FAÇADE
Khyber Pass’s cedar front under fire
“Eyesore or work of art? Better make up your mind quick, because the … façade of the Khyber Pass restaurant might not be there for long.”
The above sentence began a 2009 article in the Montreal Gazette, but it might as well have been written today. Nine years later, the Afghan eatery on Duluth St. in the Plateau is again at an impasse with the city of Montreal over its distinctive wood façade.
“Dear clients, come contemplate the façade while it’s still possible,” read a post in French on Khyber Pass’s Facebook page, Tuesday evening. “The city is demanding we take it down because it’s not contemporary and according to the tastes of the borough’s bureaucrats. When a façade that is bothering no one becomes a priority for the city it’s very troubling !!!! ”
The post was accompanied by the hashtags #lescommerçantsduplateauenfaillite (Plateau businesses going bankrupt) and #tropdespacesàlouer (too many spaces for rent).
By Thursday afternoon, the post had garnered 500 comments and been shared nearly 700 times.
“This war has been going on for nearly 10 years,” said Nadia Ramisch, whose father, Faruk, immigrated to Canada from Afghanistan in the ’70s, opening his restaurant in 1998.
Designed and constructed by sculptor and painter Sami Akrout at a cost of $50,000, the all-cedar façade was a tribute to the architecture of Afghanistan. But from the beginning, the project ran into trouble with the city.
Faruk Ramisch obtained no permit for the façade and was fined $560 in 2009. A subsequent permit application was refused. In a meeting with the city in May 2010, Ramisch expressed a desire to find an architectural solution, but submitted no proposal.
Another fine was issued in November 2010. It took seven more years before the city again slapped Ramisch with a fine, in May 2017. Then in July of this year, he signed an agreement with the city to take the façade down by Nov. 30.
“Since the illegal construction of this façade in the spring of 2009, the borough has made repeated attempts, in good faith, to accompany the owner to find a solution that corresponds to the rules on building plans and architectural integration,” said Michel Tanguay, spokesperson for the PlateauMont-Royal borough.
“Unfortunately, the owner never proposed an architectural compromise, despite several commitments that were made over time, culminating in this last agreement, signed on July 31.”
Nadia Ramisch, who teaches autistic children and helps her father with the restaurant’s accounting and Facebook page, said he has no intention of removing the façade.
“My dad is so stressed. He signed (the agreement), but now he’s saying, ‘Come and take it down, I’m not taking it down.’ I don’t understand the priorities of the borough. There are problems with construction, potholes and graffiti — how this is disturbing anyone? To this day I don’t know.”
Far from being a nuisance, Khyber Pass’s façade is an attraction, Nadia Ramisch said, estimating that between 50 and 75 people per day stop to take photographs in front of the restaurant.
“It’s unfortunate,” she said. “I understand that there are rules, and that if you go against the law you lose. But it’s too bad there is no flexibility. Go to our Facebook page and you’ll see that people find it pathetic.”
Underneath the façade is a regular red brick wall, covered in graffiti, according to Nadia Ramisch, who laments that the restaurant will lose some of its charm along with the unique mural that has become its trademark.
“The façade of the restaurant is extraordinary,” she said. “It’s wonderful. I hope (taking it down) doesn’t affect our business. Duluth St. is decrepit and neglected. It’s too bad originality doesn’t count for anything. They just want more plain brick.”
Tanguay said the city is not being stubborn but conscientious, applying the bylaws to preserve the area’s buildings.
“It’s important to understand that architectural regulations protecting the heritage and the landscape of the street apply to all businesses and residents of the borough, without exception. This is why the borough has made significant efforts, for the past several years, to simplify these rules and procedures, which have been repeatedly communicated to the restaurant’s owner, in writing and in person.”