CLOSING TIME

Photographer John Kenney captures the closing scenes — and last council meeting — at Montreal’s city hall before the building is shuttered for three years of extensive renovations. Farewell for now, says Gazette city hall reporter

The years have taken quite a toll on our “maison des citoyens,” from crumbling masonry to quirky plumbing. On Monday, Montreal’s administration will begin to work in temporary headquarters next door as city hall undergoes a major facelift. Before those big brass doors shut for three years of extensive renovations, photographer John Kenney and reporter Marian Scott captured that last day — and last council meeting — at 275 Notre-Dame St. E.

When Montreal’s city hall reopened on Feb. 15, 1926, after being totally rebuilt following a devastating fire four years earlier, visitors marvelled.

With its soaring marble Hall of Honour, featuring majestic staircases, gilded bronze torchère lamps and an immense chandelier, and the wood-panelled council chamber illuminated by five stained-glass windows illustrating different facets of the city, it was dubbed the “municipal palace.”

But the seat of municipal government at 275 Notre-Dame St. is more than a building fit for a king, filled with artworks recalling Montreal’s 375-year history.

It’s also the “maison des citoyens” — the house of the citizens. Until recently it was a hive of activity from morning to night, buzzing with schoolchildren, tourists, citizens paying tax bills or pressing their concerns at council meetings, about 280 civil servants and the 65 members of city council.

But over the past six months, the building has gradually emptied out in preparation for a $140-million, three-year renovation that begins this summer. While it’s lost none of its beauty, the aging structure, whose exterior walls date back to 1872-1878, has multiple issues, from crumbling masonry and quirky plumbing to a window that opens and closes all by itself, depending on the weather.

Starting Monday, the city administration will be based in the Lucien Saulnier building, just west of city hall at 155 Notre-Dame St. E. The former courthouse, built between 1851 and 1857, will accommodate city council meetings and other events while workers repair and update the original city hall.

On April 15, councillors gathered for the last city council meeting before the building shuts down for three years. Photographer John Kenney captured the closing scenes in the palace of the people.

JOHN KENNEY A sign at the front entrance of Montreal city hall informs visitors that the building will be closed for renovations as of Monday and directs them to the Lucien Saulnier building at 155 Notre-Dame St. E.

Until last week, the monumental brass doors at 275 Notre-Dame St. E. opened every weekday at 8:30, when security guards took their posts, ready to greet a new crop of visitors. From exhibitions in the Hall of Honour to ceremonies for visiting dignitaries, the five-storey building was the backdrop to a seemingly unending series of events. Starting Monday, most of those activities will be transferred to the Lucien Saulnier building. Other functions have moved elsewhere, like the Access Montreal office, now at Place Dupuis, and the city archives, now at 5800 St-Denis St.

Martin Dion, right, and Maxime Arnoldi wait their turn to ask questions during the evening citizens’ question period. Dion is a volunteer with RAPLIQ (Regroupement des activistes pour l’inclusion au Québec), which aims to eliminate discrimination against people with disabilities and obstacles that prevent their full participation. He asked the city to require outdoor café-terrasses to be accessible to people with disabilities. Citizens who want to ask questions must show up in advance and submit their names for a draw that determines the order in which they are called.

A bronze plaque of Jean Drapeau (1916–1999), mayor of Montreal from 1954 to 1957 and from 1960 to 1986, is among the portraits of former mayors lining the hallway next to the Hall of Honour. Five of the city’s 44 mayors don’t have plaques yet: Gérald Tremblay, Michael Applebaum, Laurent Blanchard, Denis Coderre and Valérie Plante. The city has put off ordering new plaques until after the renovation. The first mayor, Jacques Viger, took office in 1833. Only 44 people voted in the 1833 election, and only one district, St. Ann’s Ward, was contested. Only male property owners were eligible to vote. The mayoral portraits will be kept in storage during the renovation.

Mayor Valérie Plante rallies her caucus in her office before the council meeting. Like the 64 other members of council and their staffs, and most of the 280 civil servants based at city hall, Plante is moving to a new office in the Lucien Saulnier building. The city has spent $8.3 million on renovations to that building to make it usable as a city hall.

Mayor Valérie Plante speaks before a phalanx of cameras at a press conference in the Salon Maisonneuve, before the start of the monthly council meeting. The names of the various rooms at city hall, like this one, used for press conferences, and the Salle Peter-McGill, where the executive committee meets, have been transferred to rooms in the Lucien Saulnier building.