Should Montreal's abandoned Silo No. 5 get a much-needed facelift? (RENDERINGS)

Aug 12 2022, 3:00 pm

Old Montreal is undeniably beautiful but there is one building that sticks out as an eyesore: Silo No. 5.

Though historic, the silo, owned by the Canada Lands Company, has stood abandoned since 1996 and is suffering from a lack of maintenance and zero public access.

Silo No. 5 (not to be confused with Lou Bega’s 1999 smash hit “Mambo #5”) is the last vestige of Old Montreal’s 20th-century grain exportation.

The heritage site, completed in 1906, has been recognized by the Federal Heritage Buildings Review Office. Now, more than 25 years since its closure, the old silo is being requested to be transformed into a mixed-use district where residences, shops, hotels, and tourist attractions can coexist.

In 2019, Montreal’s Minister of Tourism, Mélanie Joly,  launched a request for proposals to revitalize the Pointe-du-Moulin and Silo No. 5 sector and transform it into an “emblematic project for the city,” according to a statement.

Earlier this summer, Montreal-based architecture firm Provencher Roy, unveiled a new concept design for the abandoned but iconic structure. The firm says its mission is to “breathe new meaning” into the Old Port’s heritage site, “whose vacancy has long been a concern for Montrealers.”

Provencher Roy says it would approach the former industrial complex with a “radical re-use approach” to bring new “civic, cultural, urban, and economic meaning” to the site.

The firm says its design would feature a vertical urban agriculture farm, living and working spaces, a public market, garden terraces, and a new hotel while becoming a “new destination in the extension of the Old Port and Rue de la Commune — offering an exceptional view on the city and its history.”

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Provencher_Roy (@provencher_roy)

“These public and semi-public spaces will help infuse a new economic dynamic into the neighbourhood, while protecting Montréal’s industrial heritage,” says the firm. “The development of Silo No. 5 will therefore help preserve the existing building, give it new meaning, and revive a unique historical site — both economically and culturally. It will also serve to further the continuation of the Old Port and Rue de la Commune, as an attractive new tourist destination.”

Sonia Gagné, the principal architect and lead designer at Provencher Roy, says everyone in Montreal will have “renewed access to the river banks, pedestrian bridges, roof top terraces, and of course the landmark which is deeply rooted in our imagination. We are finally making it available to Montrealers, who have been waiting for this opportunity!”

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Provencher_Roy (@provencher_roy)

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Provencher_Roy (@provencher_roy)

As the only example left of the evolution of grain elevators in the 20th century, do you think Silo No. 5 needs a facelift or should it remain as is — even abandoned?

Ty JadahTy Jadah

+ Architecture & Design
+ Urbanized
ADVERTISEMENT