At the corner of Beaubien Avenue West and Durocher Street in Montreal’s Mile-Ex neighbourhood sits an unassuming industrial red brick building.
But 435 Beaubien Ave. W. is anything but ordinary for the many artists who have operated out of studios there for years.
“This is a gem. It’s a diamond. There’s nothing like this,” Hannah Goodman, a clothing designer, said in an interview at her colourful studio.
The four-storey structure built in 1919 houses design, manufacturing and artistic workshops, adding to the creative flavour of the neighbourhood that has long been the site of low-cost studios and music spaces.
One of the current tenants is SuperStudio, a non-profit artist collective started in 2006 that facilitates the renting of 10 studios in the building, shared by approximately 45 artists.
The building has hosted concert series and dance events throughout the years and has been home to emerging artists and musicians over the years, such as Grimes and Sean Nicholas Savage.
But now, artists fear they’ll be forced out as developers want to demolish the structure to build connected 11- and eight-storey buildings in its place, which would house 176 rental units, as well as commercial spaces and artists’ workshops.
Outremont takes step toward redevelopment
Goodman has had a studio in the building for 11 years where she’s run her clothing brand Hannah Isolde. She primarily sells handmade blouses and dresses, inspired by qualities of antique and vintage textiles.
She pays just over $400 in rent for a studio space that is shared with two other artists. She fears she will not be able to afford another space.
“It’s so stressful, it makes me question if I can even continue my business,” she said. “You know, I’m in a slow season right now, so I don’t have a lot of cash flow.”
Goodman poses with one of her handmade dresses at her studio. (Hannah Beach/CBC)
The Outremont borough council adopted a draft resolution which aims to authorize the redevelopment project, but has yet to approve the demolition of the building.
Rents in the neighbourhood have climbed in recent years with the arrival of upscale office lofts and the new Université de Montréal campus. In January, Goodman’s lease was not renewed and instead became month-to-month.
Goodman said she and the two artists she shares the space with have been verbally told they have to leave by the end of the summer, but have not been given formal notice.
Earlier this week, the manager of the building, Hillpark, and the developer, Mondev, held an information session about the redevelopment project.
Goodman attended and was disappointed by the information shared, which included a floor plan that showed nine atelier spaces on the ground level that she described as unaffordable and designed without the arts community in mind.
Down the hall from Goodman, Tyrin Kelly runs Trap Door Printing, a screenprinting and design business that does print work for bands, including posters and album art.
Kelly has been considering leaving but the only available studios he sees would cost him double his current rent.
“This is what the studio has allowed me to do, just be self-employed and start a small business. Without spaces like this, it makes it a lot harder to do that,” he said.
Tyrin Kelly at his studio space at 435 Beaubien Ave. W. (Hannah Beach/CBC)Borough negotiating with building owners
Outremont borough mayor Caroline Braun said the borough is slowly changing to a family neighbourhood, but wants to keep its historical ties.
“We value a lot the tradition of this neighbourhood, the fact that they were artists and we want to keep that tradition. We want to keep that culture and we want to keep it strongly,” Braun said in an interview.
The borough is negotiating with the building owners to move the artists to another space nearby during construction, and trying to see if it is possible to keep 10,000 square feet for artists’ studio spaces in the new building, Braun said.
She also said she spoke with the building owners about keeping the new studio spaces affordable, and they are working on it to see what they can afford.
She urged artists to attend the public consultation meeting on June 18 to discuss the project further and work together.
“The decision hasn’t been taken yet,” she said.
The exterior of 435 Beaubien Ave. W. (Hannah Beach/CBC)Building not fit to be renovated, owners say
The owners of the building are listed as Jeremy Kornbluth and Brandon Shiller, who own several properties in the area and have a history of trying to push out low-rent tenants for redevelopment.
When asked for interviews, Kornbluth, as well as Mondev, sent the same statement outlining their plan to demolish the building, saying it is in an “advanced state of deterioration” that cannot be renovated.
“We are aware of the impact this situation may have on tenants, particularly the artists who occupied the space and carried out their creative work there,” the statement said.
“In this context, we have committed to covering the moving costs of affected tenants and supporting them in their efforts to find new spaces that meet their needs.”
Goodman hopes to stay together with the other members of their artist collective during the renovation process and then back to 435 Beaubien Ave. W. after the work is complete.
“I’m not asking for the project to be stopped. I’m just really asking for the artists to be considered and to think about all that an artistic community brings to the borough as a whole.”