{"id":917278,"date":"2026-10-02T01:56:17","date_gmt":"2026-10-02T01:56:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/917278\/"},"modified":"2026-10-02T01:56:17","modified_gmt":"2026-10-02T01:56:17","slug":"abandoned-st-henri-plant-known-for-little-pink-house-at-immediate-risk-of-collapse-engineer","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/917278\/","title":{"rendered":"Abandoned St-Henri plant known for little pink house at \u2018immediate\u2019 risk of collapse: engineer"},"content":{"rendered":"

The former Canada Malting plant in Montreal\u2019s St-Henri neighbourhood poses an immediate structural risk and needs to be demolished before collapsing, a new engineering report says.<\/p>\n

The iconic landmark, next to the Lachine Canal, has long been abandoned and has now reached what the report describes as a \u201cstate of irreversible ruin.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe risk of structural collapse is immediate and unpredictable,\u201d wrote Andr\u00e9 Houle, the engineer who authored the report. \u201cIt could occur at any moment, without any warning signs.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"TheThe former Canada Malting industrial site in Montreal\u2019s St-Henri neighbourhood. Allen McInnis \/ Montreal Gazette<\/p>\n

The site\u2019s owners commissioned the report this summer at the request of the Sud-Ouest borough, which is reviewing their proposal to turn the site into a 685-unit housing development. <\/p>\n

In a statement Thursday, borough mayor V\u00e9ronique Fournier said steps are being taken to secure the site, including closing the stretch of St-Ambroise St. in front of the plant. <\/p>\n

But Fournier said the borough is also having the report independently reviewed. <\/p>\n

\"AThe walls of the upper sections of the former Canada Malting site have been deemed unsafe and at risk of collapse. Allen McInnis \/ Montreal Gazette<\/p>\n

\"AAllen McInnis \/Montreal Gazette<\/p>\n

\u201cGiven its heritage value, its complexity, and the deep attachment Montrealers feel toward the symbol it represents, we deemed it our duty to verify whether the emergency demolition of part of the site was truly justified,\u201d Fournier wrote. <\/p>\n

Houle\u2019s report draws particular attention to the building\u2019s brick facade on St-Ambroise St., but deems the overall site to be beyond repair, suggesting its different components and silos should all be razed. <\/p>\n

Built in 1905 and expanded in 1930, the plant malted barley used to produce beer, spirits and food products. It was abandoned in the 1980s, but has remained a neighbourhood landmark. In 2019, a control cabin atop a grain silo was painted pink and decorated, gaining its own popularity.<\/p>\n

\"AThe mysterious little pink house that sits atop the old Canada Malting plant. Dave Sidaway \/ Montreal Gazette files<\/p>\n

How the site should be redeveloped has been debated for years. <\/p>\n

Community organizations and advocates have long demanded any project should meet the neighbourhood\u2019s social housing needs and preserve part of the site\u2019s heritage.<\/p>\n

Under the current proposal, 20 per cent of the project\u2019s 685 units would be dedicated to social housing. Hugo Lanscotte, a community organizer with CDC Solidarit\u00e9 Saint-Henri, said Thursday that share should be much higher.<\/p>\n

He also stressed how important the site is to the community.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhile safety concerns are a logical factor, the site also carries significant heritage importance \u2014 both in terms of its historical value and the sense of belonging it fosters among people in the neighbourhood,\u201d Lanscotte said.<\/p>\n

\"DecayedThe engineering report deems the overall site to be beyond repair, suggesting its different components and silos should all be razed. Allen McInnis \/ Montreal Gazette<\/p>\n

Noam Schnitzer, who is heading the project, declined an interview request. In a statement, Schnitzer said he understands the \u201cunique place\u201d the site holds in St-Henri and Montreal\u2019s industrial legacy, and is committed to respecting it. <\/p>\n

Fournier, the borough mayor, said clear conditions have been set for the site\u2019s development, including it come with a significant proportion of social housing and honour its heritage.<\/p>\n

\u201cOne thing is certain,\u201d the mayor added. \u201cThis iconic site will undergo major transformations in the coming years.\u201d<\/p>\n

jfeith@postmedia.com<\/a><\/p>\n

\t\tEditor\u2019s Picks\t<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The former Canada Malting plant in Montreal\u2019s St-Henri neighbourhood poses an immediate structural risk and needs to be…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":917279,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[22],"tags":[49,48,295,4520,66],"class_list":["post-917278","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-environment","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-environment","tag-housing","tag-science"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/917278","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=917278"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/917278\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/917279"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=917278"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=917278"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=917278"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}