Talk by Kevin Cohalan, Nathalie Tremblay and Joshua Wolfe
Church of the Ascension before 1910 / Archives of the Anglican Diocese of Montreal
Finding new uses for heritage buildings is often a challenge. The transformation of the Church of the Ascension into a neighbourhood library is considered to have been a great succes. What lessons can be learned from it?
The three speakers will present the history of the Church of the Ascension in the context of the evolution of the neighbourhood, as well as the process of its conversion into a library in the 1990s. Other examples of reuse of former places of worship in Québec will also be reviewed, with a view to understanding the challenges involved in this kind of project.
Kevin Cohalan is a member of the board of the Société d’histoire du Plateau Mont-Royal. A specialist in the churches of Mile End, he was the initiator in the early 1990s of the citizen movement to save the Church of the Ascension.
Nathalie Tremblay is an architect, and member of the board of Mile End Memories. During her career she has developed expertise in residential construction, with a particular interest in questions involving the preservation of built heritage. She has thus worked on numerous projects involving the renovation, enlargement, or reuse of existing buildings.
An urban planning graduate, Joshua Wolfe is a member of the board of Mile End Memories. He set up the Comité du patrimoine bâti juif and has served on the board of the Fondation du patrimoine religieux du Québec. His participation in urban affairs began in the late 1970s, when he was a member of Sauvons Montréal, and later executive director of Heritage Montreal.
- Sunday 31 January 2016, 2:00 – 4:00 pm
- Mordecai-Richler Library – Mile End District, 5434 avenue du Parc, Montréal (south of Saint-Viateur – 80 bus) – in the upstairs meeting room
- Free, no reservation required
- Presentation in French, discussion in English and in French
Sounds very interesting! Before I invite an elderly friend, is there an elevator or a stairlift to the ‘upstairs meeting room’? Thank you!
Hello Laurie – Yes, the library is accessible. There are ramps to bypass the stairs at the front entrance, and there is an elevator to the upstairs meeting room. The elevator is usually unlocked and available about 15 minutes before we start (if you arrive earlier, you may have to wait downstairs). Looking forward to meeting you Sunday.