On Thursday 22 November 2018, Mile End Memories celebrated its 15th anniversary at the Rialto Theatre. We also took the opportunity to highlight the remarkable restoration of this Montreal heritage jewel, an important pole of the neighborhood cultural scene. Two “illustrators-in-residence”, Pascal Girard and Michel Hellman, sketched the proceedings during the evening. Here is a souvenir album of the event. Unless otherwise indicated, photos are by Joanie Fortin.
Drawing by Michel Hellman.
Drawing by Michel Hellman.
Drawing by Michel Hellman.
Dinu Bumbaru, policy director of Héritage Montréal, with Marie Plourde, borough councillor for the Mile End district and master of ceremonies for the evening, and Ruba Ghazal, MNA for Mercier. At right, Jean Décarie.
Historical panels created for the Viaduc 375 event.
A guest in conversation with Mélissa Lavictoire.
Nathalie Tremblay of Mile End Memories, with Mercier MNA Ruba Ghazal, and Rialto Theatre owner Ezio Carosielli.
Drawing by Pascal Girard.
Noëlle Samson, of the Mile End Citizens’ Committee, with Caroline Magar of the Amis du Champ des Possibles.
Susan Bronson, a founder of Mile End Memories, and Richard Ryan, city councillor for the Mile End district. Photo: Helen Fotopulos.
Drawing by Pascal Girard.
Justin Bur and Yves Desjardins, of Mile End Memories, with Ruba Ghazal, member for Mercier of the National Assembly of Quebec.
Joshua Wolfe, of Mile End Memories, with Dinu Bumbaru and Carole Deniger, president of Héritage Montréal.
Marie Plourde, master of ceremonies for the evening.
Drawings by Michel Hellman.
Dinu Bumbaru’s rallying cry inspired both of our artists! Drawing by Pascal Girard.
Dinu Bumbaru’s speech mentioned the importance of finding new functions for heritage buildings to ensure their conservation.
An attentive audience.
Joanie Fortin, photographer for the evening, and Richard Ryan, city councillor for the Mile End district. Drawing by Pascal Girard.
Richard Ryan pointed out the importance of places of memory such as the Rialto in the life of the neighborhood.
Helen Fotopulos, former Mile End councillor and Plateau-Mont-Royal borough mayor, highlighted the role played by citizen movements in the municipal decision-making process.
Drawing by Pascal Girard.
D. Kimm, artistic director of Les Filles électriques, highlighted the generosity of Rialto owners Ezio Carosielli and Luisa Sassano, his wife, towards the Mile End artistic community.
D.Kimm as seen by Pascal Girard.
Speech by Ruba Ghazal, MNA for Mercier.
Ruba Ghazal, drawn by Pascal Girard.
Ruba Ghazal took the opportunity to present a Medal of the National Assembly of Québec to Mile End Memories.
Yves Desjardins, Ruba Ghazal and Justin Bur.
Medal of the National Assembly.
The speeches of Helen Fotopulos and Ruba Ghazal as sketched by Michel Hellman.
During his speech, Justin Bur paid tribute to Mile End Memories’ predecessors, those who contributed to the rediscovery of the history and heritage of Mile End.
Drawing by Pascal Girard.
By Michel Hellman.
Mile End Memories presented a gift of two books to Ezio and Luisa in recognition of their essential role in the preservation of the Rialto – Dictionnaire historique du Plateau Mont-Royal and Histoire du Mile End.
Luisa Sassano and Ezio Carosielli, owners of the Rialto Theatre. Photo: Helen Fotopulos.
Justin Bur with Kevin Cohalan of the Société d’histoire du Plateau-Mont-Royal.
Huguette Loubert of the Société d’histoire du Plateau-Mont-Royal. Photo: Helen Fotopulos.
Lucy Fellowes, descendant of the Bagg family, with Sherry Simon, professor at Concordia University and one of the founders of the Mile End Society for History and Culture.
Michèle Pontbriand and Marie Sterlin.
By Pascal Girard.
The evening’s illustrators at work!
Pascal Girard (on the stairs), Michel Hellman (in a chair); at right, Marie Plourde and Helen Fotopulos.
Claudine Schirardin, founder of the Mile End Citizens’ Committee, with Pierre Pagé of Montréal pour Tous. Photo: Helen Fotopulos.
Christine Richard, Alice Miquet, Melanie Leavitt and Joshua Wolfe, of Mile End Memories.
Alice Miquet and Pavlik Frank, of Mile End Memories.
Melanie Groh of Mile End Memories, in conversation with friends.
Jacques Desjardins, of the Friends of Saint-Laurent Boulevard, in conversation with Émilie Laliberté, political attaché of Ruba Ghazal, at right.
By Pascal Girard. Do you recognize yourself?
Alice Miquet, of Mile End Memories, in company of Barbara Eyer, Mijo Vaillancourt and Richard Ryan.
Kevin Cohalan and Yves Desjardins with historian Jean-Claude Robert.
Historian Paul-André Linteau, co-director of the Laboratoire d’histoire et de patrimoine de Montréal at UQAM. Photo: Helen Fotopulos.
Josefina Blanco, borough councillor for De Lorimier district, in conversation with Richard Ryan.
Hélène Meunier and Pascal Henrard.
At right, Christiane Gouin and Louis Delagrave, of the Société d’histoire Rosemont-Petite-Patrie.
By Pascal Girard.
By Pascal Girard.
Helen Fotopulos and Justin Bur.
Yves Desjardins signs a copy of Histoire du Mile End. At right, urban planner Jean Décarie.
Among others, Marie Plourde, Christine Richard, Annick Germain, Nicole Valois, Nathalie Tremblay, Susan Bronson and Noëlle Samson.
Joanne Boissy in conversation with Joshua Wolfe.
Kevin Cohalan, Simon-Olivier Gagnon and Ange Pasquini (Société d’histoire du Plateau-Mont-Royal).
Richard Ryan, with Mikaël St-Pierre and Joëlle Simard.
A good friend of Mile End Memories, Bernard Vallée, with Irène Ellenberger.
Anne Labelle, Helen Fotopulos and Dory Reimer.
Two former board members of Mile End Memories, Jean-Paul Simard and Michèle Pontbriand.
Annick Germain, professor at INRS – Urbanisation, Culture, Société, with Nathalie Tremblay of Mile End Memories.
At left, Gaetan Havart of Mile End Memories. At right, Richard Ryan in conversation with Charlie Julien and D. Kimm, of Les Filles électriques.
Caroline Magar, of the Amis du Champ des possibles; Ismaël Ulvik, of Local Montreal Tours; Caroline Prénovost, Montreal tour guide.
Giulia Verticchio speaks with Dinu Bumbaru.
Erik Slutsky with Nathalie Tremblay and Alice Miquet.
Mile End Memories thanks the partners and sponsors of this event: Rialto Theatre, Borough of Le Plateau-Mont-Royal, Ruba Ghazal – Member of the National Assembly for Mercier, Héritage Montréal, Ubisoft, and the Association des gens d’affaires du Mile End (AGAME).