The City of Montreal plans to revitalize the long-mothballed Empress Theatre as a mixed-used project.

The City of Montreal has announced its intention to sell the historic building in the Notre-Dame-de-Grâce (NDG) borough for redevelopment after it was abandoned more than 30 years ago.

“The Empress Theatre has undergone a financial analysis that will allow us to proceed with a sale shortly,” Annie Gerbeau, interim director of the city’s real estate strategy department.

She made the comments during a presentation to the city’s finance and administration committee outlining the department’s activities and goals for 2025.

According to Gerbeau, “financial profitability analyses promoting site development scenarios” were conducted this year, with the next step being the drafting of call-for-proposals documents.

A spokesperson for Mayor Valérie Plante and the city executive committee told the Montreal Gazette that potential uses for the old theatre are still under review.

“It will be a mixed project with residential,” said spokesperson Simon Charron. “There will be at least 20% of non-market housing on site,” in line with city regulations.

Paul Scriver, a former member of the Empress Cultural Centre, hopes the city will preserve the theatre’s legacy and retain part of the building for arts and culture activities.

“It would be a shame if the building just became private residences because that denies all of the effort that the community has put in for many years,” Scriver told CBC.

“I’m a bit trepidatious, but I’m hopeful that if the city has the right developer, they can do something correct with it,” he added.

Scriver reminisced about the theatre’s vibrant past as Cinema V, a cultural hub in the 1980s where residents gathered to watch films and socialize. He also emphasized the community’s long-standing involvement in preserving the building, recalling efforts to raise funds for roof repairs and consultations to envision a shared commercial and cultural space.

Dinu Bumbaru, policy director at Heritage Montreal, called for the city to select a developer who will respect the community’s vision.

“It’s not clear how the city wants to accompany [the developer],” he told CBC. “Is it by smashing a set of heritage rules … or can they work with the imagination of people?”

He stressed that the building deserves a “lively function” that honours its historical and cultural significance.

Built in 1927 by architect Alcide Chaussé in the Egyptian Revival style, the Empress Theatre originally hosted burlesque performances before transitioning into Cinema V. However, a fire in 1992 marked the end of its glory days. Despite multiple proposals for redevelopment over the years, the building has remained vacant.

Scott McLeod, a filmmaker and artist who created an animated short about the theatre, told CBC that its supporters should find every federal, provincial or municipal grant that can preserve the venue’s heritage.

“This is a gem,” he told CBC.

While the city says it will carefully evaluate developers’ proposals, community members remain cautiously optimistic about the future of the beloved NDG landmark.

“It’s time for action,” Scriver told the Gazette. “But we hope that action honours the past while creating a space the community can once again take pride in.”

Photo: Heritage Montreal