Montreal prepares to sell long-abandoned Empress theatre

Decades of neglect may end Montreal plans to sell the abandoned Empress Theatre, aiming to transform it into a mixed-use heritage site.

The Empress Theatre, a nearly century-old landmark in Montreal's Notre-Dame-de-Grâce (NDG) neighbourhood, may soon be revitalized.

After decades of neglect, the City of Montreal is preparing to sell the historic building on Sherbrooke Street West.

The city declined an interview request but said it plans to transform the building into a mixed-use space combining housing and commercial units.

Residents in the neighbourhood say they approve of the plan.

"I think it would be really cool to have an entertainment space, or a rec room for kids or something. Community center of some sort even," said Shane Muir, who grew up in the neighbourhood.

But longtime NDG resident Howard McGillis says he will believe it when he sees it.

Numerous projects to save the theatre have been presented over the past decades, but none have been completed.

Paul Scriver was part of a citizens' group that tried to bring the Empress back to life.

"I'm hopeful, but at the same time, it feels like the continuation of a cycle that has been going for a long time. And it's a series of setbacks that happened with the Empress," Scriver said.

The theatre, which opened in 1927, was a burlesque hotspot, a dinner theatre, and a movie theatre before a fire prompted its closure in 1992.

Its architecture is one of the best examples of the Egyptian revival style in Montreal.

Dinu Bumbaru with Heritage Montreal says the building is in poor condition because of years of neglect and rain infiltration, adding that the city needs to move quickly.

"This is a public asset that has been known to be of heritage interest for many, many years. You know, the city of Montreal somehow should find a way to move into a result mode.