The maintenance costs of this complex’s historic red brick chimney are currently the focus of debate among the site co-owners. The structure is deteriorating, and action must be taken. Some people have actually said they would like to see the chimney disappear from the site. Others, conversely, wish to see it preserved because of its historic and heritage value:

“The machinery industry saw the arrival in Maisonneuve of another giant in its field, the United Shoe Machinery Company of Canada. This was the Canadian branch of a U.S. company that had set up a veritable trust (monopoly) on the machinery used for shoemaking. [. . .] The Canadian branch was established in 1899 and opened its plant in Montreal. The company naturally profited from the rapid growth of the footwear industry early in the 20th century, and its Montreal facilities soon proved inadequate. Casting about for a new site, it settled on Maisonneuve. It would seem that councillor Oscar Dufresne, himself a shoemaker, played an important role in that decision. True to its habit, the city generously granted a 20-year tax holiday. The plant was built in 1911 on Boyce Street; the property valuation that year was $200,000. At the time, the number of employees was 300; it rose to 350 in 1913. Today, the plant has been converted to condominiums.” Source: www.espace-ressources.uqam.ca (freely translated)

So far, the Borough of Mercier–Hochelaga-Maisonneuve has not given its opinion on the file. The site co-owners were scheduled to meet again in April 2019 to discuss the future of the chimney.