The brainchild of architect Moshe Safdie, Habitat 67 was conceived of as an alternative concept for post-war North American suburban housing. Construction took place from 1965 to 1970, and made innovative use of prefabricated concrete modules. The complex, one of the last vestiges of the Expo 67 world’s fair, is today hailed worldwide as an architectural monument for its avant-garde design. Conservation of the structure and real-estate pressure in the Cité du Havre neighbourhood are among the threats and challenges to the future of Habitat 67.

In summer 2001, Heritage Montreal learned of a developer’s plan to build a residential tower on a green space located to the east of Habitat 67. A coalition created by the Conseil régional de l’environnement, which Heritage Montreal joined, convinced the Borough of Ville-Marie to amend the zoning by-law to guarantee preservation of the green space and force the developer to abandon the project.

At working sessions on 20th-century heritage hosted in Montreal and Paris by the International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS) in September 2001, it was noted that Habitat 67 is the only Canadian building to feature in books about modernist architecture. Considering the site’s emblematic value, its outstanding, world-renowned architectural value, and the challenges linked to conservation of modern built heritage, Heritage Montreal decided to file a request with the Quebec Ministry of Culture and Communications to have Habitat 67 declared a listed property and thus ensure its recognition and continued reputation.

On April 18, 2002, the International Day of Monuments and Sites, the request was sent to then Culture and Communications Minister Diane Lemieux. On October 9, 2008, the minister at the time, Christine Saint-Pierre, formally announced her intention to have this icon of Montreal’s skyline classified. Habitat 67, along with Moshe Safdie’s own apartment in the complex, was designated a historic monument on February 26, 2009.

Official classification as a heritage property ensures recognition of the outstanding architectural and historical value of Habitat 67. The owners of the property now have an effective lever to ensure its long-term conservation.

The success of efforts to ensure recognition and listing of Habitat 67 teach us that there is no need to wait until a heritage monument is vulnerable or in imminent danger to take action.