The Old Port’s promenade includes several piers, built between 1899 and 1903 along the river. These piers helped resolve two issues on this side of the city. First, the work included the construction of a 1.5-kilometer floodwall, built higher than the water level reached during the 1886 flood. This permanently eliminated the threat of flooding in the lower town. Second, the location of this wall made it possible to widen rue de la Commune, which reached a minimum width of 24 meters.

Dominating the Old Port skyline with their height and mass, the structures of Pointe-du-Moulin recall the intense industrial activity that once characterized Montréal’s harbor precinct. With its massive grain elevators, marine towers and conveyors, piers, and spillways, the jetty forms a heritage ensemble of major importance in the industrial development of both Canada and Montréal.

By its scale, layout, and volumetry, Silo No. 5 creates a monumental alignment nearly 400 meters long along Pointe-du-Moulin. It is composed of three distinct sections connected by aerial galleries. Along with the port’s floating elevators—once used to unload grain directly from the holds of lakers and simultaneously load transatlantic vessels without touching the quays—this silo illustrates the technological feats of its era. The Grand Trunk Railway began construction of Silo No. 5 in 1903, but the complex was completed in four major phases: 1906, 1913, 1924, and 1958. Silo No. 5 thus stands as a unique example of the architectural evolution of grain elevators during the 20th century. However, it has been out of use since 1996 and has since suffered from neglect and the absence of public access.

Although the Canada Lands Company (CLC) held a public consultation and preliminary documents were revised in 2018, the master plan has still not been published. Nevertheless, in the wake of the 2022 election campaign, funding of $50 million was granted for work on the Old Port site.

In 2019, a call for proposals was launched for the redevelopment of the Pointe-du-Moulin / Silo No. 5 sector. The CLC has still not released the official results of the call for proposals, although the winning group was authorized to comment publicly on the project.

While awaiting the implementation of this master plan, various recreational-commercial installations continue to clutter the landscape and detract from the remarkable ensemble formed by the riverfront of Old Montréal and the entrance to the Lachine Canal. Particularly regrettable are the presence of the zipline park facing the landmark Bonsecours Market, the Grande Roue, and the planned observation tower in front of the Pointe-à-Callière Museum which is expected to open to the public in 2023.

In 2024, it was announced that the Old Port revitalization plan, developed in 2017, would not be carried out for budgetary reasons. An alternative plan will be developed in the coming years to reconsider financing options.

Pointe-du-Moulin, for its part, is included in the revitalization plan for the Bridge-Bonaventure sector. In collaboration with the federal government, the City of Montréal plans to transform this former industrial district into a mixed residential and commercial neighborhood that includes affordable and social housing. This project was the subject of a public consultation led by the OCPM in 2019.

Following this consultation, a development master plan was prepared and then submitted to a second public consultation in 2023, before being adopted in 2025. The protection and enhancement of built and landscape heritage are among the five major priorities for the sector’s future development.

The restoration and rehabilitation of heritage buildings, such as Silo No. 5, has been identified as a priority. However, the redevelopment of this building falls under the responsibility of the Canada Lands Company, which in 2022 began steps to establish an urban farm there. According to Noovo Info, as of 2025 this project is currently stalled due to negotiations between the developer Devimco, responsible for the development of Pointe-du-Moulin, the City of Montréal, and the CLC regarding the number of housing units to be integrated into the sector.

In the past, Héritage Montréal has contributed to several public consultations on the protection and development of the Old Port (notably in 1985–1986) and Old Montréal, as well as on related topics such as the Downtown Heights and Densities Review Framework (2011) and the Downtown Strategy (2016). Héritage Montréal was also invited to be part of the committee that supported the process of developing the 2017 master plan.

As part of the public consultations held in 2017, Héritage Montréal submitted a brief stating that the vocation and guiding principles established in the 1980s remain relevant today. Overall, the master plan draws inspiration from them, but at times seems to deviate from them without necessity or justification. For example, the hotel and commercial functions proposed for the Clock Tower Quay could compete with services offered in Old Montréal and risk weakening them. It has not been demonstrated that they respond to actual needs that cannot otherwise be met. Moreover, the new buildings proposed to accommodate these functions would affect river views from rue de la Commune.

Finally, the planning and enhancement of the Old Port and Pointe-du-Moulin sector were the subject of one of our 2020 resolutions (2020-04). Following the adoption of this resolution, Héritage Montréal maintained regular communication with the Canada Lands Company to learn about its intentions and the timeline for removing amusement installations from the site.