Héritage Montréal, 2022
The iconic Van Horne Warehouse was built in 1924 on the narrow rectangular lot between the Canadian Pacific Railway and Van Horne Avenue, facing St. Lawrence Boulevard.
It was built by Wilfrid Duquette for his warehousing company, the St. Lawrence Warehousing Company, which owned the building until the early 1960s. Thereafter, several owners and occupants succeeded one another, but the warehousing vocation remained, notably Docu-Dépôt and Docudata.
Since the 1990s, the sector has undergone a major transformation, particularly with deindustrialization. Large industries are leaving the area, and new uses are appearing. Along Van Horne, under the viaduct and near the railroad, citizen initiatives are also appearing, aiming to invest these places that were closed to the population for a long time. The Champ des possibles, Kabane 77, the multifunctional track (since 1994), and the skatepark are all initiatives that allow citizens to transform urban life near the railroad.
Gabor Szilasi, 1981, Bibliothèque et Archives Canada
A landmark in the Montreal landscape, the Van Horne Warehouse is characterized by its minimal fenestration in rows. Indeed, the brown brick envelope is pierced only by a few narrow horizontal windows, testifying to its continuous use as a warehouse. Also noticeable is the exposed concrete structure, which gives rhythm to the building’s facades.
The painted signs on the building recall its former uses and owners.
Finally, the iconic water tower that tops the warehouse is a major landmark for Montrealers. Visible from afar, it is a reminder of the area’s industrial past – being the last one in the neighborhood.
Le Devoir, 2022
The Van Horne warehouse is located north of Mile End, in the Plateau-Mont-Royal. It is an area in transformation, as seen in the redevelopment of the area under the Van Horne overpass and the development of the bicycle network. Just north of the building, the Mile-Ex / Marconi-Alexandra sector is also a rapidly developing area. Many are therefore interested in the transformation of the former Van Horne warehouse.
It is in this context that a first transformation project was presented in 2013. The new owner then attempted to deploy a mixed commercial and residential redevelopment project where the facades would be almost entirely glass. The project did not materialize, thanks in particular to the intervention of Héritage Montréal, which placed the Van Horne Warehouse on its list of 10 sites to watch for the year 2014.
Then, in January 2023, a new owner proposed a mixed-use project combining retail, offices and a hotel. The project would transform the entire building, including the addition of numerous windows on the facades.
The project is subject to a public consultation with Montrealers, who can express their attachment to this emblematic building, but also their vision for the neighbourhood. The results of the consultation will be presented in the spring of 2023.
Following the 2023 public consultation, citizens and the Montréal community expressed their disagreement with the developer’s proposed plan, arguing that it did not respect the building’s architectural elements and that the intended use did not meet the needs of the local community.
In response, the developer commissioned an independent firm to consult local stakeholders in order to design a more inclusive project. This collaborative process led to the integration of artist studios and spaces for community groups, offered at affordable rents.
Meanwhile, between 2024 and 2025, the Urban Planning and Mobility Department and the borough prepared and published a heritage interest statement to identify the site’s historical, architectural, and cultural components that contribute to its heritage value, with the aim of better assessing the architectural interventions proposed by the developer.
Consult the heritage statement for the Van Horne warehouse (City of Montréal)
In June 2025, the borough announced that the developer’s Van Horne warehouse transformation project will be submitted to the Office of Public Consultation of Montréal in the fall of 2025.
For more information: Van Horne Warehouse Transformation
In 2014, Héritage Montréal placed the Van Horne Warehouse on its list of 10 sites to watch for the coming year.
In 2023, in the wake of the presentation of the new project and the ensuing public consultation, Héritage Montréal sent a letter to the elected officials of the boroughs concerned (Plateau-Mont-Royal and Rosemont-La-Petite-Patrie) as well as to the local historical societies in the area (Mile End Memories, Société d’histoire du Plateau-Mont-Royal and Société d’histoire de Rosemont-La Petite-Patrie).
Héritage Montréal, 2022
Plateau-Mont-Royal Borough
Mechanisms for protection
Urban Development
Private : Rester Management
No upkeep
Lack of knowledge
Demand for land, speculation
Inappropriate/incompatible use
Vandalism
Duquette and Patenaude, building contractors
Owner
Industrial
1924
Inventoried : Témoin architectural significatif (TAS)
How do you see this Montreal site? What legacy has it left us? What future can we create for it? Where to start to get there? Who wants to participate in the project?
You have questions? Want to do more, but lack the information? Consult our toolkit to learn more about the heritage of the Montreal metropolitan area, the preservation mechanisms in place and possible actions.
