Beloved Verdun natatorium slated to be demolished
The natatorium pavilion in Verdun has been closed for renovations since 2017 and now the 86-year-old-building will likely be torn down.
Growing up, Wendy Duncan spent her summers swimming at the Verdun natatorium.
"You might come for a couple of hours and end up staying the whole day, and at the end of it you'd be ravenous, and then you'd go upstairs to the rooftop where there was a small snack bar and you could pick up potato chips, five cents a bag," said the LaSalle resident.
The natatorium was inaugurated in July 1940. It was the first outdoor pool in Montreal and the largest in Canada at the time.
"Everyone came to the natatorium if you wanted to swim … this was the spot. This was the big pool," she said.
The pool is still open in the summer months but its art deco pavilion is closed. Verdun's former mayor says his sources tell him the building is set to be torn down.
The city is expected to make an official announcement during a public meeting at city hall Tuesday.
"I was really surprised and I said no, no, no it's not possible," said Jean-François Parenteau, Verdun's former mayor.
Parenteau isn't the only person opposed to the project.
"That's totally insane. This is part of the history of Montreal in particular for Verdun," said Yasmine Amraoui.
"It would be a loss not just to this community but to a lot of other communities, too," Duncan added.
The building, with change rooms and showers inside, has been closed for renovations since 2017.
Work on the building stopped the same year when major structural problems were found.
Parenteau says elected officials can stop the demolition.
"They asked me to demolish this building and I said no. They stopped the project for seven years," he said.
Heritage Montreal says given its age degradation of concrete is an issue and is urging officials with the City of Montreal to get involved.
"There have been examples where they found ways to repair it without damaging the heritage value in some other places they had to to reproduce it. So these are different strategies," said Dinu Bumbaru, Heritage Montreal's policy director and spokesperson.
The City of Montreal did not reply to a request for comment by publication time.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Teen was doing homework at family's Mississauga, Ont. restaurant when gunman opened fire: testimony
The 13-year-old sister of a young man killed in the attack on her family’s Mississauga restaurant in 2021 took the stand in a Brampton courthouse on Monday to describe the terrifying moments of coming under fire.
'Repetitive partisan conduct': Conservatives to force vote on ousting Speaker Greg Fergus
The federal Conservatives have advanced a motion that will force MPs to vote on whether to oust Greg Fergus as House of Commons Speaker, after MPs' deputy adjudicator ruled Monday that the Liberal member's allegedly errant partisan event invite required urgent attention.
Trial for B.C. man accused of killing, dismembering wife begins
The trial for a Langley man accused of killing his wife began Monday, with the prosecutor laying out a disturbing series of facts agreed upon by both Crown and defence.
Stars roar back to win Game 3 over Oilers
Jason Robertson's hat-trick goal midway through the third period broke a deadlock and proved to be the eventual winner as the Dallas Stars beat the host Edmonton Oilers 5-3 in Game 3 of the Western Conference Final to take a 2-1 series lead.
What a CBSA strike could look like, according to an expert
Slowed or interrupted travel, the passing of goods and significantly restricted borders should be expected if Canadian border workers take upcoming strike action.
WATCH Alta. man rescues wild foal trapped on steep cliffside
A man's daring rescue of a newborn wild foal that was trapped after falling down a steep embankment was caught on video over the weekend.
Severe thunderstorms, tornado watch in some areas of Canada. Here's where
Depending on where you live, you can expect to get a mixed bag of weather this week, as local forecasts predict heavy rain, strong wind, severe thunderstorms and even snowfall across some areas of Canada.
B.C. senior prepares to move due to devastating effects of fraud
A Courtenay, B.C., senior is downsizing and packing to move as she comes to accept she can no longer afford to stay in her home, after falling victim to a scam that robbed her of her life savings worth more than $100,000.
Israel close to approving Gaza reunification program before Rafah invasion: Miller
Immigration Minister Marc Miller says Israel seemed to be on the verge of approving a program to get Palestinian relatives of Canadians out of the Gaza Strip before the country's invasion of the town of Rafah.