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
Woman found dead in Lake Ontario in 2017 matches identity of missing person in Switzerland
Genetic genealogy has helped Toronto police identify a woman who was found dead in Lake Ontario in 2017.
Fish oil supplements may raise risk of stroke, heart issues, study suggests
As an excellent source of heart-healthy omega-3 fatty acids, daily fish oil supplements are a popular way to keep the risk of cardiovascular disease at bay.
DEVELOPING Republican National Committee in Washington evacuated after blood vials received in package
The headquarters of the Republican National Committee in Washington, D.C., was briefly evacuated on Wednesday morning after a suspicious package containing two vials of blood was delivered to the building, the police said.
Private island on Nova Scotia's South Shore listed for $15.8M
A private island on Nova Scotia’s South Shore has been listed for sale with a $11.5-million USD price tag.
'Happy tears' of victim's sister after prison attack on serial killer Robert Pickton
Cynthia Cardinal said she was 'overwhelmed' with happiness when she received a text message on Monday with the news that serial killer Robert Pickton, who murdered her sister, was attacked in prison. She called it 'karma.'
Montreal photographer captures dramatic Canada goose vs. fox fight on video
A Montreal photographer captured the moment a Canada goose defended itself from a fox at the Botanical Garden.
World's most expensive feather sells at New Zealand auction
A feather from a long-extinct New Zealand bird has set a record after selling for $46,521 NZD (about US$28,400), the auction house handling the sale has said.
Interpol says more than 1,500 stolen Canadian vehicles identified since February
Interpol says more than 200 stolen Canadian vehicles have been found each week across the globe since February.
If this is Rafael Nadal's last French Open, it should be similar to Serena Williams' last U.S. Open
If this is, as expected, Rafael Nadal's final French Open, it will be one that everyone — the 37-year-old Spaniard included — surely will remember vividly.