Legendary Montreal concert hall La Tulipe shuts down

One of Montreal's biggest cultural institutions, La Tulipe, announced that it has closed down "for now" in light of a recent court decision.

"It was with sadness, disappointment and incomprehension that we received yesterday's ruling from the Quebec Court of Appeal requiring us to stop emitting noise from sound equipment at LA TULIPE," reads a statement issued Tuesday from the concert hall.

The venue, which has been in Montreal's Plateau-Mont-Royal borough since 1913, cited a ruling handed down Monday from the Quebec Court of Appeal that said it had to stop making noise, which could be heard from the building next door.

The neighbour has been in a longstanding legal dispute with La Tulipe over the last several years over noise complaints, which prompted police visits, tickets, and a lawsuit.

"LA TULIPE, a heritage venue built in the early 1900s, has lost its status as a cultural jewel as well as its economic value. With this ruling by the Quebec Court of Appeal, the future of culture in Montreal is at stake - because no venue or concert hall is safe from now on," their statement reads.

Over the years, the venue at the corner of Papineau Ave. and Mont-Royal Ave. has welcomed a number of artists, including Les Cowboys Fringants, Franz Ferdinand, Feist, Cœur de Pirate, The National, and Jane Birkin, among others.

La Tulipe. (Source: Noovo Info)

In 2016, the neighbour next door had acquired the adjacent building and converted it from a commercial space to residential — "a permit error recognized by the municipal administration," La Tulipe said.

Following the legal battle, a Superior Court decision in 2023 ordered the venue to soundproof the shared wall between the two buildings. But the owners said they couldn't proceed with that work "since this neighbour is appealing and the judgment was handed down yesterday. LA TULIPE must no longer emit audible noise from sound equipment - such as the musicians' sound system and amplifiers - as specified in section 9 of the Plateau-Mont-Royal Noise By-law."

Owners are asking the city to intervene and address the sudden closure.

In a post on X, Luc Rabouin, borough mayor of Plateau-Mont-Royal and chair of Mayor Valerie Plante's executive committee, said Monday's court ruling was "surprising" and has requested a city council meeting on Thursday to address the issue.

"More details to come tomorrow," he wrote in his post.

The opposition at City Hall said it was also concerned about the ruling and its impact on the venue's future.  

"We remain deeply shocked that an error by the borough of Plateau-Mont-Royal has led to such a nightmare for this cultural institution in our city," said Chantal Rossi, Ensemble Montreal's critic for culture, in a statement on Monday. 

"We call on the Plante administration to tell us what it intends to do to ensure the continued existence of La Tulipe and how this ruling will impact its approach to implementing its future nightlife policy."