Quote:
Originally Posted by MolsonExport
I personally believe that the preservation of Vieux Montreal was, to a large extent, what the late great Bob Ross would refer to as a happy accident": a silver lining of the economic stagnation that Montreal experienced in the 70s-80s, largely due to the winds of political change but also due to the de-industrialization that decimated many cities in North America during that time period. Much of the area below the VM expressway (Little Burgundy, St. Henri, the Pointe, Griffintown, Ville Emard, etc.) was in a time freeze. Next to no redevelopment, and plenty of vacant buildings. The entire area around the former Dow Planetarium (south of Windsor Station) was mostly abandoned factories for decades, right on the doorstep of downtown Montreal.
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That was basically the same set of circumstances that ended up saving the Exchange District in Winnipeg. It was never abandoned but there were many buildings that were dramatically underused for decades, huge 8 storey warehouses just filled with random junk. There are still a couple like that to this day, this building for instance is filled with inventory for sale that has probably been sitting on the shelves for 40+ years, it is absolutely mind-bending.
More here:
https://winnipeglovehate.com/2015/02...werier-co-ltd/