At the launch of its H-MTL - now Memento - platform, Héritage Montréal identified the Notman house as an "InspirAction".InspirAction in 2015, the fifth in a series that now numbers 16. The process that led to the safeguarding and enhancement of this emblematic house by the OSMO Foundation is indeed exemplary. Six years after opening its campus dedicated to providing resources for entrepreneurs and start-ups, I spoke to Annie-Claude Devriese, the Foundation's Executive Director, to highlight the journey made since the Notman campus opened in 2014.
A look back at the history of the Notman house
The Notman House, built in 1845, is named after William Notman, a famous photographer who arrived from Scotland in the 1850s and who owned the house from 1876 to 1891. His fame rests mainly on the 400,000 photographs he took, a unique testimony to the history of Montreal and Canada, which are now kept at the McCord Museum. Beginning in 1894, the house became the property of the Sisters of St. Margaret, who added a building at the back, which is still there today, and which served as a hospital until 1920, when it became a residence for elderly women until 1991.
Process of safeguarding and enhancing the Notman home
After being abandoned for many years, the OSMO Foundation became interested in the Notman House in the early 2000s in order to make it the "pillar of growth for the local entrepreneurial ecosystem" due, among other things, to its strategic location in the centre of the island, allowing for the convergence of local stakeholders. The Foundation, with the support of individuals and companies, acquired Notman House and the former St. Margaret's Hospital in 2011 to house its technology hub project for start-ups, investors, community groups, etc. The Foundation is also working to develop the Notman House and the former St. Margaret's Hospital. This purchase was made possible thanks to the support of individual and corporate donors and thanks to a sociofinancing campaign that enabled them to raise more than $100,000 in about 20 days. After renovations led by Sid Lee Architecture, the site will be officially inaugurated in June 2014. Since then, more than 200 entrepreneurs and start-ups have passed through Notman House to propel their businesses and take advantage of the network in place.
The Notman Campus: A Successful Initiative
Safeguarding and showcasing a heritage building is not an end in itself, however. In order to ensure its durability over time, it must be inhabited and be in dialogue with the community, which can represent a challenge, regardless of the project that is the source of its preservation.
Since the opening of the Notman House campus in 2014, the response from the entrepreneurial ecosystem has been more than positive. The business model developed by the OSMO Foundation and the fact that they own the premises allows them to offer advantageous rents to entrepreneurs. The unique character and heritage cachet of the site, which were respected during Sid Lee Architecture's work, also contribute to differentiate the house from more conventional office buildings. As irrefutable proof of their success, the 299 start-ups that have passed through the campus since 2014 have created 2671 jobs.
But the house is more than a technological crossroads. To date, the Foundation has hosted more than 2,500 events that have attracted a total of more than 65,000 visitors to its premises and to the OSMO café, which is also open to the public. This mix of clients and ideas is one of the central elements of the philosophy behind this innovation hub. Finally, Notman House participated in its first Nuit blanche du festival Montréal en lumière last February, offering a recreation of a photo studio, a nod to William Notman, and allowing the public to learn more about the history of this little-known house and the Foundation's mission.
...accompanied by some challenges
While the team can be proud of its successes, owning a classified heritage ensemble also has its share of pitfalls, starting with the condition of the buildings.
A recognition status does not mean the museification of the building, quite the contrary. According to Annie-Claude Devriese, heritage is an " ongoing project because everything is more fragile. "And the Notman House is no exception. To restore its original lustre, masonry work and the repair of the balconies would have to be carried out on the old hospital, the roof of the annex and the windows of the house would have to be repaired. Heritage buildings, like any building, are sensitive to the weather, but also to the use to which they are put. As Ms. Devriese points out, current use is more intensive than the original, adding more pressure on the building. This work, which was to have been done a few years ago, had to be put on hold due to the costs associated with the presence of asbestos in the former St. Margaret's Hospital and its subsequent decontamination.
Funding is another challenge for this non-profit foundation. The search for grants and sponsors to finance its current operations and projects for the development and outreach of the campus, but also to carry out pending work, is a constant concern. The current pandemic context has further complicated the situation; the Foundation has had to reduce its number of employees and its activities to limit costs and try to survive the crisis.
Staying the course
In a context where the entrepreneurial environment is changing rapidly, where the search for financing is constantly being rebuilt, and with the pandemic having turned everything upside down, the future of the Notman campus looks positive nonetheless. Indeed, there is no shortage of projects within the team to meet the needs of start-ups. However, Annie-Claude Devriese has identified two main areas in which the Foundation's activities can be enhanced and the Notman House can be enhanced.
First of all, she and her team wish to improve their service offer to businesses, notably by creating synergies in the entrepreneurial ecosystem. However, the size of the spaces is a constraint that heritage buildings impose on the Notman campus. To get around this obstacle, the team is developing creative solutions by offering, for example, virtual memberships and a flexible offer to adequately meet the needs of start-up businesses.
Finally, Mrs. Devriese wishes to continue the work on the Notman House and the old hospital so that they can regain their former lustre. In the wake of the steps taken by the Plateau-Mont-Royal borough regarding the Notman garden with the goal of transforming it into a park, the Foundation wishes to get involved to ensure the quality of this public space and to transform Clark Street, between Milton and Sherbrooke, into an urban square. This would allow the site to be more open to the public while respecting this heritage site, where past and present come together to turn our gaze to the future.
In addition
For more information on the Notman house, we invite you to visit their official website as well as theInspirAction #5 that we dedicated to it.
In addition, if you would like to learn more about the history of Sherbrooke Street, we invite you to view the Tower of block #8 dedicated to this structuring artery on the island of Montreal.
Headline photo of the article: Facade of the Notman house on Sherbrooke Street. Photo by Stéphane Brugger.
