Header photo: Denis Tremblay, Wikimedia Commons
The public information meeting held on April 30 to discuss the future of the Verdun Natatorium, which was attended by Héritage Montréal , was an opportunity to gauge the undeniable affection of the Verdun population for this municipal heritage building, with its Art Deco architecture and its place in the life of the community as well as in the riverside landscape of boulevard LaSalle. Many recalled personal memories and the importance of this use, as well as the vision shown by the City of Verdun, which built and inaugurated it in 1940, creating the first outdoor swimming pool in Quebec and the largest in Canada.
The presentations, audience interventions and ensuing discussions also provided an opportunity to learn more about current issues and the work carried out since the building was closed to the public in 2017, following the discovery of structural problems and accelerated degradation of the reinforced concrete from which the Natatorium is constructed. In particular, we learned, unfortunately somewhat belatedly, that the City of Montreal has brought together external heritage specialists familiar with the problem of heritage concrete. This issue cannot be downplayed, as it seems to be forcing the discussion towards what many fear will be a total demolition to make way for new, up-to-date construction, when reconstruction strategies could apply.
Both the voice of the people on the sites they love and the contribution of experts from outside the city are needed to choose a path that is commensurate with the heritage value - architectural, historical and social - of the Natatorium. The advanced deterioration of the concrete poses a complex dilemma for both the authorities and the public. Although yesterday's meeting would have benefited from being held earlier in the process, Verdun Mayor Marie-Andrée Mauger's commitment to proceed with transparency and to respond to the wishes of the population, particularly in terms of service and heritage, bodes well for the future. Héritage Montréal will be available to collaborate to this end.
