CleopatraFetish_20090905_086xsm
Katacombes (closed) . People gathering in front of "Club Sin" at Cabaret Cleopatra, following a Save the Main event, to stop the expropriation of the Red Light district on St.Laurent and Ste.Catherine, Montreal, Quebec, Sept.5, 09 Save the Main © Linda Dawn Hammond / IndyFoto.com 2009
TWITTER #savethemain #MTL
Stop the wrecking ball on the Main
The Architectural heritage of St. Laurent Blvd. and its greystones must be preserved. It’s a powerful symbol of our identity By Phyllis Lambert and Dinu Bumbaru June 5, 2012
Read more: www.montrealgazette.com/Stop+wrecking+ball+Main/6734785/s...
From IndyFoto-
These photos in part explain why we have to protect this area from the corporate developers and politicians who want to "clean Up' what makes Montreal so special! Razing heritage buildings which host events such as this is their solution. Some of these buildings have already been reduced to a mere facade, and correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe the nefarious plot is now to demolish them completely and reduce it to a parking lot until financing to build a modern monstrosity materializes... Montrealers* (*NOTE: Yes- YOU of the "pots and spoon" crew) could also apply their considerable efforts to saving these beautiful buildings- interiors included, before there is nothing unique left about Montreal.
This makes me ache inside... I lived on the Main (near des Pins) in a similar building from 1983- 1994. My 2 storey 8 1/2 was part of the '80s Montreal punk scene, where I created my photos and brought up my son. That apartment was my refuge and my muse, informing much of my work at the time. I often thought about the unknown people who had lived there before me, dating back to 1898, and wondered what diverse memories were infused within those walls. 3816 St.Laurent haunts my dreams still and I long for it, though it's been since ruined by bad reno jobs and further landlord neglect, and isn't the same. (Well, and nor am I!) The solution is not to destroy but to respectfully repair and maintain.
I look at the buildings scheduled to be demolished in the 1200 block and know them intimately, inside and out. They are a reflection of my history in the city, and ghosts long forgotten.Some of us are tenants and others shop keepers, and we are all links in the history of these buildings. The legacy we leave behind is the art, songs and dance that were created within the walls, the families we raised, the people we served and the friendships we nurtured. Should this be reduced to a rubble, so all that will remain for future generations to physically experience is a city ordained plaque displaying some misty B&W photos on the wall of a glass tower. No affordable space left to create their own contributions to our social history. There's little chance of that in an upscale office building, even one allegedly 'dedicated to art and culture".
LDH May 2012
CleopatraFetish_20090905_086xsm
Katacombes (closed) . People gathering in front of "Club Sin" at Cabaret Cleopatra, following a Save the Main event, to stop the expropriation of the Red Light district on St.Laurent and Ste.Catherine, Montreal, Quebec, Sept.5, 09 Save the Main © Linda Dawn Hammond / IndyFoto.com 2009
TWITTER #savethemain #MTL
Stop the wrecking ball on the Main
The Architectural heritage of St. Laurent Blvd. and its greystones must be preserved. It’s a powerful symbol of our identity By Phyllis Lambert and Dinu Bumbaru June 5, 2012
Read more: www.montrealgazette.com/Stop+wrecking+ball+Main/6734785/s...
From IndyFoto-
These photos in part explain why we have to protect this area from the corporate developers and politicians who want to "clean Up' what makes Montreal so special! Razing heritage buildings which host events such as this is their solution. Some of these buildings have already been reduced to a mere facade, and correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe the nefarious plot is now to demolish them completely and reduce it to a parking lot until financing to build a modern monstrosity materializes... Montrealers* (*NOTE: Yes- YOU of the "pots and spoon" crew) could also apply their considerable efforts to saving these beautiful buildings- interiors included, before there is nothing unique left about Montreal.
This makes me ache inside... I lived on the Main (near des Pins) in a similar building from 1983- 1994. My 2 storey 8 1/2 was part of the '80s Montreal punk scene, where I created my photos and brought up my son. That apartment was my refuge and my muse, informing much of my work at the time. I often thought about the unknown people who had lived there before me, dating back to 1898, and wondered what diverse memories were infused within those walls. 3816 St.Laurent haunts my dreams still and I long for it, though it's been since ruined by bad reno jobs and further landlord neglect, and isn't the same. (Well, and nor am I!) The solution is not to destroy but to respectfully repair and maintain.
I look at the buildings scheduled to be demolished in the 1200 block and know them intimately, inside and out. They are a reflection of my history in the city, and ghosts long forgotten.Some of us are tenants and others shop keepers, and we are all links in the history of these buildings. The legacy we leave behind is the art, songs and dance that were created within the walls, the families we raised, the people we served and the friendships we nurtured. Should this be reduced to a rubble, so all that will remain for future generations to physically experience is a city ordained plaque displaying some misty B&W photos on the wall of a glass tower. No affordable space left to create their own contributions to our social history. There's little chance of that in an upscale office building, even one allegedly 'dedicated to art and culture".
LDH May 2012