Can Montreal's Quartier Molson solve the heritage paradox?

In urban development, heritage preservation typically means protecting buildings from change, but what happens when the most meaningful way to honour a site's legacy is to completely transform it?

Preserving the soul of a place while giving it an entirely new purpose is the heritage paradox that designers face everywhere, and in Montreal, the Quartier Molson project is testing one ambitious answer: Turning an iconic industrial site into a residential neighbourhood that provides another way to reconnect thousands of Montrealers to their waterfront for the first time in generations.

Standing on the site of the former Molson brewery, with the Saint-Lawrence River stretching out beyond the railway tracks, it's easy to imagine John Molson's vision taking shape in 1786. What's harder to picture is how this same stretch of waterfront—nearly half a kilometre of prime real estate that has sat largely isolated from Montreal's urban fabric for decades.

Quartier Molson, a $2.5 billion redevelopment spearheaded by MONTONI in partnership with the Fonds immobilier de solidarité FTQ, represents both a large-scale urban project and an attempt to heal a wound in Montreal's urban fabric while creating what developers call a "living legacy"—a place that honours its industrial past while boldly reimagining its future.

The weight of history

"Designing a living legacy means first of all acknowledging the responsibility involved in redeveloping a site as emblematic as the former Molson brewery," explains Dario Montoni, president of MONTONI. "It represents an opportunity like no other, but also a duty to respect the collective memory bound up with this site."

That collective memory runs deep. The Molson brewery isn't just Montreal's oldest industrial operation, but also the continent's first brewery and a cornerstone of the city's identity for over two centuries. The iconic tower, the illuminated sign visible from the Jacques Cartier Bridge, the clock that has marked time for generations of Montrealers—all of these are symbols of the city itself.

The site's history extends beyond brewing. In the 19th century, this area housed Sohmer Park, a beloved recreational destination where Montrealers gathered for concerts, circuses, and vaudeville shows. The park represented something essential about Montreal's relationship with the river—a connection that was gradually severed as industrial development claimed the waterfront.

When Molson moved its operations to Longueuil in 2021, ending 235 years of brewing on the site, it left behind more than empty buildings. It left a void in Montreal's urban fabric, a half-kilometre stretch of prime waterfront real estate cut off from the city by railway tracks and industrial barriers.

Vision meets reality

For Montoni, the project's defining moment came during his first site visit.

"I was struck by the huge potential of this unique site, which extends along the St. Lawrence River shoreline for nearly half a kilometre," he recalls. "And it was at that moment that an idea came to me, as an obvious choice: to create a genuine riverside neighbourhood. Because even though Montreal is an island, the majority of its citizens have no real contact with water in their day-to-day."

This insight became the project's north star, influencing everything from building placement to the creation of public spaces. The development will rise approximately six metres above the existing grade, creating a elevated platform that provides clear sightlines to the river while creating both visual and acoustic barriers from the active railway lines below.

The architectural approach reflects this balance between respect and reinvention. Working with heritage architect Luce Lafontaine—who provided recommendations on how to enhance the site's heritage value which Sid Lee Architecture then used as a foundation for the master plan design—the development team established three primary design axes that respond to the site's layered history:

• An east-west corridor drawing from Old Montreal's limestone and contemporary materials
• A rail-line axis honouring industrial heritage with clay brick and metal cladding
• A north-south axis celebrating working-class Montreal through polychrome brick and limestone

"We want people, when they visit the neighbourhood, to feel like it has always been there," Montoni explains.

Reconnecting the urban fabric

Perhaps the project's most enterprising goal is repairing what Montoni describes as "an urban rift that has been there for decades." The development will restore north-south connections across the site, creating multiple entry points that naturally lead to the riverfront.

The centrepiece of this reconnection strategy is the recreation of Sohmer Park—a 150,000-square-foot public space that will offer panoramic views of the river, Île Sainte-Hélène, and the Jacques Cartier Bridge. The park's placement wasn't accidental.

"Initially, it was to be in a different location than what we're now planning, separated from the heritage block and the river by De la Commune Street," Montoni reveals.

"We felt it was unthinkable to sever the link between the park, the river, and the Molson tower."

The network of public spaces extends far beyond the central park. A riverside promenade will extend the Old Port's recreational corridor eastward, while the Craig Linear Park will create a green corridor beneath the Jacques Cartier Bridge. Multiple courtyards will provide both energetic spaces for commercial activity and quieter retreats for contemplation.

"This play of contrasts will create a balance where everyone can find the space that is right for them," Montoni notes.

"Yes, some people have told us this is too ambitious. But we feel that's exactly our role, to be disruptive and foster that sort of change."

Building community alongside buildings

With nearly 5,000 residential units planned, the Quartier Molson represents one of Montreal's most significant housing developments. More importantly, it's one of the few projects embracing the city's "20-20-20" rule requiring 20% social housing, 20% affordable housing, and 20% family-sized units—requirements many developers sidestep by paying penalties to the city.

Time will tell, but Montoni is optimistic.

"What's different about the Quartier Molson project is the scale of the site," Montoni explains. "We're working with an entire neighbourhood, not just one isolated block or building. And at that scale, you can have true mixed use."

Four specific lots harmoniously located across the site have been identified for social housing, promoting what the developers call "smooth integration." This approach aims to avoid the stigmatization that has plagued other mixed-income developments.

The commercial programming reflects similar ambitions. The development will include 150,000 square feet of economic space, retail areas, restaurants, a hotel, and potentially a community centre. The historic Molson tower itself may reach 100 metres in height with added floors.

Sustainability as innovation

Beyond meeting LEED and Zero-Carbon Building standards, the project's most experimental element is a proposed energy loop system that would provide heating and cooling for the entire neighbourhood. "The technology still isn't widespread here, but it could generate huge energy savings while substantially reducing greenhouse gas emissions," Montoni explains.

The system has faced skepticism. "Yes, some people have told us this is too ambitious," he admits. "But we feel that's exactly our role, to be disruptive and foster that sort of change. Sustainable innovation is part of our DNA, and if we truly want to move things forward, we need to have the audacity to exceed standards."

Preserving the intangible

While the project will preserve obvious heritage elements—the tower, clock, chimney, and illuminated sign—the development team has taken extraordinary measures to capture less visible aspects of the site's history. Before demolition began, teams catalogued brewing equipment, stone, and other artifacts that will be reintegrated into the new neighbourhood's public spaces and buildings.

"The heritage of Molson is much more than an image or a façade: it's an atmosphere, something embedded in the site, a way of occupying the space," Montoni reflects.

"In John Molson's time, the site was more than an industrial facility: it was an entire neighbourhood, with homes, a school, a concert hall, a bank, a park. That soul, the idea of a comprehensive, living place, with its roots in the community, is what we're seeking to restore."

The long view

Construction is expected to begin in 2025, with the project unfolding over seven to ten years in successive phases. The first phase will focus on Îlot des Voltigeurs, the oldest section of the Molson lands that houses the iconic sign and clock. Social and affordable housing will also be included in the initial construction phases.

This extended timeline isn't seen as a limitation but as a strength. "That time scale is a source of strength: it means the neighbourhood will be able to grow, adapt, and evolve in response to the true needs of Montrealers," Montoni notes.

The project's ultimate ambition extends beyond creating a successful neighbourhood. Positioned at the foot of the Jacques Cartier Bridge—a gateway to Montreal—the development aims to reshape perceptions of the city's eastern districts.

"We want the Quartier Molson to be perceived as the natural extension of the Old Port, a unifying link between downtown, the east, and the river," Montoni explains.

"Looking ahead, we want it to become a waypoint, a destination site, a landmark for the whole city."

Perhaps the project's greatest achievement won't be visible in any architectural rendering or master plan. It lies in something more fundamental: giving Montrealers back their river. After decades of industrial barriers and urban disconnection, the Quartier Molson promises to restore something that was lost—the simple pleasure of living in a city that remembers it's an island.

"We are very proud of the views that people will have from the site, toward Mount Royal and the river," Montoni concludes. "We've also created new vistas onto St. Helen's Island, the Jacques Cartier Bridge, and the former brewery."

Heritage preservation often means freezing buildings in time, but the Quartier Molson proposes something more lofty: extending history into the future, creating a living legacy that honours the past while boldly embracing what comes next.