Ville de Montréal

Inventory of historical buildings

Last updated May 21, 2024
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Do you own a building constructed before 1940? Your property will be analyzed to determine whether it has heritage value.

This census targets more than 80,000 buildings, both primary and secondary, built before 1940 and located in the Greater Montréal area. These include institutional buildings and houses, as well as garages, barns and sheds.

The following cultural heritage components will be inventoried at a later date:

  • Works of art and commemorative monuments;
  • Roadside crosses and calvaries;
  • Landscape elements (fountains, street furniture, etc.);
  • Engineering structures (bridges, viaducts, tunnels, etc.);
  • Constructions in cemeteries (mausoleums, mass graves, etc.);
  • Archaeological remains;
  • Buildings that are difficult to document or difficult to see from the street during the field survey.

Evaluation criteria

Each property is analyzed according to criteria such as history, architecture and social recognition. The building must also pass a durability test. For example, it must not have been left unmaintained for many years, or have undergone complete renovations without regard for its original architectural features.

The inventory process for the agglomeration of Montréal is based on the methodology of the Ministère de la Culture et des Communications du Québec (MCCQ).

Field survey

Members of the Inventory Section of the City’s Heritage Division, or other mandated persons, will take exterior photographs of the buildings.

Most photos are taken from the public domain (street, sidewalk, alley, etc.). However, it may be necessary to gain access to a private property or backyard to ensure good visibility of the element to be photographed (e.g.: a house hidden by a hedge or a barn located at the back of the property). Surveys are only carried out outside buildings.

If the owners or occupants are present at the time of the visit of the designated persons, they are asked to allow them to move freely on the property to enable them to carry out their work.

Inventories completed

Pre-1940 inventories are carried out progressively by the Heritage Division’s Inventory Section. Some complementary and optional inventories, such as that of modern heritage (1940-1975), are led by boroughs or municipalities on the island of Montréal.

Here are the lists of buildings included in the inventories adopted by the Montréal Agglomeration Council:

Why inventories?

Under the new provisions of the Cultural Heritage Act, which came into force in 2021, the agglomeration of Montréal is required to compile inventories of heritage buildings constructed before 1940, by April 1, 2026. It may also include buildings built more recently (1940-1975). The inventories are to be updated periodically after they have been completed.

The objectives of these inventories are to:

  • Gain a better understanding of the history, exterior physical features and heritage values of the buildings included in the inventories, and disseminate this knowledge;
  • Promote the implementation of better protection, maintenance, occupancy and financial assistance mechanisms for the restoration and renovation of inventoried buildings;
  • Ensure a more rigorous, transparent and uniform regulatory framework when a demolition request is submitted for a building included in the inventories.

Partner

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The inventory of historical buildings is carried out with the financial support of the Gouvernement du Québec and the agglomeration of Montréal.

If you have any questions about regulatory requirements or whether your building is included in the inventory, please contact your borough or municipality.

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