Doctor D

Dépend de ce à quoi ça ressemble quand ils ont fini

In agreement! Besides, the Grey Nun's Convent is across the street with plenty of green.

Great news! Right now that is a wall of tin (aluminium?).

Not bad! It works form both Sherbrooke and Guy.

Pretty strange: 900 Guy is a parking lot beside between train tracks and police station, and the police station is the back of 1616 René-Lévesque (see the red brick through the trees?).

Nice use of mirrors!

There are breaks between the buildings AND more importantly, it is located at the top of the hill so the other three directions get a spectacular view of the north, east and west, usually only available to those who own the mansions of Westmount. "Two men looked out from prison bars, one saw the mud, the other saw the stars."

It looks like a pavilion from Expo 67.

Great location: it's literally across the street from Westmount, five minutes from Decaire, and offers great views all the way around.

Good news and the lucky people who buy looking over the mountain get an amazing view.

I am sure if it was that height the builders would have crowed about it and not hidden it, although it makes for an interesting story if someone can figure it out.

What about an eastern elevated REM that would start above the Champ-de-Mars metro station, which would become an intermodal station (REM up, metro down). From there, the elevated tracks would ride between the highway and St Antoine, above the highway exit (none of the problems associated with Vincenzo's idea). After the three parks, the area is already a hub of transportation (highway and service roads, not very pedestrian friendly) and heading towards the RL/Notre Dame merger. No expensive digging and we have a dedicated above ground REM. Any takers?

en accord

I worked at the Spa in Chateau Champlain, and it started as private gym/pool, just for guests until they realized how much more could be made by opening it to the public.

OK, I see it now, but living on Tupper or Lincoln Street, you don't really get that feeling.

Thanks for the information! I wonder if it is the same situation given the gentrification of the area in the past decades?

I was trying to agree with you.

I am confused by your comment: "large gardens"? This project is in Shaughnessy Village, dense in the 1800's and dense now - where are these gardens you speak of?

Interesting phenomenon: I jog form NDG where there is brisk street traffic on Sherbrooke, then it dies down the closer I get to Downtown, only to get busy again at Parc Lafontaine. Kind of sad really.

Interestingly, your "trench" already exists: I am visualizing a new use for an existing infrastructure, building on BilMo's Thursday post "REM B would branch off to the old port just after the Griffintown station". I wish to avoid having elevated tracks anywhere in the core, so walk down McGill street to de la Commune and notice that between de la Commune and the park, there are two train tracks (see image 1 below). One is functional, but the one on the left is not (for at least 200 meters the rails have been already been removed form that line). It is in a shallow trench bordered by concrete walls and steel raising to avoid pedestrians crossing. That is the "street level" I am talking about, and we see freight trains using the functional tracks on a regular basis. The only elevated section is where the REM B would the branch off between the canal and de la Commune and descend just after Mill street bridge (a very industrial area), where that unused train line begins (image 3). At present, the abandoned line is used to post art displays and park Bixis, and there is literally a wall separating it from the port at this point. If this seems difficult, look at image 4 (below) where the Canada Line of the REM in Vancouver slowly descends from an elevated structure to street level just after Marine Drive station. To address your issue of street crossings, there are only four intersections between de la Commune and access to the Port of Montreal where vehicles and pedestrians cross: St Pierre, Saint François Xavier, St Laurent (at that point called Kind Edward Quay), and Clock Tower Quay. As mentioned, the functioning set of tracks crosses those intersections on a regular basis with little effect, but a "boom barrier (a simple wooden crossing bar that you see at many rail crossings throughout Montreal and the world) could be used to allow the REM to function with no danger. If you think this sounds dangerous, just take a look at Spadina Ave & King St West in Toronto (image 2 below) where trams, cars, and pedestrians coexist. At the eastern end of de la Commune, the tracks would once more elevate to run parallel to Notre Dame (I'll let someone else figure out the details there). So to paraphrase John F. Kennedy: "I dream things that never were and ask, Why not?"

I like the idea that "REM B would branch off to the old port just after the Griffintown station". It could descend to the tracks that were abandoned that run between de la Commune and the old port then go up on pillars at the end of de la Commune so it can run parallel to Notre Dame. The advantage of this is in Old Montreal it is at street level (like a tram) then goes up on pillars when Notre Dame becomes industrial. This avoids marring René-Lévesque.

I like the pastiche to classic Montreal triplex in the back. Perhaps they should have had the same metal outdoor stairs in the front? Maybe with the classic circular shape?

Agreed, so why don't we do it more often? Check this out: above ground versus underground cities: https://everydaytourist.ca/wandering-canada/2017/2/7/montreal-vs-calgary-underground-city-vs-above-ground-city

Great renderings, thanks!

There was a team working on the overpass with a backhoe this morning @ 7:30 but they were gone by 4.