Griffintown Horse Palace to be torn down, rebuilt

CTV Montreal: Horse Palace renovation The stables, more than 150 years old, will be torn down and rebuilt in the same location

A 150-year-old Montreal institution is set to be demolished.

The Griffintown Horse Palace on Ottawa St. will be torn down Wednesday.

The ancient building is decrepit: The roof of the stable is falling apart, the walls are beginning to bow, and a tree stump holds up part of the building.

"It's falling apart, little bit by little bit," said caleche driver Judy Waldon.

The current stables are too old to house the horses, and though there were some initial hopes to maintain the structure, it is simply cannot be repaired.

Robert Girard of the Horse Palace Foundation said the horses have been stabled elsewhere since last year.

"We're at the point where we need to remove it. It's a danger. We've removed the horses from the premises, they're there now since last fall," said Girard.

When the building is torn down some of the bricks and wood planks will be salvaged and used in the new structure.

Financing will be split between the City of Montreal, land developers, and the Horse Palace Foundation, which has been raising money since 2009.

The total cost is estimated at more than $450,000.

The Particulier Griffintown bed and breakfast is adjacent to the Horse Palace, and owner Michael Marciano is pleased that the establishment is getting overhauled.

"I thnk it's just amazing, fantastic, natural. We have to have that because it belongs to history," said Marciano.

The new Horse Palace will include a museum and larger accommodations for the horses, something the caleche drivers are looking forward to.

“It will be better – better ventilated. This is a building that was built in the 1850s, so there’s not the same code as buildings today, so the stalls will be bigger and it’ll be great for the horses. It’ll be great for the public. They’ll be able to come in and be closer to the horses,” said Waldon.

Work on the new building is set to begin in the fall and should be completed a year later. In the meantime, horses will be lodged in various stables throughout the city.