Grey Nuns to leave Mother House earlier than planned

A downtown landmark on René-Lévesque Boulevard will be transformed into an arts keystone sooner than expected. When the Grey Nuns Order announced its intention to sell its Mother House to Concordia, the university planned to move its Faculty of Fine Arts to the venue over several phases.

This plan has now been accelerated. The Grey Nuns are preparing to leave the Mother House in 2012 for a new facility. Originally, the sisters intended to fully vacate the complex in 2022.

It was in 2007 that the first part of the complex, the west wing on St-Mathieu Street, was turned over to Concordia. After a period of renovation, the site was turned into a temporary student residence with 227 beds.

With the early departure of the Grey Nuns, the university will convert the east wing into a second temporary residence with an additional 360 beds. The main entrance for the student residence will be on Guy Street.

A site development competition will likely be launched in 2013 for the future home of the Faculty of Fine Arts. Work is under way to develop a competition brief.

The competition is a critical step in this project and the process will be communicated internally to faculty and staff, and externally to neighbours, heritage groups, and community groups.

With Concordia’s complete occupation of the Mother House, the university can forge even further in its commitment  to help revitalize the city’s western downtown core. Working in close partnership with the City of Montreal, the university has so far invested close to $400 million in new building and urban planning projects in the sector now called Quartier Concordia.

Related links:
•    Grey Nuns Mother House
•    Faculty of Fine Arts