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Senneville tower set to be demolished
Conservationists protest, but mayor says 110-year-old stone structure's a nuisance
ALAN HUSTAK
The Gazette
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
Photo by John Mahoney (The Gazette)
The tower was built as a water reservoir on the Morgan property about 110 years ago and should not be confused with another similar tower on the Saputo property or with Fort Senneville, which was built in 1671 and declared a historic site five years ago.
"There is no question the Morgan tower is a striking building, but it would be a stretch to call it a heritage property," Senneville Mayor George McLeish said before last night's council meeting.
The tower was originally built by James Morgan to feed the gardens of his sprawling estate.
According to family lore, he had just completed a tour of Europe and had been captivated by ruined castles. He decided to build his own version in Senneville to disguise a water pumping station.
The tower was sold to the Grey Nuns in the 1940s, and over the years has had a series of owners.
Five years ago, an owner asked for permission to have it torn down but council delayed approval to allow the historic sites and monuments board to determine whether the tower was a heritage property. The board never ruled on the matter.
"I don't know why the official bodies didn't reply to Senneville's request," said Heritage Mont-
real's Dinu Bumbaru. "But for a community that wants to re-
establish itself as the Senneville Historic District, it is disconcerting that it does not consider landscape architecture as integral pieces of estate properties."
Six years ago the federal government designated 82 waterfront estates on the tip of Mont-real Island as a historic district.
"There is a case to be made that landscape architecture does not only include gate houses and such, but towers such as this one," Bumbaru said.
In the spring, the tower property was sold to the Assouline family trust, which asked for the demolition permit this summer.
Senneville's demolition committee approved the permit on Oct. 20 and last night council was expected to concur.
"The tower has been a problem for as long as I've been in Senneville," said McLeish, who lives next door to it.
"Partying around it, and climbing to the top of it have become a rite of passage for West Island teens. People who have owned the tower have always been concerned about their liabilities."
This summer police issued 300 tickets to youngsters found trespassing on the property.
Tickets
One time my friends and I received tickets for tresspassing. We brought a portable grill and were having a mini bbq. The Chronicle reported that we were setting fires.
As someone with a strong
As someone with a strong sense of civic duty, Lopez - at the ripe old age of 25 - has done everything from promoting change through theatre in the Cree nations, spent a summer working in Senegal where he helped a family escape the cycle of poverty, worked with youth in Northern Uganda and is now trying to get a pilot project going that would improve civic education in Quebec schools.As someone with a strong sense of civic duty, Lopez - at the ripe old age of 25 - has done everything from promoting change through theatre in the Cree nations, spent a summer working in Senegal where he helped a family escape the cycle of poverty, worked with youth in Northern Uganda and is now trying to get a pilot project going that would improve civic education in Quebec schools.
online Computer Science degree AND Online Marketing degree AND Animation degree
It’s no wonder that last
It’s no wonder that last year he won the Forces Avenir award in Quebec for his involvement in public issues.
Civil engineering degree AND ME degree