The Gazette

Think of it as the Van Horne syndrome.In 1973, wrecking balls smashed through the Sherbrooke St. mansion that was once home to Canadian railway magnate William Cornelius Van Horne to make way for an office high-rise. That demolition sparked enough public outrage in this city to create a local heritage movement that still exists. But the black and white memory of the Van Horne mansion's being splintered into a vacant lot in time for the 6 o'clock news has also tapped into the consciousness of Montrealers who ordinarily wouldn't know their rococo from their trompe l'oeil, or care if they did. It's a sense of stewardship, if not possession, something that tells us certain things in this city shouldn't be touched because those certain things define who we were and are.