In 1991, after more than a century of operation, Darling Foundry permanently closed its doors. The industrial building was abandoned for more than a decade before being transformed into a cultural and artistic centre: the Darling Foundry. Since 2007, Ottawa Street has been used as a complement to this interior space providing temporary outdoor public space dedicated to visual arts.

Inaugurated in 2023, the Place Sable-Gris reinforces the cultural and artistic vocation of this part of Ottawa Street. The name evokes the important heritage associated with the industrial history of Old Montreal. It refers to the early metal casting technique developed at the Darling Foundry, known as “Sable-Gris” (grey sand).

The layout of the square echoes the genius loci of the place by celebrating the neighbourhood’s industrial past in a contemporary manner. The large plaza, unified by a textured surface, is inspired by castings seen under a microscope. The event portal evokes the memory of the overhead gantry cranes that characterized the now defunct industrial activities of the area. This contemporary artifact adds a third dimension to the public space and serves as a support for ephemeral art installations and performances.

Finally, the soft landscape draws on the exploration of urban wastelands and expresses the process of transforming urban and industrial environments into more natural spaces: highlighting the poetry of vegetation reclaiming the asphalt.