PHI Contemporain's $100M Vieux-Montréal restoration breaks ground after three-year delay
The ambitious project to restore four heritage buildings at Saint-Paul and Bonsecours will house exhibitions, performances, and immersive art experiences. Opening summer 2029.
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PHI Contemporain's long-awaited restoration of four heritage buildings in Vieux-Montréal is finally underway. The first symbolic shovel of earth went into the ground Monday at the intersection of Saint-Paul and Bonsecours, marking the start of construction on the 17,500-square-foot site across from the Chapelle Notre-Dame-de-Bon-Secours.
The project will integrate the Maison Pierre du Calvet (the former Les filles du Roy restaurant) and the Maison Louis-Viger into a new building designed to house all of PHI's public activities under one roof. The total cost exceeds $100 million. Provincial and federal governments confirmed Monday they will invest $26.6 million combined—$13.3 million each. Founder and arts patron Phoebe Greenberg is covering the remainder, with potential additional private investment.
The restoration is being handled by a consortium of architects: Montreal firms Pelletier de Fontenay and Jodoin Lamarre Pratte, alongside Berlin-based Kuehn Malvezzi. Work will proceed through the summer, with the museum set to open in summer or fall 2029.
Once completed, the venue will present exhibitions, performances, immersive experiences, and public discussions—all part of PHI's stated mission to create spaces where artists and audiences meet around contemporary ideas.
