Following what has to be one of the most prolonged demises in the history of hostelry, Motel Raphael on Ste. Anne de Bellevue Boulevard just south of Montreal West has closed and been boarded up after declaring bankruptcy.
The motel, which was acquired a few years ago by the Knights Inn chain, was pervaded with 1950s kitsch, including a roadside swimming pool. Over the years, a number of film makers sought out Motel Raphael as an atmospheric period location for shoots.
Motel Raphael had its heyday in an era before the construction of the nearby Autoroute 20 elevated interchange, when Ste. Anne de Bellevue Boulevard was the starting point of the main highway between Montreal and Toronto.
More than 40 years ago, Motel Raphael already had a seedy reputation as a haunt favoured by jailbirds. While a good number of motels continue to operate on the St. Jacques Street strip, they are small in comparison to the sprawling Motel Raphael, which had many dozens of units.
The motel’s future is in the hands of bankruptcy trustees Samson, Belair, Deloitte, Touche. Located across the street from the area where Transport Quebec plans to demolish the Montreal West segment of the Turcot interchange, the Motel Raphael site sits directly opposite the point where the provincial ministry plans to configure new exits and entrances to the autoroute.
Farewell, Motel Raphael
Farewell, Motel Raphael
- Number of views : 1387
- Rate
- Top of the page
Comments
-
- Jody Negley
- - February 17th, 2010 at 14:18:05
I will be sad to see it go but now perhaps better the space can be put to better use. The city should put a hold on the property and buy it before a condo developer snaps it up. This is valuable land. And right across the street on the south side, I was concerned to see a billboard advertising the construction of just that ... luxury condos. Developers know that the falaise will be protected from any future highway construction; They know there will be buyers for homes atop a wooded cliff with a view of the south west below .
-
- Jody Negley
- - February 10th, 2010 at 12:55:34
I will be sad to see it go but now perhaps better the space can be put to better use. The city should put a hold on the property and buy it before a condo developer snaps it up. This is valuable land. And right across the street on the south side, I was concerned to see a billboard advertising the construction of just that ... luxury condos. Developers know that the falaise will be protected from any future highway construction; They know there will be buyers for homes atop a wooded cliff with a view of the south west below .
-
- Wayne Dayton
- - February 10th, 2010 at 11:46:31
It is becoming increasingly difficult to find a place in the West End that rents rooms for a couple of hours. I remember staying at The Raphael in the 60s...as well as using the pool when they offered family day rates during the summertime. Within 2 days of boarding it up, the Walkley Avenue Crips have tagged most of the plywood boards.
-
- John M. Rankine
- - February 10th, 2010 at 11:46:31
That is an end of an era.
-
- PHYLLIS CARTER
- - February 10th, 2010 at 11:46:27
The Raphael was seedy - and frequented by Runyonesque characters - often harbouring weapons of potential destruction. But to me, it was a landmark that changed my life - a sacred place. I first met Cliff Carter when I was a girl of eleven. I met him again and fell in love with him - again - when he was the Gentleman at the Piano at The Raphael in the early 1970's. The rest is our love story. Phyllis Carter The Sheba
-
- John M. Rankine
- - February 10th, 2010 at 11:46:26
That is an end of an era.
