The Montreal Forum, which hasn't seen any hockey in over two decades, had been converted into an entertainment complex that featured restaurants, a movie theatre and other stores. It was supposed to rejuvenate the area, but many of the businesses that occupied the Forum have closed up shop in recent years.
But Building Manager Andre Jude tells CTV the decline could be coming to an end. 1,200 new apartments and condos have been built in the area, and another 1,400 will be constructed on the former site of the Montreal Children's Hospital.
Jude says the Forum is trying to attract new businesses, with a focus on restaurants and home decor retailers due to the increase in surrounding living units.
Dawson College, which uses part of the Forum as a satellite campus, also has plans to expand and the building is entertaining the possibility of building housing above the existing structure.
Jude believes the neighbourhood is undergoing its most significant transformation since the early 20th century.