Montreal Venue La Tulipe Fears Being Forced to Close | Eater Montreal

"A long-time Montreal music venue on Papineau Street, La Tulipe is under threat of closure after a neighbour converted an adjacent commercial warehouse into a residential space about two years ago with the borough’s permission — a zoning change the Plateau later said it mistakenly authorized and is now trying to rectify. I've learned that the conversion led to regular noise complaints, numerous police visits and fines the owners say have cost them “a fortune,” including two $1,000 fines issued during consecutive shows by local act Dumas, during which the musician tweeted that police tapped his sound engineer on the shoulder. Claude Larivée of La Tribu estimates he's been contacted by police more than two dozen times; owners fear an injunction hearing on December 21 could force closure and call the whole situation “Kafkaesque.” The building has operated as a cultural venue since 1913 and was named after Gilles Latulippe, who opened Le Théâtre des Variétés there in 1967; La Tulipe itself has been in operation for close to two decades, and the owners insist “We can’t transform this place into a pharmacy or condo.” Plateau mayor Luc Rabouin has since assured the venue isn't going anywhere, said the borough is in talks with both parties, and that the city will be in court next week." - Valerie Silva