Remembering the early days of Habitat, this resident
reminisces the time when a limousine provided Habitat's first residents
with transportation to the city. Today, residents exchange pleasantries on the
private bus which shuttles Habitat and Tropiques Nord residents and employees to
Montreal's downtown core. Subsidized by the residents' monthly
maintenance fees, this bus provides regular daily service, dropping passengers
off as far north as President Kennedy and McGill College.
Having lived an entire generation at Habitat, this resident
has weathered the growing pains of the building. She remembers when there was
only a handful of people living in the complex, shortly after Expo '67
ended. She also watched the tide turn, especially after the residents'
association purchased Habitat in 1986, spurring an increase in demand for
Habitat lodgings. In-coming residents collected units, connecting and
transforming them into the spaces they've become today. In addition to the
architect's, this resident's home is one of the rare cases where the
original modular form has remained intact.
