Subud Quebec
Chair: Raphaëlle Chapleau
Contact:
Latihan Hours
Tuesdays and Thursdays: 8 pm Sundays: 10:45 am
Address
6775 rue de Bourdeaux Montréal, H2G 2S3
About Subud Quebec
The group’s present building is the third one that the members have owned. Their first Subud House, a lovely old mansion in the center of Montreal, was bought in 1972 at a very reasonable price. The down payment on the house was made possible by personal loans from five members, and these same members signed for a bank loan that covered the remaining cost. When this house was sold some years later for four times its purchase price, there was enough left over after the loans had been paid off to buy larger and more suitable premises.
The group sold the second home in 1990 for enough to make a cash down payment of about 80% of the cost of their present building. A bank loan signed by three members was taken out to cover the remaining 20% of the cost. Location, size, purchase price, easy access to public transportation, and the possibility of transforming it to fit their needs were important factors in the group’s choice of their new Subud House. The building had been owned and operated by a ceramic company and required complete interior renovation, which was planned by a Subud architect and carried out by a Subud contractor.
The men’s and women’s latihan halls are on the ground floor with no stairs to climb and with easy access for the handicapped. In addition to the two latihan halls of about 1,000 square feet each, the ground floor has a large social area, an office, a kitchen, two bathrooms, and a storage area. The second floor of the building has a number of offices. The group was able to rent out the offices from l990 to l995, at which time the floor became vacant and remained so for two years, largely due to the poor local economy.
At the end of 1997 the group allowed two of its members to take over the space for a non-profit social project. The floor has been renovated and more offices have been added. The rental allows the group to pay for a large portion of its expenses. The ground floor is rented out occasionally.
The Subud House is located in a residential area with street parking available. The nearest subway (metro) is within a ten minutes’ walk, and buses run regularly from that station, shortening the distance. The neighbours tolerate the members coming and going, and can see that the group maintains the building well and keeps a nice garden at the front.