• A Christmas tree has appeared atop the abandoned Montreal Canadian Malting Company factory.
• This is just the latest development in a long saga of mysterious changes to the tippity top of the factory.
• See photos below.
• Visit MTLBlog for more headlines.

In the latest turn of events in the saga of the mystery artist who risked life and limb to paint a cabin atop the abandoned Montreal Canadian Malting Company factory, Christmas decorations have begun to appear on the dilapidated structure. Somehow, the daring artist has even managed to hoist a tree to the high roof of the notoriously dangerous factory tower. The decorations seem to have appeared in the evening of December 17. 

St-Henri residents have taken to social media to share photos of the festive additions along with messages of bewilderment.

Derek Cessford, who works at the adjacent McAuslan Brewing company, posted the first image of the Christmas decorations to the St-Henri neighbourhood Facebook page. 

"It's official, Santa's coming to St-Henri!" he wrote on December 18. "The tree went up sometime last night, it wasn't there when I left work."

Changes to the cabin began to attract attention at the beginning of fall 2019 when residents noticed individuals painting it a bright pink.

Later, curtains appeared in its windows.

In September, the owner of the nearby Riverside bar told MTL Blog that "the owner of the abandoned factory [...] put up a fence to prevent people from jumping" into the property.

[rebelmouse-image 26887729 photo_credit="Derek Cessford | Facebook" expand=1 original_size="1440x961"] Derek Cessford | Facebook

"It's a popular spot and people love to take pictures. And people obviously still try to go inside. But I know the owner and he does a really good job of keeping everybody out."

"It's impossible — well, I guess almost impossible, to get into the factory. There's a welder that comes in all the time to inspect the building and make sure it's safe," he explained.

The factory, constructed in 1904 and empty since 1989, stands out in the skyline of the Sud-Ouest. Holes in its walls and vegetation on its roof are the most visible outward signs of its age and deterioration.

From the McAuslan terrasse, the factory serves as a dramatic backdrop for photos.

MTL Blog is following this mystery closely and will update this article with any developments.

Stay tuned!