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Press Release
For Immediate release
Major project at the heart of the Quartier des spectacles
A New Look for Place des Arts’ Esplanade
Montreal, March 30, 2015 – The Société de la Place des Arts announces the start of major work
on a complete reconfiguration of its Esplanade, a main gathering place for millions of
festivalgoers. “We are proud to be launching this project that will expand the presence of arts
and culture in the heart of the city by turning our Esplanade into a giant outdoor stage,
promoting its use for large-scale public events all year long. The new Esplanade will enhance the
city, harmoniously crowning the developments of the past few years, highlighted by the creation
of the Quartier des spectacles, the construction of the place des Festivals, and the building of
the Maison symphonique,” stated Mr. Jean Laurin, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the
Société de la Place des Arts.
The $34.2 million project will be completed in May 2018, and will be carried out in such a way as
to allow planned cultural and artistic activities to continue to take place without interruption.
“The reconfiguration of our Esplanade is a strategic project for Place des Arts, but also—given its
location in the heart of the city—for Montreal as a whole. Indeed, the initiative aroused interest
when it was presented last November 17 at the iseemtl civic gathering that was, in fact, held at
Place des Arts,” recalled Mr. Laurin.
A necessary project and a collective endeavour
The Esplanade, as we currently know it, grew alongside Place des Arts. Starting out as a
forecourt in front of Salle Wilfrid-Pelletier (1963), it was expanded with the construction of the
complex’s other components: the Theatre Building (1967), the Hall des pas perdus (1978), the
Musée d’art contemporain (1991), the Maison symphonique and the Espace culturel GeorgesÉmile-Lapalme (2011). Aside from these successive adaptations, the Esplanade has never really
been refurbished, and its deterioration—which has notably led to leaks—has made renovation
necessary.
“It is one of the most highly frequented public spaces in Montreal, and we are treating this as a
collective project. We worked closely with our partners, in both the design and the planning
stages. The project was designed through discussions with festival organizers and the
Partenariat du Quartier des spectacles to adequately meet today’s technical and stage
requirements. In addition, the work sequence was planned to interfere as little as possible with
the major events so characteristic of Montreal,” explained Mr. Marc Blondeau, President and
CEO of Place des Arts.
A large-scale signature space for Montreal
The project was created by the Montreal architecture firm of Provencher Roy, the recipient of
numerous awards for its urban development projects in Canada and abroad. It was designed to
showcase the existing buildings in the block bounded by Jeanne-Mance, Saint Urbain, and Saint
Catherine streets, and De Maisonneuve Boulevard. Its design will preserve the unique sightline
to Mount Royal, while incorporating a harmonious and inspiring meeting place in the heart of
the city.
“It is a project that affirms Montreal’s position as a cultural metropolis, and is fully in line with
Place des Arts’ mission. We have a role to promote the arts in the city and to foster the public’s
appreciation of culture. Our Esplanade is a space dedicated to bringing artists and a vast
audience together. With its refurbishment, we expect to double the number of events held
here, in both summer and winter, and to welcome new partners from home and abroad from
every field of the performing arts,” added Mr. Blondeau.
In terms of infrastructure, the renovation of the Esplanade will notably allow for the
replacement of membranes that ensure the water-tightness of the structural slab, which also
serves as the roof of the Espace culturel Georges-Émile-Lapalme, the Cinquième Salle, and
related areas.
The reconfiguration of the Esplanade will principally involve levelling the main area,
transforming the site—which is currently stepped—into a large urban space that will be more
accessible, more versatile, and more attractive. This redesign will deliver much greater flexibility
of use, will facilitate gatherings, and will promote access and mobility for passers-by.
Technical services will be improved. For example, the installation of ground-embedded
anchoring points and the addition of channels through which electrical and water supplies can
be passed will greatly simplify stage assembly and disassembly operations.
The site will be more welcoming. The number of trees will be increased by 50%. These will
include maple trees, Canadian elders, Japanese lilacs, and crabapple trees—the floral emblem of
Montreal. Passers-by will thereby enjoy a greater number of shaded areas, which will also
prevent the formation of heat islands. There will also be more water features. Two pools
covering an area of over 1,000 m2 will be built, along with animated fountains.
The new Esplanade will also be more inviting in the evening, with subtle lighting built into the
stairway. The addition of a stairway will in fact provide a new access point to the site via Saint
Catherine Street. Lastly, the new Esplanade will be directly linked to the place des Festivals with
the opening of the Musée d’art contemporain’s sculpture garden, a notable improvement as far
as universal access to the site goes.
Meticulous Planning
The project was carefully planned, with initial technical studies going back to 2009, and the first
calls for tenders dating to 2012. The work schedule was planned with the same great care. Work
will be carried out in three distinct phases, first in the eastern portion—the area surrounding the
Theatre Building; continuing in the rear portion, leading to De Maisonneuve Boulevard; and
finally, in the western portion, bordering the Musée d’art contemporain.
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The timetable calls for work to be stopped completely during the months of June and July, in
order to allow festivals and outdoor activities to take place without any interference. The only
complication will occur during the first phase, in the summer of 2015, when a fence will be
erected around the work zone, thereby limiting the amount of accessible space.
The project is valued at $34.2 million, which includes all costs. It will be funded from budgets
allocated by the Government of Quebec for the maintenance of assets and elimination of
maintenance deficits at Place des Arts.
“This new Esplanade is the missing piece in the completion of the extraordinary development
that has taken place on our block in recent years. With its modern design, its versatility, and its
technical features, it will be an even more lively gathering place all year long, serving the
creativity and genius of the arts and culture community that makes our city so unique,”
concluded the President and CEO of Place des Arts.
-30SOURCE:
Denise Melillo
Director of Public Relations
Place des Arts
514 285-4535
INFORMATION:
Andréanne Beaulieu
Public Relations Advisor
Place des Arts
abeaulieu@placedesarts.com / 514 285-4390
High resolution photos and video available at: http://bit.ly/PdAesplanade
placedesarts.com
#esplanadePdA
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