In 2003, the Quartier des spectacles de Montréal was born. Every time I talk about this beautiful creature that I love, songs come to me. For his 20e anniversary, Ferland’s refrain stands out: “When you love, you’re always 20!” » Reggiani’s famous line too: “Twenty years, how time flies, Madam. »
Why sing? Because this creature was born from an idea that came back like a refrain, to which the ADISQ (Quebec Association of the Record, Entertainment and Video Industry) and its then president, Jacques Primeau, added verses, taken on the fly by a mayor Gérald Tremblay who saw bright tomorrows in this proposal for a city whose heart beats thanks to culture.
What does that represent, 20 years, on the scale of a city like Montreal? In my eyes as a hedonistic journalist, in love with his adopted city: a rebirth!
Since 2003, I have seen this metropolis, which I explore on foot, by Bixi, by metro, by car, acquire two new university hospitals, refurbish the Turcot interchange, transform the Bonaventure Expressway into an urban boulevard, erect a brand new signature bridge, commission a new metropolitan transport network.
On the scale of the Quartier des spectacles, it is no less spectacular. In 20 years, we have seen appear within its perimeter (René-Lévesque, Saint-Hubert, Sherbrooke, City Councilors): the Grande Bibliothèque, a place for festivals, the Maison symphonique, a head office for the NFB, a dance, a digital arts dome, a refrigerated skating rink, an impressive number of new housing units (rental, condominium and for students), a plethora of addresses to drink and eat, new hotels, and soon a new museum of history, the MEM, at the crossroads of “Hands “.
This came at the cost of a lot of orange cones. Especially since we didn’t just build new things in the Quartier des spectacles. We also gave a youthful air to Place des Arts and Complexe Desjardins, renovated UQAM and the St-Denis 2 theatre, redesigned Habitations Jeanne-Mance, redone municipal infrastructure, and so on.
A culture broth
The Quartier des spectacles is a place in constant evolution. It feels like it will never be over. Fortunately, the genius of the place ensures that the vocation of this quadrilateral is not lost.
What architects and town planners call the genius of the place is the intangible part of experience, of roots, of ghosts, as you wish, that a place possesses, which makes it authentic and unalterable.
No one will be able to take away from the heart of Montreal its relationship with arts, culture, entertainment. For ages, people have been going there to experience the culture of here and elsewhere. From Lili St-Cyr to Yannick Nézet-Séguin, via Yvon Deschamps and Ariane Moffatt, this has always been the place for the performing arts.
The difference from before is that the Quartier des spectacles has become more than a venue. Its founders wanted it to also be a place to create, work, live and learn. This is what makes this project so unique in the world.
Within one square kilometer (the area of the Quartier des Spectacles), you have the rehearsal rooms of the Orchester symphonique de Montréal, the Orchester métropolitain, the Théâtre du Nouveau Monde, Duceppe, the dance of the Grands Ballets, Tangente and Agora, the animation studios of the National Film Board, that of the circus company Les 7 Fingers. These are so many people for whom working virtually is not an option, because creation is done in groups for people who will come to see them in groups. Artists therefore bring the Quartier des spectacles to life, day and night.
Add to this presence that of students from UQAM, the Cégep du Vieux Montréal, the School of Digital Arts, Animation and Design (UQAC NAD), that of the thousands of people who have chosen to live there for the proximity of arts and culture, for the impressive gastronomic offer too, and you have a vibrant city center like no other, which attracts a growing number of tourists from everywhere to immerse themselves in our cultural broth.
History is still being written
Major festivals have contributed greatly to creating the reputation of the Quartier des spectacles. Like the lighthouse, they attracted masses of people to this iconic red dot, this famous red light, signature of the organization. The Francos, Jazz, Laughter continue to be magnets, but the beauty of the matter is that in 20 years, the cultural heart of Montreal now beats 12 months a year. Not just in summer. The Luminothérapie event, the skating rink on the Esplanade Tranquille, the Montréal en Lumière festival and the Nuit Blanche contribute to making Montréal a true winter city.
As part of the 20e anniversary, don’t miss the exhibition Vibrating together, 20 years of memorable experiences on the Promenade des Artistes. Urbania reminds us of the multitude of events that the Quartier des spectacles has hosted since 2003. Added to this is a video projection paying tribute to 25 personalities whose journey has contributed to making Montreal a cultural metropolis that is the envy of many cities all over the world.
History continues to be written at the Quartier des spectacles. There is still a lot to do. Let’s think about the transformation of the Saint-Sulpice library into the Maison de la chanson, the restoration of the St-Denis 1 theater, the expansion of the Nouveau Monde theater and that of the Museum of Contemporary Art, the development of an urban forest on the Eugène-Lapierre block, the construction of two UTILE student residences, notably one on the former Katacombes site, and, who knows, perhaps one day, a UQAM building above the Saint-Laurent metro entrance. There is no shortage of projects to celebrate the 25th with pomp.ein 2028.
In the meantime, I’m borrowing his birthday tune from Gilles Vigneault and invite you to sing with me: “My dear Quartier des spectacles, it’s your turn to let yourself talk about love. »