In the past, the great metropolises erected sumptuous cathedrals to the glory of God, but above all to the glory of those who ordered these immense projects to be deployed. These constructions which brought the earth closer to the sky became the heart of the city, the place where nobles and onlookers converged, the place where major events, coronations, weddings and funerals were held. The spectacle of life and death.
The time of cathedrals is over. The time has come for big stadiums. Today, major cities are building superb stadiums to the glory of the nation. These buildings become the heart of the city. The gathering place where the people’s two greatest passions are expressed: sport and music.
Jean Drapeau wanted to provide Montreal with a new cathedral. The model was beautiful. A sailing spaceship. So futuristic that it will remain forever in the future. Construction began, and then, as the English expression goes, the shit hit the fan. In 1976, the metropolis welcomed the planet, with no retractable roof. With a crane. We made do with it. Or rather without. So much so that the Stadium, even unfinished, has become the venue for major events.
The Expos had good years, the Alouettes won the Gray Cup in front of 68,318 spectators, Pink Floyd wished we were there, Roberto Durán stripped Sugar Ray Leonard of his world champion title, the Manic, the ancestor of CF Montreal, defeated the Chicago Sting in front of 58,542 spectators, Diane Dufresne worked her pink magic, Céline Dion hers, by making a dove appear for Pope John Paul II…
Then the century ended, and the Stadium still wasn’t. To quote another English maxim: If it ain’t broken, don’t fix it. But in this case, it was more like: If it is broken, don’t fix it. Instead of completing it and making it the gem it was supposed to be, we patched it. We mended it.
Whenever we had no choice, when we had to patch up the Stadium before it collapsed, we always favored the cheapest solution. Except we patched it up for 50 years, lots of times. Lots of times the cheapest solution costs quite a bit more than the most expensive solution once. Quality always ends up being more economical. No one has ever had the courage to take the long view.
Last Monday, the Quebec government announced that it was investing 870 million to replace the roof and the technical ring. We had no choice, once again. A rigid roof will allow the Stadium to host events. Great ! That’s not bad, the purpose of a stadium.
We had gotten there. Without the new work, we would be stuck with a Stadium that would be useless. Which has already been the case, for quite a while.
Montreal needs a stadium. Quebec needs a stadium. A society needs a place to come together. To go to the high mass of solidarity. To celebrate together. To live together. To dream together. But it doesn’t just take one stage right. It takes an inviting stage.
I fear that once again, we are only doing patching. A patch that will end up costing 1 billion, but a patch nonetheless. We’ve been messing with the ceiling for half a century, but it’s not just the ceiling that needs to be fixed up.
PHOTO ALAIN ROBERGE, LA PRESSE ARCHIVES
The interior of the Olympic Stadium, during a visit to The Presson February 5
We are going to put a roof from 2024 on a stadium from 1970. The experience for the spectator will always be outdated. The interior is a bunker. They look like bus shelter seats. The screen appears to be powered by a Commodore 64. The surface is dangerous for athletes. The areas, where we find food and souvenir kiosks, are as attractive as a nuclear power plant.
It’s very nice, a new roof, but when you go to the Stadium, it’s not the ceiling that you look at, it’s what’s underneath. You have to put pennies on the bottom. I know, it’s starting to make a lot of money.
It takes a stage worthy of the name. A completed stadium, not a terminal stadium. Not just to go see Taylor Swift. To go see us. A place where we can be as many citizens as possible. A place where we can be more than 20,000. A place where we can be three times that. A place that represents us.
Are you hosting the Super Bowl tonight? You will gather in the largest room in the house, in front of a screen large enough for everyone to see the ball, you will arrange the place so that everyone is comfortable. A stadium, that’s it. It is the largest room in the national house. It’s the place where we welcome people. Can we make this look nice? Can we receive the world as the world?
The roof of the Stadium should be an opening roof. Because that’s Quebec. Bad weather winters and magnificent summers. We must be able to protect ourselves from some and take advantage of others. It won’t be. Too expensive. That’s going to be $5 billion that we’re spending on this infrastructure. At that price, we could have had a roof that opens. Are we stupider than others? Are we missing this bridge of vision, repeatedly?
Sooner or later, we will need a place to meet. Not to help us out. To welcome us in grand style. Sooner or later, it’s going to take us a good stadium. A stadium like the one you’ll see tonight while watching the Super Bowl.
Sooner or later. It looks like it will be later rather than sooner.
Happy Super Bowl!
While waiting for our bowl to become great.