The Édifice Marie-Guyart, previously and still commonly known as Complexe G, is a 33-

storey A storey (English in the Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth English) or story (American English), is any level part of a building with a floor that could be used by people (for living, work, storage, recreation, etc.). Plurals for the wor ...

, office

skyscraper A skyscraper is a tall continuously habitable building having multiple floors. Most modern sources define skyscrapers as being at least or in height, though there is no universally accepted definition, other than being very tall high-rise bui ...

completed in 1972 in

Quebec City Quebec City is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Quebec. As of July 2021, the city had a population of 549,459, and the Census Metropolitan Area (including surrounding communities) had a populati ...

Quebec Quebec is Canada's List of Canadian provinces and territories by area, largest province by area. Located in Central Canada, the province shares borders with the provinces of Ontario to the west, Newfoundland and Labrador to the northeast, ...

, Canada. The

brutalist Brutalist architecture is an architectural style that emerged during the 1950s in the United Kingdom, among the reconstruction projects of the post-war era. Brutalist buildings are characterised by minimalist constructions that showcase the b ...

style tower is the tallest building in the city, as well as the tallest building in Canada east of

Montreal Montreal is the List of towns in Quebec, largest city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Quebec, the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-largest in Canada, and the List of North American cit ...

. Situated in the

Parliament Hill Parliament Hill (), colloquially known as The Hill, is an area of Crown land on the southern bank of the Ottawa River that houses the Parliament of Canada in downtown Ottawa, Ontario. It accommodates a suite of Gothic revival buildings whose ...

borough, the building houses most notably the Ministry of Education, Recreation and Sports, the Ministry of Sustainable Development, Environment and Parks, as well the Observatoire de la Capitale observation deck.

History

During the 1960s, as a result of the

Quiet Revolution The Quiet Revolution () was a period of socio-political and socio-cultural transformation in French Canada, particularly in Quebec, following the 1960 Quebec general election. This period was marked by the secularization of the government, the ...

, the

Government of Quebec The Government of Quebec (, ) is the body responsible for the administration of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Quebec. The term is typically used to refer to the executive of the day (i.e. Minister of the Crown, mini ...

undertook a period of rapid expansion, resulting in a greater need for office space in the downtown area. In 1961, the "Commission d'aménagment de Québec" (Quebec Planning Commission) was formed and in 1963 the Commission produced an ambitious plan for the area surrounding the Hôtel du Parlement. The different buildings outlined in the plan were identified by letters, hence the name "Complexe G". The first version of "Complexe G", which appeared in 1965, comprised four towers between 22 and 25 floors, a complex that would have offered two and a half times more floor space than what was eventually constructed. In 1969 the project was modified to include the current tower, as were two other towers between it and the Grand Théâtre de Québec. The existing buildings on the site were acquired and demolished, however these two additional towers were never constructed. Construction of the current tower began in 1967 and was completed in 1972.Commission de la Capitale-Nationale
/ref> In 1987, the tower was officially renamed "Édifice Marie-Guyart" in honour of Saint Marie of the Incarnation (born Marie Guyart), an Ursuline nun who was the religious foundress of the Ursuline order in

New France New France (, ) was the territory colonized by Kingdom of France, France in North America, beginning with the exploration of the Gulf of Saint Lawrence by Jacques Cartier in 1534 and ending with the cession of New France to Kingdom of Great Br ...

Observatoire de la Capitale

On the highest floor of the building, the Observatoire de la Capitale provides a 360 degree view of the city from a height of 221 meters. Visitors can see the Citadelle de Québec, the Château Frontenac and the countryside surrounding Quebec City.

Gallery

References

External links

Observatoire de la Capitale
{{DEFAULTSORT:Edifice Marie-Guyart Buildings and structures in Quebec City Brutalist architecture in Canada Office buildings completed in 1972 Skyscraper office buildings in Canada 1972 establishments in Quebec

History

Observatoire de la Capitale

Gallery

See also

References

External links