The World Trade Centre Montreal (in
French
French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to:
* Something of, from, or related to France
** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents
** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...
, ''Centre de Commerce mondial de Montréal'') is a shopping centre, office and hotel complex located in the
Quartier international A quarter is one-fourth, , 25% or 0.25.
Quarter or quarters may refer to:
Places
* Quarter (urban subdivision), a section or area, usually of a town
Placenames
* Quarter, South Lanarkshire, a settlement in Scotland
* Le Quartier, a settlement i ...
district of
Montreal,
Quebec,
Canada.
Completed in 1992 by
Arcop, it is an example of a 'horizontal skyscraper' and a leading example of
urban renewal
Urban renewal (also called urban regeneration in the United Kingdom and urban redevelopment in the United States) is a program of land redevelopment often used to address urban decay in cities. Urban renewal involves the clearing out of blighte ...
,
architectural preservation and rehabilitation. The complex united several smaller
Victorian-era commercial buildings (including the city's historic
Bank of Nova Scotia building and
Canada Steamship Lines building) by encasing them in a larger form, in this case a massive glassed-in
atrium running the length of what was once Fortification Lane, itself the site of the city's colonial defensive walls. In a kind of post-modern hommage, a remnant of the
Berlin Wall
The Berlin Wall (german: Berliner Mauer, ) was a guarded concrete barrier that encircled West Berlin from 1961 to 1989, separating it from East Berlin and East Germany (GDR). Construction of the Berlin Wall was commenced by the government ...
, given to the city in 1992, is on public exhibit within the complex. The complex includes other historic elements, such as a fountain by French architect and sculptor Dieudonné-Barthélemy Guibal (1699–1757) also donated to the city in 1992. At the far end of the centre is the Montreal
InterContinental Hotel.
From the exterior it appears as a quintessential late-19th century Montreal business block with a diverse collection of buildings in different styles. Once inside the rear sections of those buildings have been oriented on to a vast open space, replete with reflecting pool, cafés, boutiques and other diverse services. The interior is united in its impressive open volume and natural lighting, it reveals itself in layers - for the uninitiated the interior space is often thoroughly unexpected.
The centre is connected to Montreal's
underground city and to
Square-Victoria-OACI metro station towards the West and
Place d'Armes and Place Riopelle to the East.
External links
Montreal World Trade Centre — 747 Victoria SquareWorld Trade Centre
{{Authority control
Arcop buildings
Office buildings completed in 1992
Office buildings in Montreal
Old Montreal
Montreal
1992 establishments in Quebec