The Montreal Planetarium (french: Planétarium de Montréal), formerly the Dow Planetarium (french: Planétarium Dow), is a decommissioned public
planetarium located at
Chaboillez Square just South-East of downtown
Montreal
Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the second-most populous city in Canada and most populous city in the Canadian province of Quebec. Founded in 1642 as '' Ville-Marie'', or "City of Mary", it is named after Mount Royal, the triple ...
,
Quebec
Quebec ( ; )According to the Canadian government, ''Québec'' (with the acute accent) is the official name in Canadian French and ''Quebec'' (without the accent) is the province's official name in Canadian English is one of the thirtee ...
,
Canada
Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...
. It closed permanently in October 2011. A new facility, The
Rio Tinto Alcan Planetarium
The Rio Tinto Alcan Planetarium (french: Planétarium Rio Tinto Alcan) is the successor to the Montreal Planetarium, and is located in the Espace pour la Vie, near the Olympic Stadium and the Biodome in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The new install ...
, near
Olympic Stadium
''Olympic Stadium'' is the name usually given to the main stadium of an Olympic Games. An Olympic stadium is the site of the opening and closing ceremonies. Many, though not all, of these venues actually contain the words ''Olympic Stadium'' as ...
in Montreal, opened in April 2013.
History
The planetarium was opened in advance of
Expo 67
The 1967 International and Universal Exposition, commonly known as Expo 67, was a general exhibition from April 27 to October 29, 1967. It was a category One World's Fair held in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It is considered to be one of the most su ...
and inaugurated on April 1, 1966, by then-Montreal mayor
Jean Drapeau. Its inaugural show, "New Skies for a New City", premiered on April 4, 1966. Work had commenced on the project more than three years before its launch, under the guidance of Dr.
Pierre Gendron, a former professor of
chemistry and founding Dean of the Faculty of Science at the
University of Ottawa
The University of Ottawa (french: Université d'Ottawa), often referred to as uOttawa or U of O, is a bilingual public research university in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. The main campus is located on directly to the northeast of Downtown Ottaw ...
, who was an avid amateur
astronomer
An astronomer is a scientist in the field of astronomy who focuses their studies on a specific question or field outside the scope of Earth. They observe astronomical objects such as stars, planets, moons, comets and galaxies – in either ...
. As president of the Board of Directors of
Dow Breweries, Gendron convinced Dow to create a world-class planetarium in Montreal as part of the
Canadian Centennial
The Canadian Centennial was a yearlong celebration held in 1967 to celebrate the 100th anniversary of Canadian Confederation. Celebrations in Canada occurred throughout the year but culminated on Dominion Day, July 1, 1967. Commemorative coins ...
celebrations.
The
architectural firm selected for the project was
David-Barott-Boulva. The chosen design had an astronomical theme and the exterior of the dome resembled
Saturn surrounded by its rings. The Planetarium was built at a cost of $1.2 million on the site of the historic
Bonaventure Station on Chaboillez Square near
Old Montreal
Old Montreal (French: ''Vieux-Montréal'') is a historic neighbourhood within the municipality of Montreal in the province of Quebec, Canada. Home to the Old Port of Montreal, the neighbourhood is bordered on the west by McGill Street, on th ...
.
The Planetarium produced more than 250 shows, was visited by nearly six million spectators and made more than 58,000 presentations in both
French and
English
English usually refers to:
* English language
* English people
English may also refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England
** English national ide ...
. The Planetarium was one of Montreal's most popular tourist attractions.
Closure of the Dow Planetarium
On October 10, 2011, the Dow Planetarium presented its final show. The city-owned building has since been ceded to the
École de technologie supérieure
École de technologie supérieure (ÉTS) is a public engineering faculty in Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
Founded in 1974, the École de technologie supérieure is a constituent of Université du Québec system. Specialized in applied teaching in ...
, a major engineering school which is located nearby.
The Rio Tinto Alcan Planetarium opened in April 2013 as the successor to the Montreal Planetarium. It is located near the
Olympic Stadium
''Olympic Stadium'' is the name usually given to the main stadium of an Olympic Games. An Olympic stadium is the site of the opening and closing ceremonies. Many, though not all, of these venues actually contain the words ''Olympic Stadium'' as ...
and the
Biodome. The new installation has two separate theatres as well as exhibits on space and astronomy. The building is certified
LEED Platinum.
References
External links
Rio Tinto Alcan Planetarium
{{Authority control
1966 establishments in Quebec
2011 disestablishments in Quebec
Canadian Centennial
Defunct planetaria
Downtown Montreal
Museums disestablished in 2011
Museums established in 1966
Planetarium
Defunct museums in Canada
Planetaria in Canada