Place Montreal Trust is a shopping mall in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, located west of the

Eaton Centre Eaton Centre is a name associated with shopping centres in Canada, originating with Eaton's, one of Canada's largest department store chains at the time that these malls were developed. Eaton's partnered with development companies throughout ...

, at the corner of Saint Catherine Street and McGill College Avenue in the city's downtown core. With over of stores and services, Place Montreal Trust attracts 14 million visitors each year. Its indoor water fountain has the highest water spout in North America at 30 metres in height. Place Montreal Trust is linked to the Underground City of Montreal. The

Bell Media Tower The Bell Media Tower (Tour Bell Média) is a skyscraper in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Located at 1800 McGill College Avenue, it was built for the Montreal Trust Company, and shared the name Place Montreal Trust with the adjoining mall. It stands ...

is part of the Place Montreal Trust complex.

History

Place Montreal Trust was originally proposed to house a

concert hall A concert hall is a cultural building with a stage that serves as a performance venue and an auditorium filled with seats. This list does not include other venues such as sports stadia, dramatic theatres or convention centres that may ...

, in the mall's mezzanine and basement level. However, this design called for an office tower that would partially obstruct the view of Mount Royal from McGill College Avenue. The plan encountered public opposition, including from architectural activist Phyllis Lambert, a member of the board of directors of Cadillac Fairview, who participated in protests against her own company's plan. This idea of a concert hall on McGill College was abandoned in favour of a design for Place Montreal Trust with a wider setback, as part of a redesign of McGill College Avenue as a widened scenic avenue. The shopping mall of Place Montreal Trust was opened by Cadillac Fairview in 1988. At the time, Cadillac Fairview dubbed the mall as one its five (self-titled) "fashion centres" that also included Promenades Saint-Bruno, Fairview Pointe-Claire, Carrefour Laval and Galeries d'Anjou. Cadillac Fairview still use the "fashion centre" branding to this day, but not on Place Montreal Trust as it no longer owns the mall. Ivanhoe Inc assumed the management of the shopping mall in August 1995, while Cadillac Fairview continued to manage the office building. On July 7, 1999, Ivanhoe acquired 100% of Place Montreal Trust as part of a $20 million package intended to position Place Montreal Trust a major player in the

Downtown Montreal Downtown Montreal ( French: ''Centre-Ville de Montréal'') is the central business district of Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The district is situated on the southernmost slope of Mount Royal, and occupies the western portion of the borough of Vil ...

revitalization plan. Recently, a new investment of $15 million enabled the complete renovation of the

food court A food court (in Asia-Pacific also called food hall or hawker centre) is generally an indoor plaza or common area within a facility that is contiguous with the counters of multiple food vendors and provides a common area for self-serve dinner. I ...

and the first level of the shopping centre. In July 1998, Place Montreal Trust became home to Montreal's Planet Hollywood restaurant. The restaurant did brisk business for the first year, but closed in September 2001. The entrance to the restaurant was on the North/West corner of the Saint Catherine Street as well as the third floor of the mall. It has since been converted back to retail space.

Atrium and fountain

Place Montreal Trust's atrium allows maximum use of natural light and features a large indoor water fountain. Its 30-metre water spout is the highest in

North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere and almost entirely within the Western Hemisphere. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and the Car ...

. During the holiday season, a giant illuminated

Christmas tree A Christmas tree is a decorated tree, usually an evergreen conifer, such as a spruce, pine or fir, or an artificial tree of similar appearance, associated with the celebration of Christmas. The custom was further developed in early modern ...

filled with animated storybook characters stands just as tall. The mall spreads out over and attracts 14 million visitors a year.

List of anchor stores

References

External links

Official website
{{Authority control Postmodern architecture in Canada Shopping malls established in 1988 Shopping malls in Montreal Buildings and structures completed in 1988 Downtown Montreal Ivanhoé Cambridge 1988 establishments in Quebec

History

Atrium and fountain

List of anchor stores

See also

References

External links