Quartier des Spectacles

Quartier des Spectacles is a district located in the eastern section of Downtown Montreal. The area is currently undergoing gentrification and urban renewal that will turn it into the centre for Montreal's cultural events and festivals.

With a total area of almost a square kilometre, its boundaries are City Councillors Street, Berri Street, Sherbrooke Street and René Lévesque Boulevard. The area will be home to 30 performance halls totalling almost 28,000 seats, including the Place des Arts cultural complex, as well as international festivals, art galleries and centres for the exhibition and broadcast of alternative culture. The Quartier des spectacles hosts nearly 8,500 jobs linked to cultural activities, from education and creation to production, exhibition and broadcasting. [cite web |url=http://www.quartierdesspectacles.com/en/quartier/ |title=Neighbourhood |accessdate=2008-03-27 |format=HTML |work=Quartier des spectacles, Official Web site]

New facilities

New additions to the Quartier planned, underway or completed include:
* Place des festivals, a new urban square located on the "Balmoral Block" on Jeanne Mance Street, facing Place des Arts, which will become a focal point for outdoor events. [cite web |url=http://www.quartierdesspectacles.com/en/nouvelles/fichenouvelle.asp?id=55 |title=Place des festivals: construction begins |accessdate=2008-04-02 |format=HTML |work=Quartier des Spectacles, Official Website]
* Théâtre Telus, a 12,000-square-foot theatre, formerly the Berri Cinema. [cite press release| title = Théâtre TELUS - the new cultural destination in Montreal | publisher = Canada News Wire |date = 2008-03-18 |format=HTML |language=English |url=http://www.newswire.ca/en/releases/archive/March2008/18/c5094.html | accessdate = 2008-03-27]
* Red Light, a new cultural centre at the corner of Sainte Catherine Street and Saint Laurent Boulevard. [cite news |first=Christopher |last=DeWolf |title=Turn on the red light |url=http://www.urbanphoto.net/blog/2007/12/05/turn-on-the-red-light/ |work=URBANPHOTO |date=2007-12-23 |accessdate=2008-03-27 ]
* An expansion to the Society for Arts and Technology. [cite web |url=http://www.quartierdesspectacles.com/en/nouvelles/fichenouvelle.asp?id=50 |title=New development for SAT |accessdate=2008-03-27 |format=HTML |work=Quartier des Spectacles, Official Website ]
*A new cultural space over the Saint-Laurent metro station, housing LADMMI, Les Ateliers de danse moderne de Montréal. [cite news |first=Christopher |last=DeWolf |title=Cultural space to be built on Saint-Laurent metro |url=http://spacingmontreal.ca/2008/01/27/cultural-space-to-be-built-on-saint-laurent-metro/ |work=Spacing Montreal |date=2008-01-27 |accessdate=2008-03-27 ]
*A new lighting plan by Axel Morgenthaler. [cite news |first=Christopher |last=DeWolf |title=Axel Morgenthaler on the Quartier des spectacles |url=http://spacingmontreal.ca/2008/01/07/axel-morgenthaler-on-the-quartier-des-spectacles/ |work=Spacing Montreal |date=2008-01-07 |accessdate=2008-03-27 ]
*Maison du festival de Jazz, occupying the former Blumenthal Building. [cite web |url=http://www.quartierdesspectacles.com/en/nouvelles/fichenouvelle.asp?id=57 |title=A new vocation for the Blumenthal Building |accessdate=2008-04-02 |format=HTML |work=Quartier des Spectacles, Official Web site]
*Maison du développement durable, adjacent to the Théâtre du Nouveau Monde, only the second in building Canada to obtain the sustainable building certification LEED Platinum. [cite web |url=http://www.quartierdesspectacles.com/en/nouvelles/fichenouvelle.asp?id=49 |title=The greenest building in Canada,coming soon to the Quartier des spectacles |accessdate=2008-04-02 |format=HTML |work=Quartier des Spectacles, Official Web site]
*Louis Bohème, a 28-storey condo tower, approved by the city despite objections from Montreal International Jazz Festival president Alain Simard. [cite news |first=Mary |last=Lamey |authorlink= |coauthors= |title=Condos called catalyst for change in the Quartier des spectacles |url=http://www.canada.com/montrealgazette/news/business/story.html?id=7e990277-a425-4c11-90fe-280e19fd350f |work=Montreal Gazette |publisher=Canwest |date=2007-09-28 |accessdate=2008-04-20 ]
*The city has approved plans for an automated vacuum collection system the quarter. [cite news |first=Alanah |last=Heffez |title=Suck It Up - Underground Trash-Vaccuuming to Replace Dump Trucks in QDS |url=http://spacingmontreal.ca/2008/09/20/suck-it-up-underground-trash-vaccuuming-to-replace-dump-trucks-in-qds/ |work=Spacing Montreal |date=2008-09-20 |accessdate=2008-09-20 ]

However, the area also "lost" a key arts venue, with the demolition of the Montreal Spectrum. [cite news |first=Jason |last=Magder |title=Spectrum demolition approved |url=http://www.canada.com/montrealgazette/news/local/story.html?id=a9d86c41-f143-4b6d-b7a6-c2e1caf4a5f4&k=37401 |work=Montreal Gazette |publisher=Canwest |date=2008-03-18 |accessdate=2008-04-02 ]

References

External links

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* [http://www.montrealbits.com/ville_marie/quartier_des_spectacles/ Montrealbits.com: Quartier des Spectacles]