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In October of 1535, the French explorer Jacques Cartier sailed up the Saint Lawrence River and set European eyes upon the rich and seemingly endless landscape surrounding the river for the first time. Passing a river valley populated by communities of the Saint Lawrence Iroquoians, Cartier made landfall at the impressively fortified village of Hochelaga, which then boasted a population of some 1,000 people.
Arriving 70 years later, Samuel de Champlain sought to re-assert a fleeting French presence in North America and founded the New France that would colonize the Saint Lawrence River valley for centuries to come. Yet, as Champlain retraced Carter's footsteps to the village of Hochelaga, he found the previous settlement abandoned and established his own fur-trading outpost on what would eventually come to be called the Island of Montreal.
Like the village of Hochelaga that preceded it, the trading outpost — which soon grew into a town — stood on the precipice of a tumultuous and difficult history. Seeking to 'evangelize' the First Nations people on whose land they had encroached, the colonists continuously clashed with the native populations they sought to oppress. By 1653, the population of what is now Montreal fell to 50 people. Even though the city was young, it had already begun to experience the turbulent cycle of prosperity and decay that would continue to characterize Montreal for centuries to come.
Montreal's growth was hindered again as the British and French Empires fought for supremacy over North America. Following the war, however, Montreal continued its evolution, becoming the largest city in British North America and the first to reach a population of 1 million in the 20th century.
By the mid-to-late 20th century, the city's cultural prominence reached a historic peak, as Expo 67 and the 1976 Summer Olympics introduced the city—and indeed the young country of Canada—to the world stage. Montreal constructed an impressive metro system and a glut of skyscrapers that placed new concrete and glass icons beside their brick and mortar predecessors. The 20th century's towers rose directly alongside the 19th century's heritage. As Moshe Safdie's Habitat 67 (below), and the Olympic Stadium, introduced new architectural paradigms, few cities in North America seemed closer to the blazing future, and fewer still could boast of such a rich past.
Yet, once the blinding sheen of a decade of spectacle diminished, what emerged was a city facing a financial and socio-cultural crisis. The Olympics left the city facing an almost overwhelming amount of debt, while the predominantly Francophone city—and the Province of Quebec around it—began to feel culturally threatened in a mostly English Canada.
Though the controversial and divisive prospect of Quebecois separatism was narrowly defeated in two referenda (in 1980 and 1995), the tumult left the city of Montreal deeply shaken. Many prominent businesses and residents departed for Toronto, which quickly became the new financial centre of Canada, as well as its largest city. For decades, the city suffered as wealth departed, the population shrank, and rust and cracks began to cover the buildings and infrastructure of the 60s and 70s that once seemed harbingers of such a bright future. But, as history had proven so many times in the past, the hard times would not last forever, and Montreal would rise again.
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Following several architecturally and economically stagnant decades, the 21st century has seen a gradual upturn in the city's fortunes. Population growth has begun to rebound, while a new wave of highrise construction, combined with ongoing infrastructure improvements, is rejuvenating the city's face.
The southwestern area of Montreal's Downtown is seeing a particularly large influx of highrise development, as significant density is now on its way to the area surrounding the Bell Centre. Attached to the hockey arena itself, Canderel's 167-metre Tour des Canadiens is bringing 50 storeys of residential space to the area (above). Now rising into the Downtown skyline, the Martin Marcotte Beinhaker and IBI/CHA (Cardinal Hardy)-designed tower is the tallest project currently under construction in the city.
Nearby, MC Finance's Le Roccabella condominium complex will bring two 40-storey towers to René Lévesque Boulevard, adding a further dose of density to the area. Designed by Béïque Legault Thuot, the project, which can now be seen almost rising to its full height, will bring 522 residential units to Downtown.
Down the street, another Béïque Legault Thuot-designed condominium complex is bringing a bold new aesthetic to Montreal's skyline. Icône Condos (below), a two-tower commercial and residential complex by the Essaris Group, will rise to heights of 39 and 27 storeys at the interesction of René Lévesque Boulevard and Rue de la Montagne. With the balconies cutting sleek diagonal lines through the glazing of both towers, Icône looks set to add an eye-catching addition to the skyline.
South of Downtown, the previously industrial Griffintown neighbourhood is also experiencing rapid development, with significant condominium developments now in various stages of planning and construction. Located next to the Lachine canal, the neighbourhood is quickly becoming one of the most desirable in the city. With close proximity to Downtown combined with ample green space and a relaxed yet urban ambiance, the area has become a strong draw for young professionals.
One of the projects currently underway in Griffintown is the Gallery sur le Canal, a 14-storey, 128-unit residential project currently under construction. Facing the canal—and the greenery that surrounds it—the south-facing units will offer invigorating views of the water.
In addition to the large number of high-rise projects currently underway, a number of large public realm projects are providing a much-needed update to the city's aging infrastructure. The ongoing redevelopment of the Turcot Interchange—which is among the largest and busiest in the country—will provide safer and more efficient transportation across the city, while planned expansions of the Montreal Metro (together with new subway cars) are likely to spur further investment and development while providing relief to transit users.
Among the biggest public sector projects in the country, the colossal new McGill University Health Centre (MUHC) has consolidated five city hospitals into one new ultra-modern space (below). Boasting cutting edge design and technological innovation, the new complex is now among the largest of its kind in the world. Though construction was plagued by a series of controversies and corruption scandals, the new Health Centre presents a showcase for the city, if a somewhat bloated one.
Together with improvements to Pierre Trudeau International Airport and the Montreal Univeristy Health Centre (Centre hospitalier de l'Université de Montréal), the MUHC 'mega-hospital' evidences a new wave of innovation that is returning Montreal to its former prominence.
With a new wave of highrise construction and renewed investment in infrastructure and the public realm, Montreal is once again emerging from a period of stagnation and difficulty to claim its place on the world stage. As the 50th anniversary of Expo 67—which so emphatically catapulted Montreal to global recognition—approaches, memories of a more optimistic time are awakened, and with them, perhaps, some of the era's hopeful spirit.
