site VISIT Raise the Roof
An iconic Montréal business and social district get a unique facelift. By Shannon Moore
THIS PAGE The revitalization of the PVM Esplanade is part of Ivanhoé Cambridge’s $1-billion investment in its downtown Montréal properties. The project focused on connecting city foot traffic and the Place Ville Marie Esplanade to the indoor Le Cathcart, luring visitors to two sunken courtyards, an indoor garden, and an expansive open space beneath a glass pavilion. Photography by Sid Lee Architecture
IT’S BEEN NEARLY 60 years since I.M. Pei and Henry N. Cobb designed the ever-popular business hub known as Place Ville Marie in Montréal. Best-known for its cruciform skyscraper and outdoor Esplanade, the site is also a key access point to the city’s underground network of businesses and transportation tunnels extending throughout the downtown core. In 2017, current owners Ivanhoé Cambridge announced a $200-million revitalization of Place Ville Marie. Led by Sid Lee Architecture and Menkès Shooner Dagenais LeTourneux Architectes, the goal of the project was to transform the complex into a major
urban gathering point for the well-being and cultural vibrancy of Montréal as a whole. “Realizing a project in downtown Montréal for an iconic site like Place Ville Marie comes with immense responsibility: to create a living environment that thousands of people will visit daily,” says Yves Dagenais, architect and senior partner at Menkès Shooner. “By establishing a direct connection with urban activity, the implemented architectural response makes it possible to meet that challenge.” Among the many updates is a series of bars, bistros and cafés known as Le Cathcart Restaurants et Biergarten, and a grand staircase connecting the public
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