Autostade
Encyclopedia
The Autostade was a Canadian football
stadium
in the Victoriatown neighbourhood of Montreal, Quebec that stood at the north-west corner of the Cité du Havre
sector of the Expo 67
site. It was the home of the Montreal Alouettes
from 1968-1976, except for a brief period in 1972 when the team returned to its previous home, Molson Stadium
.
, Expo 67
as a venue for several events including the World Music Festival and the Rodeo Show. It was designed by architects Victor Prus and Maurice Desnoyers. With a seating capacity
of 33,172, the stadium is best remembered for its odd shape: to allow the stadium to be dismantled and re-erected on a new site if required, the architects employed a segmental structural system comprising 19 independent but linked pre-cast concrete grandstands, each 40 seats wide, arranged around the central field.
The stadium was financed by donations from the five major auto manufacturers in Canada at the time: American Motors, Chrysler, Ford
, General Motors, and Volvo
.
's new baseball team, the Montreal Expos
, would play home games at the Autostade. However, the city was unwilling to pay the cost of adding a dome, thought to be a must because of Montreal's often bitterly cold springs and falls. Instead, the Expos opted to use Jarry Park
, and the new stadium was configured for CFL
football
use. The first CFL game played at the Autostade was the 1966 Eastern final between the Ottawa Rough Riders
and Hamilton Tiger-Cats
, held on November 19. The Rough Riders would have hosted the game, but Lansdowne Park
was undergoing extensive renovations at the time. Ottawa won the game 42-16. This game also marked the first use of the single-shaft "goose-necked" field goal posts in the CFL.
Following its use in Expo 67, the gaps between the sections were filled in as preparation for the Alouettes' 1968 season
. However, the stadium was considered by many to be located too far from downtown (a complaint that would be echoed years later regarding Olympic Stadium
) as well as too cold due to its proximity to the Saint Lawrence River
. As a result, crowds declined rapidly. Despite this, those fans that did attend remember the stadium as having an intimate atmosphere well suited to CFL football.
The only Grey Cup
contest at the Autostade was played on November 30, 1969, between the Rough Riders and Saskatchewan Roughriders
. Due to fears about FLQ terrorist
activities, the CFL had 300 police
officers in full riot gear on standby just in case anything got out of hand. Fortunately, there were no incidents. Ottawa's Russ Jackson
and Frank Clair
ended their Hall of Fame careers with a 29-11 win over Saskatchewan. This game was featured in the 1969 movie Deux femmes en or.
Crowds remained small for the next two seasons. The 1971 CFL All Star Game attracted little attention, and the Alouettes ownership decided to return to Molson Stadium
in 1972, hoping to draw larger crowds. The plan backfired, with overall attendance dropping by 60,000 from the previous season, and the team returned to the Autostade the following year. The stadium fell into disuse after the Alouettes moved to Olympic Stadium following the 1976 Summer Olympics
. Although the venue was used for concerts and various other events for a few years, it was demolished in the late 1970s.
In May of 2005, the Montreal Impact
soccer club had announced that they would be building a new stadium
near the former location of the Autostade. The Impact have since changed their plans, and broke ground on a new stadium in the Olympic Park
in the spring of 2007.
Canadian football
Canadian football is a form of gridiron football played exclusively in Canada in which two teams of 12 players each compete for territorial control of a field of play long and wide attempting to advance a pointed prolate spheroid ball into the opposing team's scoring area...
stadium
Stadium
A modern stadium is a place or venue for outdoor sports, concerts, or other events and consists of a field or stage either partly or completely surrounded by a structure designed to allow spectators to stand or sit and view the event.)Pausanias noted that for about half a century the only event...
in the Victoriatown neighbourhood of Montreal, Quebec that stood at the north-west corner of the Cité du Havre
Cité du Havre
Cité du Havre is a neighbourhood in the borough of Ville-Marie of the city of Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It is located on a narrow man-made peninsula, which was built to protect the Old Port of Montreal from the currents of the Saint Lawrence River. -Expo 67:...
sector of the Expo 67
Expo 67
The 1967 International and Universal Exposition or Expo 67, as it was commonly known, was the general exhibition, Category One World's Fair held in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, from April 27 to October 29, 1967. It is considered to be the most successful World's Fair of the 20th century, with the...
site. It was the home of the Montreal Alouettes
Montreal Alouettes
The Montreal Alouettes are a Canadian Football League team based in Montreal, Quebec.The current franchise named the Alouettes moved to Montreal from Baltimore, Maryland, in 1996 where they had been known as the Baltimore Stallions...
from 1968-1976, except for a brief period in 1972 when the team returned to its previous home, Molson Stadium
Molson Stadium
Percival Molson Memorial Stadium is an outdoor football stadium located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada...
.
Design and financing
The Autostade was built in preparation for the 1967 World's FairWorld's Fair
World's fair, World fair, Universal Exposition, and World Expo are various large public exhibitions held in different parts of the world. The first Expo was held in The Crystal Palace in Hyde Park, London, United Kingdom, in 1851, under the title "Great Exhibition of the Works of Industry of All...
, Expo 67
Expo 67
The 1967 International and Universal Exposition or Expo 67, as it was commonly known, was the general exhibition, Category One World's Fair held in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, from April 27 to October 29, 1967. It is considered to be the most successful World's Fair of the 20th century, with the...
as a venue for several events including the World Music Festival and the Rodeo Show. It was designed by architects Victor Prus and Maurice Desnoyers. With a seating capacity
Seating capacity
Seating capacity refers to the number of people who can be seated in a specific space, both in terms of the physical space available, and in terms of limitations set by law. Seating capacity can be used in the description of anything ranging from an automobile that seats two to a stadium that seats...
of 33,172, the stadium is best remembered for its odd shape: to allow the stadium to be dismantled and re-erected on a new site if required, the architects employed a segmental structural system comprising 19 independent but linked pre-cast concrete grandstands, each 40 seats wide, arranged around the central field.
The stadium was financed by donations from the five major auto manufacturers in Canada at the time: American Motors, Chrysler, Ford
Ford Motor Company
Ford Motor Company is an American multinational automaker based in Dearborn, Michigan, a suburb of Detroit. The automaker was founded by Henry Ford and incorporated on June 16, 1903. In addition to the Ford and Lincoln brands, Ford also owns a small stake in Mazda in Japan and Aston Martin in the UK...
, General Motors, and Volvo
Volvo Cars
Volvo Car Corporation, or Volvo Personvagnar AB, is a Swedish automobile manufacturer founded in 1927, in Gothenburg, Sweden. It is owned by Zhejiang Geely Holding Group. Volvo was originally formed as a subsidiary company to the ball bearing maker SKF. When Volvo AB was introduced on the Swedish...
.
History
It was originally planned that MontrealMontreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
's new baseball team, the Montreal Expos
Montreal Expos
The Montreal Expos were a Major League Baseball team located in Montreal, Quebec from 1969 through 2004, holding the first MLB franchise awarded outside the United States. After the 2004 season, MLB moved the Expos to Washington, D.C. and renamed them the Nationals.Named after the Expo 67 World's...
, would play home games at the Autostade. However, the city was unwilling to pay the cost of adding a dome, thought to be a must because of Montreal's often bitterly cold springs and falls. Instead, the Expos opted to use Jarry Park
Jarry Park Stadium
Jarry Park Stadium is a former baseball stadium in Montreal which served as home to the Montreal Expos, Major League Baseball's first Canadian franchise, from 1969–1976. It served as a temporary home until the domed Olympic Stadium was finished and made available to the Expos...
, and the new stadium was configured for CFL
Canadian Football League
The Canadian Football League or CFL is a professional sports league located in Canada. The CFL is the highest level of competition in Canadian football, a form of gridiron football closely related to American football....
football
Canadian football
Canadian football is a form of gridiron football played exclusively in Canada in which two teams of 12 players each compete for territorial control of a field of play long and wide attempting to advance a pointed prolate spheroid ball into the opposing team's scoring area...
use. The first CFL game played at the Autostade was the 1966 Eastern final between the Ottawa Rough Riders
Ottawa Rough Riders
The Ottawa Rough Riders were a Canadian Football League team based in Ottawa, Ontario, founded in 1876. One of the oldest and longest lived professional sports teams in North America, the Rough Riders won the Grey Cup championship nine times. Their most dominant era was the 1960s and 1970s, a...
and Hamilton Tiger-Cats
Hamilton Tiger-Cats
The Hamilton Tiger-Cats are a Canadian Football League team based in Hamilton, Ontario, founded in 1950 with the merger of the Hamilton Tigers and the Hamilton Wildcats. The Tiger-Cats play their home games at Ivor Wynne Stadium...
, held on November 19. The Rough Riders would have hosted the game, but Lansdowne Park
Lansdowne Park
Lansdowne Park is a historic sports, exhibition and entertainment facility in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, owned by the City of Ottawa. It is located along Bank Street and is adjacent to the Rideau Canal, in central Ottawa...
was undergoing extensive renovations at the time. Ottawa won the game 42-16. This game also marked the first use of the single-shaft "goose-necked" field goal posts in the CFL.
Following its use in Expo 67, the gaps between the sections were filled in as preparation for the Alouettes' 1968 season
1968 CFL season
The 1968 Canadian Football League season is considered to be the 15th season in modern-day Canadian football, although it is officially the 11th Canadian Football League season.-CFL News in 1968:J.G...
. However, the stadium was considered by many to be located too far from downtown (a complaint that would be echoed years later regarding Olympic Stadium
Olympic Stadium (Montreal)
The Olympic Stadium is a multi-purpose stadium in the Hochelaga-Maisonneuve district of Montreal, Quebec, Canada built as the main venue for the 1976 Summer Olympics...
) as well as too cold due to its proximity to the Saint Lawrence River
Saint Lawrence River
The Saint Lawrence is a large river flowing approximately from southwest to northeast in the middle latitudes of North America, connecting the Great Lakes with the Atlantic Ocean. It is the primary drainage conveyor of the Great Lakes Basin...
. As a result, crowds declined rapidly. Despite this, those fans that did attend remember the stadium as having an intimate atmosphere well suited to CFL football.
The only Grey Cup
Grey Cup
The Grey Cup is both the name of the championship of the Canadian Football League and the name of the trophy awarded to the victorious team. It is Canada's largest annual sports and television event, regularly drawing a Canadian viewing audience of about 3 to 4 million individuals...
contest at the Autostade was played on November 30, 1969, between the Rough Riders and Saskatchewan Roughriders
Saskatchewan Roughriders
The Saskatchewan Roughriders are a Canadian Football League team based in Regina, Saskatchewan. They were founded in 1910. They play their home games at 2940 10th Avenue in Regina, which has been the team's home base for its entire history, even prior to the construction of Mosaic Stadium at Taylor...
. Due to fears about FLQ terrorist
Terrorism
Terrorism is the systematic use of terror, especially as a means of coercion. In the international community, however, terrorism has no universally agreed, legally binding, criminal law definition...
activities, the CFL had 300 police
Police
The police is a personification of the state designated to put in practice the enforced law, protect property and reduce civil disorder in civilian matters. Their powers include the legitimized use of force...
officers in full riot gear on standby just in case anything got out of hand. Fortunately, there were no incidents. Ottawa's Russ Jackson
Russ Jackson
Russell Stanley "Russ" Jackson, OC is a former professional Canadian football quarterback. Jackson spent his entire 12-year professional football career with the Ottawa Rough Riders of the Canadian Football League...
and Frank Clair
Frank Clair
Frank James Clair was a coach in the Canadian Football League, nicknamed "the Professor" for his ability to recognize and develop talent. Clair is the 3rd all-time winningest head coach in the CFL with 147 wins and the winningest head coach in the post-season with 27 vistories...
ended their Hall of Fame careers with a 29-11 win over Saskatchewan. This game was featured in the 1969 movie Deux femmes en or.
Crowds remained small for the next two seasons. The 1971 CFL All Star Game attracted little attention, and the Alouettes ownership decided to return to Molson Stadium
Molson Stadium
Percival Molson Memorial Stadium is an outdoor football stadium located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada...
in 1972, hoping to draw larger crowds. The plan backfired, with overall attendance dropping by 60,000 from the previous season, and the team returned to the Autostade the following year. The stadium fell into disuse after the Alouettes moved to Olympic Stadium following the 1976 Summer Olympics
1976 Summer Olympics
The 1976 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXI Olympiad, was an international multi-sport event celebrated in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, in 1976. Montreal was awarded the rights to the 1976 Games on May 12, 1970, at the 69th IOC Session in Amsterdam, over the bids of Moscow and...
. Although the venue was used for concerts and various other events for a few years, it was demolished in the late 1970s.
In May of 2005, the Montreal Impact
Montreal Impact
Montreal Impact was a Canadian professional soccer club based in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Founded in 1992, the team played in the North American Soccer League , the second tier of the American Soccer Pyramid until the 2011 season. The owner Joey Saputo now operates the MLS team Montreal ImpactThe...
soccer club had announced that they would be building a new stadium
Saputo Stadium
Saputo Stadium is a soccer-specific stadium in Montreal, Quebec, Canada which opened on May 21, 2008, and is the current home of the Montreal Impact. The stadium is built on the former practice track and field site on the grounds of the 1976 Summer Olympics, while the stadium's west side has a...
near the former location of the Autostade. The Impact have since changed their plans, and broke ground on a new stadium in the Olympic Park
Olympic Stadium (Montreal)
The Olympic Stadium is a multi-purpose stadium in the Hochelaga-Maisonneuve district of Montreal, Quebec, Canada built as the main venue for the 1976 Summer Olympics...
in the spring of 2007.