Tour de la Bourse
Encyclopedia
La tour de la Bourse is an International Style
skyscraper
by Luigi Moretti
and Pier Luigi Nervi
at 800 Victoria Square in Montreal
, Quebec
, connected by the underground city
to Square-Victoria Metro Station
. When completed in 1964, the tower was the tallest building in Canada, and is currently the third-tallest in the city.
-era economic boom, called for three identical towers arrayed in a triangle. It was scaled back to two towers flanking each side of the central core. Ultimately a single tower was built, due to financial constraints; the Hôtel Delta Centre-Ville was later built on the site of what was to be the second identical tower thus forming Place Victoria. Following the improvement and restoration of Square Victoria to its original configuration in 2002, Place Victoria is now a centrepiece of the new Quartier International
downtown area.
The tower itself is considered by many to be a masterpiece of the International style of skyscraper design. Its façade, fully renovated in 1995, features a bronze
-tinted anodized aluminium curtain wall
, forming a strong contrast with the slightly slanted pre-cast concrete columns at the four corners, giving the whole a subtly convex aspect. It is divided into three roughly equal blocks by mechanical floor
s whose corners are recessed in an octagonal shape, creating small open-air interstices behind the columns at these levels. One couple of Peregrine Falcon
s has been nesting inside the 32nd floor recess since 1984.
This 190 m (623.4 ft), 48-story building was the world's tallest reinforced concrete
tower until the completion of Lake Point Tower
in Chicago
in 1968, and the tallest building in Canada until the completion of Toronto-Dominion Centre
in 1967. It is now the 13th-tallest building in Canada.
The building's anchor tenant is still the Montreal Exchange
on floors 3 and 4. The national and international law firm Fasken Martineau occupies six floors as well as space for services on the rez de chaussée. The building is managed
by Magil Laurentian Realty Corporation. In August 2004 Jolina Capital, owned by Lino Saputo who is also head of foodmaker Saputo Foods, acquired a majority stake in the building. Property management is still handled by Magil Laurentian, who retains a minority stake.
International style (architecture)
The International style is a major architectural style that emerged in the 1920s and 1930s, the formative decades of Modern architecture. The term originated from the name of a book by Henry-Russell Hitchcock and Philip Johnson, The International Style...
skyscraper
Skyscraper
A skyscraper is a tall, continuously habitable building of many stories, often designed for office and commercial use. There is no official definition or height above which a building may be classified as a skyscraper...
by Luigi Moretti
Luigi Moretti
Luigi Walter Moretti was an Italian architect.- Education and academic career :He was born in via Napoleone III, on the Esquiline Hill, in the same apartment where he lived almost his entire life...
and Pier Luigi Nervi
Pier Luigi Nervi
Pier Luigi Nervi was an Italian engineer. He studied at the University of Bologna and qualified in 1913. Dr. Nervi taught as a professor of engineering at Rome University from 1946-61...
at 800 Victoria Square in Montreal
Montreal
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...
, Quebec
Quebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
, connected by the underground city
Underground City, Montreal
Montreal's Underground City is the set of interconnected complexes in and around Downtown Montreal, Quebec, Canada...
to Square-Victoria Metro Station
Square-Victoria (Montreal Metro)
Square-Victoria is a station on the Orange Line of the Montreal Metro rapid transit system, operated by the Société de transport de Montréal...
. When completed in 1964, the tower was the tallest building in Canada, and is currently the third-tallest in the city.
History and development
The original project, conceived during the Expo 67Expo 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...
-era economic boom, called for three identical towers arrayed in a triangle. It was scaled back to two towers flanking each side of the central core. Ultimately a single tower was built, due to financial constraints; the Hôtel Delta Centre-Ville was later built on the site of what was to be the second identical tower thus forming Place Victoria. Following the improvement and restoration of Square Victoria to its original configuration in 2002, Place Victoria is now a centrepiece of the new Quartier International
Quartier international de Montréal
The Quartier international de Montréal or Montreal's International District is a district of the Ville-Marie borough of downtown Montreal that underwent a major urban renewal as a central business district in 2000–2003.-Purpose:...
downtown area.
The tower itself is considered by many to be a masterpiece of the International style of skyscraper design. Its façade, fully renovated in 1995, features a bronze
Bronze
Bronze is a metal alloy consisting primarily of copper, usually with tin as the main additive. It is hard and brittle, and it was particularly significant in antiquity, so much so that the Bronze Age was named after the metal...
-tinted anodized aluminium curtain wall
Curtain wall
A curtain wall is an outer covering of a building in which the outer walls are non-structural, but merely keep out the weather. As the curtain wall is non-structural it can be made of a lightweight material reducing construction costs. When glass is used as the curtain wall, a great advantage is...
, forming a strong contrast with the slightly slanted pre-cast concrete columns at the four corners, giving the whole a subtly convex aspect. It is divided into three roughly equal blocks by mechanical floor
Mechanical floor
A mechanical floor, mechanical penthouse, or mechanical level is a storey of a high-rise building that is dedicated to mechanical and electronics equipment. "Mechanical" is the most commonly used term, but words such as utility, technical, service, and plant are also used...
s whose corners are recessed in an octagonal shape, creating small open-air interstices behind the columns at these levels. One couple of Peregrine Falcon
Peregrine Falcon
The Peregrine Falcon , also known as the Peregrine, and historically as the Duck Hawk in North America, is a widespread bird of prey in the family Falconidae. A large, crow-sized falcon, it has a blue-gray back, barred white underparts, and a black head and "moustache"...
s has been nesting inside the 32nd floor recess since 1984.
This 190 m (623.4 ft), 48-story building was the world's tallest reinforced concrete
Reinforced concrete
Reinforced concrete is concrete in which reinforcement bars , reinforcement grids, plates or fibers have been incorporated to strengthen the concrete in tension. It was invented by French gardener Joseph Monier in 1849 and patented in 1867. The term Ferro Concrete refers only to concrete that is...
tower until the completion of Lake Point Tower
Lake Point Tower
Lake Point Tower is a high-rise residential building located on a promontory of the Lake Michigan lakefront in downtown Chicago, just north of the Chicago River at 505 North Lake Shore Drive. It is located in the Streeterville neighborhood of the Near North Side community area...
in Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
in 1968, and the tallest building in Canada until the completion of Toronto-Dominion Centre
Toronto-Dominion Centre
The Toronto-Dominion Centre, or Centre, is a cluster of buildings in downtown Toronto, Ontario, Canada, consisting of six towers and a pavilion covered in bronze-tinted glass and black painted steel. It serves as the global headquarters of the Toronto-Dominion Bank, as well as providing office and...
in 1967. It is now the 13th-tallest building in Canada.
The building's anchor tenant is still the Montreal Exchange
Montreal Exchange
The Montreal Exchange or MX is a derivatives exchange, located in Montreal, that trades futures contracts and options on equities, indices, currencies, ETFs, energy and interest rates. Since 1965, it has been located in the Tour de la Bourse , Montreal's third-tallest building...
on floors 3 and 4. The national and international law firm Fasken Martineau occupies six floors as well as space for services on the rez de chaussée. The building is managed
Property manager
A property manager or estate manager is a person or firm charged with operating a real estate property for a fee, when the owner is unable to personally attend to such details, or is not interested in doing so...
by Magil Laurentian Realty Corporation. In August 2004 Jolina Capital, owned by Lino Saputo who is also head of foodmaker Saputo Foods, acquired a majority stake in the building. Property management is still handled by Magil Laurentian, who retains a minority stake.
Events
- On February 13, 1969 the Front de libération du QuébecFront de libération du QuébecThe Front de libération du Québec was a left-wing Quebecois nationalist and Marxist-Leninist paramilitary group in Quebec, Canada. It was active between 1963 and 1970, and was regarded as a terrorist organization for its violent methods of action...
set off a bomb at the Stock Exchange, injuring twenty-seven people. No one was killed.
- On April 7, 2005 around 150 students occupied the ground floor of the building to block access to the elevators, as part of a strategy of economic disruption during the 2005 Quebec student strike2005 Quebec student strikeThe 2005 Quebec student strike occurred between February 24 and April 2005. Part of the opposition to the Charest government, it was led by students of CEGEPs and universities of Quebec, on strike to protest budget cuts of $103 million in the Grants and Loans program.- Background :During the 2003...
. They were scattered by riot police two hours later; one arrest was made.
- In March 2010, the Tour de la Bourse was used by artist Aude Moreau for her work Sortir, in which the room lights in the upper levels of the tower were used to spell out the word "Sortir" across its façades.
See also
- List of Montreal's 10 tallest skyscrapers
- Old Montreal Stock Exchange Building