Aldred Building facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Aldred Building |
|
|---|---|
 |
|
| General information | |
| Status | Complete |
| Type | Offices |
| Architectural style | Art deco |
| Location | 507 Place d'Armes, Montreal, Quebec, Canada |
| Coordinates | 45°30′18″N 73°33′24″W / 45.50500°N 73.55667°W |
| Construction started | 1929 |
| Completed | 1931 |
| Height | |
| Roof | 96.93 metres (318.0 ft) |
| Technical details | |
| Floor count | 23 |
| Lifts/elevators | 6 |
| Design and construction | |
| Architect | Barott and Blackader |
The Aldred Building (also known as Édifice La Prévoyance) is a cool Art Deco style building. You can find it in the historic Place d'Armes square in Old Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
It was finished in 1931 and stands 96 meters (316 feet) tall, with 23 floors. The building was designed by Ernest Isbell Barott from the firm Barott and Blackader. He wanted to create a modern building that still fit in with the old, historic area around it. The Aldred Building looks a bit like the famous Empire State Building in New York City, which was also finished in the same year. It was built for Aldred and Company Limited, a big finance company.
Contents
A Look at the Aldred Building
The Aldred Building has special "setbacks" on its 8th, 13th, and 16th floors. These are like steps that make the building narrower as it goes higher. This design lets more sunlight reach the square below. It also makes the building look a bit like a grand cathedral, matching the Notre-Dame Basilica next door. The building uses limestone, which is a common material for other buildings in the area.
How the Aldred Building Was Designed
The building also cleverly deals with the fact that Place d'Armes and Notre-Dame Street don't meet at a perfect right angle. The first three floors line up with both streets. Then, the building steps back and becomes square to Notre-Dame Street. This small angle is hard to notice from the street.
A Tall Building for Its Time
When Barott started designing the Aldred Building around 1927, buildings in Montreal could only be about 130 feet (40 meters) tall. But a new rule was passed that allowed taller buildings. They just had to use setbacks to make them seem less bulky. This was similar to a rule in New York City.
In 1929, another rule change helped the Aldred Building become even taller. Buildings on public squares could go up to 200 feet (61 meters) higher than the usual limit, as long as they followed certain rules. This allowed the Aldred Building to reach its impressive 23 stories.
What the Aldred Building is Made Of
The Aldred Building uses a mix of strong and beautiful materials.
Outside the Building
The outside of the building is covered in Indiana limestone. This stone sits on a base made of granite. You can also see shiny aluminum "spandrels." Spandrels are the panels between the windows on different floors. The main entrance has bronze gates and doors with white metal designs.
Inside the Building
When you step inside the lobby, you'll see many types of marble covering the walls and floors. These include Belgian Black, Yellow Sienna, and Verde Antique. Above the ground floor, the floors are made of terrazzo with brass strips. Bronze is also used for the window frames of the bank on the ground floor. You'll find bronze and stainless steel used for trim throughout the building.
Modern Features for Its Era
The building's strong steel frame is supported by a thick concrete base, two floors below street level. This steel frame is protected from fire with terra-cotta tiles. It also supports the reinforced concrete floors. The steel structure allowed for 840 windows, covering about 20 percent of the building's surface.
The Aldred Building had many modern features for its time. The basement and first nine floors had air conditioning. Fresh air was "washed" and filtered by an air-cleaner. The building also had a central vacuum system, an electric clock system, an incinerator, and even an ozone machine in the kitchen to get rid of smells! All the floors had built-in spaces for electrical and telephone cables. The six high-speed elevators were the most advanced available then, installed by Otis Fensom. These elevators could travel very fast and had beautiful teak wood interiors.
