Place Viger facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Place Viger |
|
|---|---|
Place Viger in 2014
|
|
| Alternative names |
|
| General information | |
| Architectural style | Châteauesque |
| Coordinates | 45°30′45″N 73°33′12″W / 45.512478°N 73.553244°W |
| Construction started | 1898 |
| Dimensions | |
| Other dimensions | Grounds: 38,317 m2 (412,440 sq ft) |
| Technical details | |
| Floor area | 10,219 m2 (110,000 sq ft) |
| Design and construction | |
| Architect | Bruce Price |
Place Viger was a special building in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It was both a fancy hotel and a busy train station. Built in 1898, it was named after Jacques Viger, Montreal's very first mayor. While other countries like the United Kingdom had hotels and train stations together, Place Viger was the only one of its kind in Canada.
Contents
A Grand Design for Montreal
Place Viger was designed by a famous architect named Bruce Price. It was built for the Canadian Pacific Railway. The building was placed near the heart of Montreal at that time. It was close to the financial area, city hall, the port, and the court house.
Montreal's mayor, Raymond Préfontaine, really wanted it built there. This area was important to French Canadian families. It was different from the Windsor Hotel to the west. That hotel was seen as a place for English-speaking people.
Train Travel at Place Viger
The train station at Place Viger was the end point for Canadian Pacific passenger trains. These trains came into downtown Montreal from the north and east. It took the place of an older station called Dalhousie Station. Another important station for trains coming from the south and west was Windsor Station.
French Château Style and Gardens
Place Viger was built in a beautiful French château-style. This style was common for railway hotels built by Canadian Pacific. The train station was on the lower floors. A luxurious hotel was on the upper floors.
The building had a lovely spot next to the gardens of Viger Square. This meant train travelers and hotel guests could enjoy walks in the gardens.
Changes Over Time
Over the years, Montreal's main business area moved to the northwest. Also, the economic depression of the 1930s hit hard. These changes were very bad for Place Viger. The hotel closed its doors in 1935.
In 1951, the train station also closed. The City of Montreal bought the building. Its inside was completely changed to make office spaces. The building was then renamed Édifice Jacques-Viger.
Viger Square's Transformation
The beautiful Viger Square gardens were destroyed in the 1970s. This happened to make way for the Autoroute Ville-Marie highway. After the highway was finished, a new Viger Square was created. It was built on top of the concrete deck covering the highway. However, this new square was not well-designed. It felt empty and was not used much, even with art by artists like Charles Daudelin.
For many years, the old Place Viger station stood alone and forgotten. It was a striking historic building surrounded by parking lots and concrete.
.jpg)
A New Future for Place Viger
In 2003, there were plans for Place Viger to house a new school. This school would teach about tourism. In 2004, the Borough of Ville-Marie announced plans to restore the nearby public gardens. They wanted to replace much of the concrete in Viger Square with trees and paths.
Place Viger was sold in 2005 to a developer. The plan was to turn the building into apartments and a new hotel. However, the developer faced problems and sold the property again in 2012.
In May 2014, a new owner, Jesta, announced a big redevelopment plan. This plan, costing $250 million, included homes and offices. In September 2014, a software company called Lightspeed said it would move its Montreal offices to the Viger complex. Lightspeed moved into the historic Viger building in April 2015.
Lua error in Module:Adjacent_stations at line 236: Unknown line "Montreal-Mont-Laurier".
