Walking down to lunch today; a new billboard has been put up showing what the eventual corner of Jeanne-Mance and Ste-Catherine’s will look like, the new “Place Quartier Des Spectacle”.
Shockingly it’s not going to be some terrible concert venue or prefab amphitheatre. They are reclaiming part of the street, building steps into a light slope and adding fountains.
The part that worries me is the “building” that is seen in the back of the artist’s rendering, currently is not there. In fact that area is currently a parking lot. Not for long.
A first step toward completing the Quartier des spectacles, Place du Quartier des spectacles is a public space that covers an area of 7,500 square metres dedicated to festivals. It is bounded by Rue Jeanne-Mance to the east, Rue Balmoral to the west, Rue Sainte-Catherine to the south and Boulevard de Maisonneuve to the north.
Development concept
Lower the Balmoral Block plateau to the level of Rue Jeanne-Mance (excavate 50,000 tonnes of earth). Redevelop Balmoral Block (light slope, landscaping, stairs). Reduce the width of Rue Jeanne-Mance from five to three lanes. Widen the sidewalk along Rue Jeanne-Mance.
I try to stay hopeful for these kind of projects. I find the city’s done a decent job with redeveloping some areas, notably the Pine-Park interchange and Square Victoria. I will miss the grittiness of the Spectrum’s block – cities don’t feel like cities if they don’t keep some of the “old guard” blocks around. But if they’re reclaiming street lanes for more pedestrian/public space, I’m all for that.
I believe that the building in back will become the ‘Centre des Festivals’ or something similar. That’s what I remember hearing at the Jazz Festival.
i’m in a wait and see on this one. the whole public square thing is great of course. but it’s the giant big box stores that will be across the street that will be the problem