Place Bonaventure
Encyclopedia
Place Bonaventure is an office, exhibition and hotel complex in Downtown
Montreal
, Quebec
, Canada
, adjacent to the city's Central Station. At 288000 m² (3,100,006.2 sq ft) in size, Place Bonaventure was the world's largest building upon its completion in 1967.
Place Bonaventure was first conceived as an exhibition hall, international trade centre, and hotel. The building covers an area of 2 ha (4.9 acre) and is built over 18 CNR
tracks
leading to Central Station. Construction begin in 1964, and was completed in 1967.
Designed in the Brutalist style, the exterior walls are poured-in-place, ribbed sand-blasted concrete
, with the interior walls sand-blasted concrete or brick.
Concordia Hall is a 23000 m² (247,569.9 sq ft) exhibition hall. The first trade show was hosted in 1966, while the upper floors were still being constructed. Adjacent to this vast space are two large mezzanines.
When Place Bonaventure opened, there were five floors of wholesale suppliers above Concordia Hall, featuring fashions, home furnishings, and children's toys. An additional floor contained the offices of the principal trading nations of the world. At ground level there were two floors of retail shopping.
In 1998 Place Bonaventure was renovated at an expense of 60 million CAD. The building was re-designed to offer large, continuous office space. Retail space was reduced. Windows were added to all four sides, on all floors, to allow light into the building.
The building takes its name from Bonaventure Station
, a former railway station located nearby. A planned expansion to the south was never constructed.
The complex houses a 395 room rooftop hotel, Hilton Bonaventure
, featuring an 1 ha (2.5 acres) outdoor garden with trees, flowers and waterfalls. Major tenants also include the Société de transport de Montréal
(headquarters), Fido
, Cogeco
radio stations, banks and a few federal government
departments.
. It is also linked to the Bonaventure metro station
, to the AMT
commuter train stations (Lucien-L'Allier
and Central Station), AMT's downtown bus terminus
and to inter-city train service (Via
and Amtrak
at Central Station).
Downtown Montreal
Downtown Montreal is the central business district of Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It is nearly enitirely located at the southern most slope of Mount Royal and is approximately bounded by Sherbrooke Street to the north, Papineau Avenue to the east, Guy Street or until Shaughnessy Village to the west,...
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....
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, adjacent to the city's Central Station. At 288000 m² (3,100,006.2 sq ft) in size, Place Bonaventure was the world's largest building upon its completion in 1967.
Place Bonaventure was first conceived as an exhibition hall, international trade centre, and hotel. The building covers an area of 2 ha (4.9 acre) and is built over 18 CNR
Canadian National Railway
The Canadian National Railway Company is a Canadian Class I railway headquartered in Montreal, Quebec. CN's slogan is "North America's Railroad"....
tracks
Rail tracks
The track on a railway or railroad, also known as the permanent way, is the structure consisting of the rails, fasteners, sleepers and ballast , plus the underlying subgrade...
leading to Central Station. Construction begin in 1964, and was completed in 1967.
Designed in the Brutalist style, the exterior walls are poured-in-place, ribbed sand-blasted concrete
Béton brut
Béton brut is architectural concrete left unfinished or roughly-finished after pouring and left exposed visually. The imprint of the wood or plywood forms used for pouring is usually present on the final surface....
, with the interior walls sand-blasted concrete or brick.
Concordia Hall is a 23000 m² (247,569.9 sq ft) exhibition hall. The first trade show was hosted in 1966, while the upper floors were still being constructed. Adjacent to this vast space are two large mezzanines.
When Place Bonaventure opened, there were five floors of wholesale suppliers above Concordia Hall, featuring fashions, home furnishings, and children's toys. An additional floor contained the offices of the principal trading nations of the world. At ground level there were two floors of retail shopping.
In 1998 Place Bonaventure was renovated at an expense of 60 million CAD. The building was re-designed to offer large, continuous office space. Retail space was reduced. Windows were added to all four sides, on all floors, to allow light into the building.
The building takes its name from Bonaventure Station
Bonaventure Station
Bonaventure Station is the name of several railway stations located in Downtown Montreal, Quebec.-Grand Trunk Railway:Named for its location on Saint Bonaventure Street, now Saint Jacques Street, the first Bonaventure Station was built in 1847 as the main terminal for the Montreal and Lachine Railway...
, a former railway station located nearby. A planned expansion to the south was never constructed.
Tenants
Hilton Hotels
Hilton Hotels & Resorts is an international chain of full-service hotels and resorts founded by Conrad Hilton and now owned by Hilton Worldwide. Hilton hotels are either owned by, managed by, or franchised to independent operators by Hilton Worldwide. Hilton Hotels became the first coast-to-coast...
, featuring an 1 ha (2.5 acres) outdoor garden with trees, flowers and waterfalls. Major tenants also include the Société de transport de Montréal
Société de transport de Montréal
The Société de transport de Montréal is a public transport agency that operates transit bus, and rapid transit services in Montreal, Quebec, Canada...
(headquarters), Fido
Fido Solutions
Fido Solutions is a Canadian cellular telephone service provider currently owned by Rogers Communications. It was formerly owned by Microcell Telecommunications. Fido does, however, remain a separate entity from Rogers...
, Cogeco
Cogeco
Cogeco Inc. is a Canadian media and communications company. The name is an acronym for Compagnie Générale de Communication .-History:...
radio stations, banks and a few federal government
Government of Canada
The Government of Canada, formally Her Majesty's Government, is the system whereby the federation of Canada is administered by a common authority; in Canadian English, the term can mean either the collective set of institutions or specifically the Queen-in-Council...
departments.
Access
Place Bonaventure is connected to Montreal's underground cityUnderground City, Montreal
Montreal's Underground City is the set of interconnected complexes in and around Downtown Montreal, Quebec, Canada...
. It is also linked to the Bonaventure metro station
Bonaventure (Montreal Metro)
Bonaventure is a station on the Orange Line of the Montreal Metro rapid transit system, operated by the Société de transport de Montréal . It is located in the borough of Ville-Marie in downtown Montreal, Quebec, Canada....
, to the AMT
Agence métropolitaine de transport
The Agence métropolitaine de transport is the umbrella organization that plans, integrates, and coordinates public transportation services across Canada's Greater Montreal Region, including the Island of Montreal, Laval , and communities along both the North Shore of the Rivière des Mille-Îles...
commuter train stations (Lucien-L'Allier
Lucien-L'Allier (AMT)
Lucien-L'Allier is the commuter rail terminal for the AMT Vaudreuil-Hudson, Blainville-Saint-Jerome, and Candiac lines in the Greater Montreal area in Quebec, Canada. Lucien-L'Allier is in Fare Zone 1. It is one of the two downtown terminals for Montreal commuter trains, the other being Gare...
and Central Station), AMT's downtown bus terminus
Terminus Centre-Ville (AMT)
Terminus Centre-Ville is a bus terminus located within 1000 de La Gauchetière, Montreal. It is multimodal with the Bonaventure metro station on the Orange Line, the Central Station, the Lucien-L'Allier train station as well as the Lucien-L'Allier metro station...
and to inter-city train service (Via
VIA Rail
Via Rail Canada is an independent crown corporation offering intercity passenger rail services in Canada. It is headquartered near Montreal Central Station at 3 Place Ville-Marie in Montreal, Quebec....
and Amtrak
Amtrak
The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, doing business as Amtrak , is a government-owned corporation that was organized on May 1, 1971, to provide intercity passenger train service in the United States. "Amtrak" is a portmanteau of the words "America" and "track". It is headquartered at Union...
at Central Station).