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Centre Eaton (Montreal)
Encyclopedia
The Montreal Eaton Centre is a shopping mall located in Montreal
, Quebec
, Canada
, and the largest in downtown Montreal
. It is located in the heart of Montreal underground.
Montreal Eaton Centre is located on Sainte Catherine Street, one of Montreal
's primary shopping streets, and is adjacent to the former Eaton's department store (now a shopping and office complex known as the Complexe Les Ailes
). The centre is connected to McGill
metro
and the underground city
. Its main entrance is on the north side of Saint Catherine Street, just east of Place Montreal Trust
.
As with the existing mall, it was connected to the metro, underground city and the (former) Eaton's
department store, however differed in many respects with the current Eaton Centre. In particular the mall layout was a triangular spiral, with gradually rising interconnected floors, approximately 45 feet (13.7 m) high in total. Though it had three escalators, at each point of the triangle, patrons could gradually walk to the top of the mall. Floors were colour coded and the mall was adorned with trees, plants and ivy. It housed 140 stores, each facing towards the center of the triangle. It was demolished after only one decade of use, and following extensive construction, reopened as the Montreal Eaton Centre in 1991.
Les Terrasses/Montreal Eaton Centre was managed by Rouses Quebec Corporation Development and York Hannover Development (from 1978 to 1993). In September 1997, after the demise of Services de Gestion CEM Inc., Cadillac Fairview Corporation Ltd.
took over the shopping centre.
On July 1, 2000, Ivanhoe Cambridge
(then known simply as Ivanhoe) acquired the mall through an exchange of assets. Cadillac Fairview ceded the Montreal Eaton Centre in exchange of Ivanhoe's stakes in Carrefour Laval
and Promenades St-Bruno. Viacom sold the Famous Players chain to Cineplex Entertainment
in 2005. Under the deal, the Famous Players location at the mall was not sold and was closed instead.
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...
, and the largest in downtown Montreal
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,...
. It is located in the heart of Montreal underground.
Location
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...
's primary shopping streets, and is adjacent to the former Eaton's department store (now a shopping and office complex known as the Complexe Les Ailes
Complexe Les Ailes (Montreal)
Complexe Les Ailes is a retail and office complex on Saint Catherine Street in Downtown Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Designed by the firm Ross and Macdonald and first constructed between 1925 and 1927, the building served as the Eaton's department store until 1999...
). The centre is connected to McGill
McGill (Montreal Metro)
McGill is a station on the Green Line of the Montreal Metro rapid transit system operated by the Société de transport de Montréal . It is located downtown in the borough of Ville-Marie in Montreal, Quebec, Canada . The station opened on October 14, 1966, as part of the original network of the metro...
metro
Montreal Metro
The Montreal Metro is a rubber-tired metro system, and the main form of public transportation underground in the city of Montreal, Quebec, Canada....
and the underground city
Underground City, Montreal
Montreal's Underground City is the set of interconnected complexes in and around Downtown Montreal, Quebec, Canada...
. Its main entrance is on the north side of Saint Catherine Street, just east of Place Montreal Trust
Place Montreal Trust
Place Montréal Trust is a shopping mall in Downtown Montreal, located west of the Eaton Centre, at the corner of Saint Catherine Street and McGill College Avenue. With over of stores and services, Place Montreal Trust attracts 14 million visitors each year. Its indoor water fountain has the...
.
History
The site that the Montreal Eaton Centre occupies was previously the Les Terrasses which officially opened in 1976, and occupied the site from 1975 to its closure in 1987.As with the existing mall, it was connected to the metro, underground city and the (former) Eaton's
Eaton's
The T. Eaton Co. Limited was once Canada's largest department store retailer. It was founded in 1869 in Toronto by Timothy Eaton, an Irish immigrant. Eaton's grew to become a retail and social institution in Canada, with stores across the country, buying offices across the globe, and a catalogue...
department store, however differed in many respects with the current Eaton Centre. In particular the mall layout was a triangular spiral, with gradually rising interconnected floors, approximately 45 feet (13.7 m) high in total. Though it had three escalators, at each point of the triangle, patrons could gradually walk to the top of the mall. Floors were colour coded and the mall was adorned with trees, plants and ivy. It housed 140 stores, each facing towards the center of the triangle. It was demolished after only one decade of use, and following extensive construction, reopened as the Montreal Eaton Centre in 1991.
Les Terrasses/Montreal Eaton Centre was managed by Rouses Quebec Corporation Development and York Hannover Development (from 1978 to 1993). In September 1997, after the demise of Services de Gestion CEM Inc., Cadillac Fairview Corporation Ltd.
Cadillac Fairview
Cadillac Fairview Corporation Limited is a North American investor, owner, and manager of commercial real estate.The name "Cadillac Fairview" came into existence in 1974 as a result of the merger between Cadillac Development Corporation Ltd and Fairview Corporation...
took over the shopping centre.
On July 1, 2000, Ivanhoe Cambridge
Ivanhoe Cambridge
Ivanhoe Cambridge is a property management and development company that formed from the merger of two former companies, Ivanhoe and Cambridge, in 2001.-Ivanhoe Corporation:...
(then known simply as Ivanhoe) acquired the mall through an exchange of assets. Cadillac Fairview ceded the Montreal Eaton Centre in exchange of Ivanhoe's stakes in Carrefour Laval
Carrefour Laval
Carrefour Laval is a super regional mall located in Laval, Quebec, Canada at the intersection of the Laurentian Highway and Laval Freeway...
and Promenades St-Bruno. Viacom sold the Famous Players chain to Cineplex Entertainment
Cineplex Entertainment
Cineplex Entertainment LP , is the largest film exhibitor in Canada and owns, leases or has a joint-venture interest in 130 theatres with 1,351 screens. Headquartered in Toronto, Canada, Cineplex operates theatres from British Columbia to Quebec...
in 2005. Under the deal, the Famous Players location at the mall was not sold and was closed instead.