5 Place Ville Marie

Montréal, Quebec - SAVED

Part of an outstanding example of modern heritage in Quebec and an urban landmark in Montréal, 5 Place Ville-Marie - an 18-storey tower that is part of what was the largest and most complex office development in the world when it was erected in 1962 - could undergo a glass wall facelift that will replace its exterior concrete cladding.

Representatives of Heritage Montréal and Docomomo Quebec, a non-profit organization devoted to conserving good examples of modern architecture, are advocating for the repair of the cracks that have appeared in several of the concrete ribs rather than replacing the entire façade in glass. The design of the complex allowed for the sleek aluminium 45-storey tower at the centre of the plaza to rise up from its heavier concrete surroundings – a design that would be seriously compromised by the proposed re-cladding scheme.

A bylaw passed on November 2, 2004, will require the borough’s approval before changes to façades or expansions can be made to ten “significant structures” built between 1945 and 1975, including Place Ville-Marie.