Iconic restaurant atop Montreal's Eaton Centre set to open later this year
The restaurant at the top of the Eaton's Centre, a jewel of Montreal's architectural heritage, is making a comeback.
After more than 20 years of being closed, the heritage landmark in the heart of downtown, is set to reopen.
"I just didn't think I'd see the day it would be open. I can't stop smiling," said Sandra Cohen-Rose, president of Art-Deco Montreal
The Eaton Centre's ninth floor, which was open to the public between 1931 and 1999 was described by many as a beacon of luxury for its time.
"It was a place that French women and English women got together, and if you wanted to meet someone for tea, you would say, well, let's meet there!" Cohen-Rose said.
"Or if you had a visitor from out of town, you always said well, let's go to Eaton's 9th floor, it's so spectacular!"
The project is being taken on by the building's owner Ivanhoé Cambridge and EVOQ Architecture. The main priority is making sure the site meets today's standards while preserving its heritage.
"That means a lot of transformations that have to be discreet or done in a way that feels coherent so that people walking into the new neuvième feel like they're back in the neuvièmebut at the same time they might discover new elements in there that somehow make sense in the space and that don't steal the show," said Georges Drolet, an architect at EVOQ.
They'll re-imagine the use of the space to accommodate more than 500 people.
"We want to make sure that we will have profitability with the space because we want it to be around a long time," said Annik Desmarteau, vice-president of Ivanhoé Cambridge.
"So if we just open it without looking at profitability, we won't be able the space open for a long time."
Heritage Montreal has been collaborating with Ivanhoé Cambridge on how to protect the value of the site for years.
"When you deal with memories, sometimes you deal with the past, but when you're dealing with heritage, we're interested in the way it's going to be there 25 years from now in the future," said Dinu Bumbaru, a Heritage Montreal spokesperson.
Bumbaru is confident that the project will reflect the site's history and is also reassured that the ministry of culture is supervising it.
The revamped ninth floor will include a restaurant, a venue for shows, and private events. It's expected to be open by the end of this year.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Which Canadian cities have the highest and lowest grocery prices?
Where you live plays a big factor in what you pay at the grocery store. And while it's no secret the same item may have a different price depending on the store, city or province, we wanted to see just how big the differences are, and why.
BREAKING McGill University seeks emergency injunction to remove pro-Palestinian encampment from campus
McGill University has filed a request for an injunction to have the pro-Palestinian encampment removed from its campus.
Swarm of 20,000 bees gather around woman’s car west of Toronto
A swarm of roughly 20,000 bees gathered around a woman’s car in the parking lot of Burlington Centre.
U.S. says Israel's use of U.S. arms likely violated international law, but evidence is incomplete
The Biden administration said Friday that Israel's use of U.S.-provided weapons in Gaza likely violated international humanitarian law but wartime conditions prevented U.S. officials from determining that for certain in specific airstrikes.
'State or state-sponsored actor' believed to be behind B.C. government hacks
The head of British Columbia’s civil service has revealed that a “state or state-sponsored actor” is behind multiple cyber-security incidents against provincial government networks.
Mother assaulted by stranger while breastfeeding baby in her car: Vancouver police
A person was arrested in East Vancouver Thursday after allegedly entering a car while a mother was breastfeeding her four-month-old boy.
Rare severe solar storm Friday could bring spectacular aurora light show across Canada
A rare and severe solar storm is expected to bring spectacular displays of the northern lights, also known as aurora borealis, across much of Canada and parts of the United States on Friday night.
More than half the Canadians once detained in Syrian camps for suspected ISIS family members have returned home
A total of 29 Canadians have been freed from detention camps in northeast Syria and brought back to Canada since human rights advocates began lobbying for their release years ago.
Canada abstains from Palestinian UN membership vote but supports two-state solution
Canada was one of 25 countries that abstained from a United Nations vote on Palestinian membership that passed with overwhelming support on Friday.