Iconic ninth floor Eaton Centre restaurant set to reopen in May
There was once a beautiful restaurant on the ninth floor of the former Eaton's department store. It closed 25 years ago, but many in Montreal still talk about it.
Soon, it will open to diners once again.
When Lady Eaton comissioned the space in 1931, she wanted to transport shoppers to the luxurious dining rooms of transatlantic liners.
Architect Jacques Carlu made the space into a temple of art-deco design, including the frescos by his wife Natasha.
"You can feel the investment," said architect Georges Drolet. "In the design, the furniture he chose, the tableware, the silverware. Apparently he even consulted on the uniforms of the personnel."
The Eaton Centre's ninth floor restaurant as it was. (Ivanhoe Cambridge)
For years, the restaurant was the place to go for special occasions, but by the time it closed in 1999, it was in disrepair.
Drolet's job was to restore it to its original beauty.
"It’s very personal for me, I have to say, to be able to show it now because it’s been quite a process," he said.
The restaurant on the ninth floor of the Eaton Centre was once the place to go. (Ivanhoe Cambridge)
Any renovation project involves red tape, but as an indoor heritage property, there were even more hurdles.
The materials they were using, including the marble and polished metal from the 1930s, were no longer available.
The peach colour of the walls, as well, was a relic of the 1980s.
"So we only had black and white images of the original, but we could see something was not quite right," said Drolet. "So we actually tested them by scratching the layering of the paint going back to the original colour."
Now, after years of painstaking work and an undisclosed investment, its owners, Ivanhoe Cambridge, are launching it once again as a restaurant and event space.
"Le 9ieme" will open its doors to the public on May 17.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Three dead, two hospitalized, following collision in Fredericton: police
Three people have died and two have been hospitalized after a speeding car struck a tree and landed on another vehicle in Fredericton Sunday morning.
Amid climate change warnings, Canadians lukewarm on electric vehicles
Amid scientists' warnings that nations need to transition away from fossil fuels to limit climate change, Canadians are still lukewarm on electric vehicles, according to a study conducted by Nanos Research for CTV News.
Montreal man on the hook for thousands of dollars after a feature on his Tesla caused an accident
A Montreal man is warning Tesla drivers about using the Smart Summon feature after his vehicle hit another in a parking lot.
Madonna's biggest-ever concert transforms Rio's Copacabana beach into a massive dance floor
Madonna put on a free concert on Copacabana beach Saturday night, turning Rio de Janeiro's vast stretch of sand into an enormous dance floor teeming with a multitude of her fans.
1 person killed and 23 injured in a bus crash in northern Maryland, police say
One person was killed and 23 others were injured when a bus crashed early Sunday on Interstate 95 in northern Maryland, police said.
Nylander defends Leafs' core after playoff exit, Toronto again picks up the pieces
William Nylander stood in a solemn visitors locker room at TD Garden just before midnight. The Maple Leafs had battled back from a 3-1 series deficit against the Boston Bruins with consecutive 2-1 victories - including one that required extra time - in their first-round playoff series to push the club's Original Six rival to the limit before suffering a devastating Game 7 overtime loss. Nylander's message was emphatic.
El Nino weakening doesn't mean cooler temperatures this summer, forecasters say
As Canadians brace themselves for summer temperatures, forecasters say a weakening El Nino cycle doesn’t mean relief from the heat.
‘Love has no boundaries’: Sask. couple in their 90s and 80s get married
Eighty-two-year-old Susan Neufeldt and 90-year-old Ulrich Richter are no spring chickens, but their love blossomed over the weekend with their wedding at Pine View Manor just outside of Rosthern.
Video shows gaggle of geese stopping traffic on Highway 1 near Vancouver
A mother goose and her goslings caused a bit of a traffic jam on a busy stretch of the Trans-Canada Highway near Vancouver Saturday.