Majestic architecture - and price Without doubt the most widely recognized piece of architecture in Montréal is the Olympic Stadium. It's a stunning site and can be seen from almost any part of the city. Yet it stands today as one of the most expensive useless buildings on Earth.
Designed by the French architect Roger Talillibert for the 1976 Olympic Summer Games, the stadium was plagued by design problems and labor disputes and was only partially completed when the games began.
Originally it was to have a retractable roof. This was not completed until 1987 - and never worked properly. Since then it has been replaced several times with roofs of various materials, and to this day safety issues remain.
The 45-degree slanting stadium tower is the tallest inclined structure in the world and a spectacular sight. It too remained unfinished for the Olympic games and was finally completed in 1987 as well. It now houses a funicular which hauls tourists to the observation platform at its summit. And the Olympic swimming facility sits directly under the tower.
Designed by the French architect Roger Talillibert for the 1976 Olympic Summer Games, the stadium was plagued by design problems and labor disputes and was only partially completed when the games began.
Originally it was to have a retractable roof. This was not completed until 1987 - and never worked properly. Since then it has been replaced several times with roofs of various materials, and to this day safety issues remain.
The 45-degree slanting stadium tower is the tallest inclined structure in the world and a spectacular sight. It too remained unfinished for the Olympic games and was finally completed in 1987 as well. It now houses a funicular which hauls tourists to the observation platform at its summit. And the Olympic swimming facility sits directly under the tower.
It kinda stands-out from near & far Over the years the stadium has been home to the Montreal Expos baseball team, the Alouettes football team, and various other events, conventions and concerts. In 1977 it saw its largest crowd when 78,322 people jammed themselves inside for a Pink Floyd concert.
Originally projected to cost $134 million dollars - the final cost of the stadium was $1.47 Billion (with a B). Keep that in-mind the next time you're contemplating adding an extra room to your house. The cost over-runs became so notorious that the stadium has earned the dubious nickname of "The Big Owe".
Yet, in-spite of all this, it's hard to imagine Montréal without the stadium. Today it sits empty. No sports teams play there any longer and once regular events like the Montréal Auto Show have long since departed due to safety concerns after several beam and roof failures. But in May of this year the Province of Québec formed a committee to study ideas for its future use.
We can only wish them luck.
Originally projected to cost $134 million dollars - the final cost of the stadium was $1.47 Billion (with a B). Keep that in-mind the next time you're contemplating adding an extra room to your house. The cost over-runs became so notorious that the stadium has earned the dubious nickname of "The Big Owe".
Yet, in-spite of all this, it's hard to imagine Montréal without the stadium. Today it sits empty. No sports teams play there any longer and once regular events like the Montréal Auto Show have long since departed due to safety concerns after several beam and roof failures. But in May of this year the Province of Québec formed a committee to study ideas for its future use.
We can only wish them luck.
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