Montreal, Quebec — Ivanhoé Cambridge, gsmprjct°, Claridge and Sid Lee/Cirque du Soleil Partnership announced today the creation of a consortium seeking to establish an observatory at the 1, Place Ville Marie building that will celebrate the cultural and culinary attractions of Montreal. The Montreal investors’ mandate is to develop new experiences to be offered on the upper four floors – the 43rd to 46th – of Montreal’s emblematic Place Ville Marie complex.
“We are all very proud to announce this major project for Montreal,” said Alexandre Taillefer, Managing Partner of XPND Capital and shareholder of gsmprjct°. “The consortium members have been working very hard for nearly three years to envision what will become a must-see attraction, not only for tourists but for Montrealers too. We will be returning the top four floors of Place Ville Marie to their former glory.”
The Au Sommet Place Ville Marie project, which will draw on some of Montreal’s best creative talent, will offer Montrealers, as well as tourists, a new entertainment and dining destination in downtown Montreal. The consortium is also proud to announce a collaboration with Les Enfants Terribles restaurants, which will offer a gastronomic experience.
Offering stunning views of Montreal, Au Sommet Place Ville Marie will enable visitors to discover a new and unique view on the Saint Lawrence River, Mount Royal, the Quartier des spectacles and many more sites in the Montreal region.
Construction on the project will begin this coming summer, with the opening planned for early 2016, a year before the 375th anniversary of the foundation of Montreal.
Au Sommet Place Ville Marie will deploy around five areas within the tower:
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46th floor: the Observatoire
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45th floor: the Exhibition Gallery
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44th floor: the Terrasses and Les Enfants Terribles restaurant
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43rd floor: the Foyer
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Commercial level: the Reception and the Boutique
The project will help to highlight the original, 1960s-style architectural heritage of Place Ville Marie. Whether visitors are looking to discover or rediscover the city, the facilities will celebrate Montreal’s unique character, while showcasing its diversity, its icons and its cultural mainstays. Au Sommet Place Ville Marie will also move to the beat of the city’s famed downtown events, festivals and seasons.
More information will be announced in the coming months. Visit: www.ausommetplacevillemarie.com
About gsmprjct°
gsmprjct° specializes in the creation and production of visitor experiences. Headquartered and founded in Montreal in 1958, and with satellite offices located in Dubai and Singapore, the company collaborates with a wide range of clients across the globe to develop immersive experiences that educate and entertain. gsmprjct° designed and co-produced the blockbuster touring exhibition Star Wars Identities, and has collaborated to help create some of the most recognizable observation experiences in the world, including At The Top Burj Khalifa in Dubai and The View from The Shard in London. For more information, visit gsmprjct.com
About Claridge
Founded in 1987 by Charles Bronfman, Claridge is an investment firm headquartered in Montreal, Quebec. Today, the firm represents the interests of the Stephen Bronfman family and is actively involved in managing a diverse portfolio of third-party investments, as well as direct equity participations in the food, technology, energy, entertainment and real estate industries. www.claridgeinc.com
About Sid Lee/Cirque du Soleil Partnership
Sid Lee is a creative services firm with 550 professionals working globally from offices in Montreal, Toronto, Calgary, New York, Los Angeles, Paris and Amsterdam. The agency creates transformative consumer experiences for brands – across all contact points – leveraging true interdisciplinary collaboration.
Sid Lee is a creative services firm with 550 professionals working globally from offices in Montreal, Toronto, Calgary, New York, Los Angeles, Paris and Amsterdam. The agency creates transformative consumer experiences for brands – across all contact points – leveraging true interdisciplinary collaboration.
Named “Agency of the Year” four times in the past five years, the agency has earned a global reputation for its progressive work and the solid results it achieved for top-tier clients. Sid Lee is owned by a close-kit collective of 25+ partners and global creative powerhouse Cirque du Soleil. Sid Lee is also the creator and curator of C2MTL, one of the largest innovation events in the world with an attendance of more than 2,000 executives from more than 30 countries. For more information, visit sidlee.com
Cirque du Soleil is primarily a creative content provider for a wide variety of unique projects. In addition to shows, the company, which has its International Headquarters in Montreal, extends its creative talent to other spheres of activity. While maintaining stringent standards of artistic quality and originality, Cirque du Soleil brings to innovative projects the same energy and spirit that characterize each of its shows.
Cirque du Soleil is a Quebec-based organization providing high-quality artistic entertainment. Since its beginnings in 1984, close to 150 million spectators in over 300 cities on six continents have been thrilled by Cirque du Soleil. For more information about Cirque du Soleil, visit www.cirquedusoleil.com. To find out more about the ONE DROP Foundation, visit www.onedrop.org
About Place Ville Marie
An architectural jewel designed by I.M. Pei (creator of the famous pyramid at the Louvre) and Henry N. Cobb, the Place Ville Marie complex stands out with its famous cruciform tower, the highest of its type in Canada at 188 metres (617 feet). Still very contemporary, Place Ville Marie has become, as suggested by the visionary spirits who conceived it in 1962, a “city within a city” and forms the heart of Montreal’s business centre. The Galerie Place Ville Marie still moves to the beat of the major trends while creating a warm, dynamic space. Nearly 80 renowned restaurants and shops can be found there. For more information, visit placevillemarie.com