Are you planning to visit Quebec? There are a couple of amazing constructions you should certainly visit while staying this province. This article will provide you with the details of these peculiar places.
Habitat 67 in Montreal
One of the most amazing constructions in Montreal is what is known as Habitat 67 which was created by Moshe Sadfie in the previous century. The design of this unusual building was absolutely experimental and it was actually a part of the diploma work of the architect. This unusual building was used to house the workers of the World’s Fair of 1967 known as Expo 67.
Certainly, the shape of this building is highly unusual, however, the idea of the author was to connect geometric patterns with nature and create an imitation of the organic growth which can be seen in the nature. Actually, this style is known as the metabolism one and it had already existed in Japan at that time.
The critics regarded this work to be a Brutalist masterpiece, albeit Safdie claims this work was a reaction against this movement as the architect created this building in order to improve the urban environment for the life of a middle class.
The building itself was constructed out of 354 identical boxes which had been pre-fabricated at a near-by factory. The factory itself was created for the aim of producing these boxes. A great feature of this building is that it gave access to a private garden to each if the units.
Unfortunately, the design of this place was too unusual to allow people live here for affordable prices. The final cost of the building was $22 million which was a lot more than it had been planned initially. Finally, the construction got into the ownership of the government and the rent of its units reached almost a thousand of dollars whereas at that time families were able to rent entire houses for just a couple of dollars.
The plan of the architect was not realised as instead of his expectation of Habitat getting surrounded by a large community of citizens as well as all of the necessities such as shops, schools and other apartment buildings, it still has not happened. This part of the city remains to be an industrial one and the rent for the units in Habitat is still rather expensive.
Château Frontenac
Another luxurious and outstanding place in Quebec is located in Quebec City. It is Château Frontenac and it was built as an exclusive resort spot in 1893. Actually, it was not finished completely at that time and it took much longer to finish the construction. Yet, it has been inviting guest since 1893, however the last tower of the building was constructed in 1924. This tower was the one which is located right in the centre of the building and it is the element which is giving Château Frontenac it iconic look and is, in fact, a crucial part of the skyline of Quebec City.
Interestingly, the hotel itself is not the tallest construction of Quebec City, even though it gives such an impression. The impression is coming out of the fact the hotel is located on the top of the cliff.
One of the curious facts about this hotel is that it can be found among the records of the Guinness World Record Book as the most photographed hotel. There is nothing strange in it though as the hotel is one of the most beautiful buildings of the entire Quebec province and Canada itself.
Since the very contraction, Château Frontenac has been a luxurious resort which is actually pretty large with nearly 600 rooms and numerous restaurants.
Notre Dame Basilica
The list of the real diamonds of architecture of Quebec would not be complete without Notre Dame Basilica which is situated in Montreal.
Notre Dame Basilica was created by James O’Donnell in the 19th century. The architect particularly loved the Gothic Revival movement of architecture, so he used the style for his creation. Notre Dame Basilica is filled with colours, beautiful stained glass with ornaments and carvings. The soaring ceilings of this building are making the church look even more spectacular.
Notre Dame Basilica is also an extremely large church and it used to be the largest church if entire North America for more than fifty years. Actually, the size of this building is making it not particularly practical. For that reason, just nearby the building, a smaller chapel was constructed.
Notre Dame Basilica is known not only for its amazing architecture as well as its huge size. It is also a place where a magnificent Casavant Frères pipe organ is located. This instrument has four keyboards and ninety two electropneumatic action stops whereas the total number of individual pipes of the organ is seven thousand.
There is one more peculiar fact about Casavant Frères. There is only one person buried here who is James O’Donnel. Being buried in this church was his own wish, however, it was not possible since he was not a Catholic. In order to be able to fulfil this wish he had to convert which he did on his deathbed.