UFO Sighting

Margaret Ta

Kidding, it’s the Montreal Olympic Stadium. I’m part of the CCA (Canadian Center of Architecture) day camp, along with 15 other students.  We learnt about the many fascinating buildings and architecture around Montreal and were able to visit some of its tourist attractions. We were each divided into groups and my group visited the Olympic Stadium that was built in 1976. On TV, reminiscing on the current Winter Olympic Games of 2010, I was hoping to experience the same upbeat vibe that these stadiums usually give. Unfortunately, 34 years later, after the Montreal 1976 Summer Olympic Games, it was a major ghost town.

When we arrived from the subway station that led to the back of the stadium, all you could see was a large space of concrete. We were walking around for a good amount of time for me to turn 10 shades darker; it was hot, the sun was blazing, and I was wondering where was the natural shade. Looking around, the trees were surrounding the concrete (did I mention the concrete was enough to stretch from Montreal to Miami!?) Continuing to walk and look for some life other than pigeons, I was able to see a guy with his brand new remote control car. Interviewing him was a dull moment, but life went on.

It has been decided that the concrete area will be transformed into a planetarium chosen in a contest, promoted by the government, and voted nationally. My feelings towards this planetarium are a tad insecure, because it’ll mean we citizens will be taxed more on a project whose attraction factor has yet to be determined. The only good thing I can think of is that it will bring more color to the Olympic Stadium and cover some of the useless concrete. Hopefully there will be natural shade and I won’t have to leave looking like a blackenese person (aka Burnt Eggroll).

We were walking around and some skateboarders in the group were able to take advantage of the amount of concrete space and do tons of tricks. A current thought that I had was, because I have a good amount of skateboarding friends, this would be a really nice place to practice boarding, roller-blading, and bicycling. The only killer thing would be no shade in the hot blazing sun. Although, if the planetarium was to be built, would there still be enough room to skateboard?

After looking around the stadium, we went inside. It was much different than what you can judge from the outside. Unlike the alien-resemblance from the exterior, the interior was very modern and exquisite. The atmosphere of the place seemed very relaxed; the restaurant gave me an image of many groups of Montreal sports-fans gathering around and drinking beer in celebration. The lobby was very tourist-friendly, and the sporting areas gave you the motivation to join in the workouts and swim practises. The only depressing part was the stadium itself. The Olympic Stadium was poorly lit, there hasn’t been much use for it and the roof is always on – never allowing natural light to flow in. Its culture is slowly rotting away.

The roof itself has many issues. When it was built, it could not withstand heavy snow falls, which caused the roof to collapse.  People said the architect, Roger Taillibert, didn’t understand the large snow falls of Montreal. Discussions have been made about placing permanent roofing on the stadium, which I feel would kill the entire purpose of the stadium (it was meant for summer activities). (image 4) Adding a permanent roof disallows the feeling of sunlight that light bulbs cannot give.

My opinion towards the use of the stadium would be to allow more attraction towards the place.  Possibly, allowing more summer events, where the roof could be removed. Celebrities and A-List musicians could perform for charity events in this stadium, since it holds more people than the Bell Center. And with a re-attachable roof, letting in the moon or sun light, the vibe would be an unforgettable experience.

So I ask you to imagine the large atmosphere of the filled arena, with thousands of fans surrounding you with their screams of love towards the person on stage or on the field, the smell of hot gravy with melted cheese on the crispy fries, and you screaming on top of your lungs just to see if the said person could hear you on stage. Think of your camera being filled with pictures of you and your friends at the arena. A wonderful concert experience or sporting event; it will forever be in your memory.

When I asked people about the stadium and how they felt about it, the result could not have been more predictable. People feel that Montrealers were losing their heritage and culture. The stadium was a landmark and now it’s barely noticed by the average Montrealer. We should embrace the stadium and its past before demolition becomes its future.