Eaton’s Building Montreal
677 Saint Catherine Street West
Montreal, Quebec H3B4G5
Architecture
Architects: Ross et MacDonald, Sproatt & Rolph
Construction: Anglin Norcross Ltd
History:
The original building located at 677 Saint Catherine Street West was originally three storeys tall, and was built for the Goodwin’s department store in the early 1900s.
The building was sold to Eaton’s in 1925, at which time it was referred to as the Eaton’s building. Through the Ross and Macdonald architecture firm, the first three-floor expansion was completed in 1927, and the second three-floor expansion was completed between 1930–1931. The top floor included Eaton’s Ninth Floor Restaurant, which featured an Art Deco design, inspired by the dining room of the SS Île-de-France and was created following Jacques Carlu’s plans. The building was expanded toward de Maisonneuve Boulevard between 1958-1959, with access to the Montreal Metro via McGill station, in 1967.
In 1999, Ivanhoé Cambridge acquired the property following the closure of the Eaton’s chain. After considerable redevelopment work between 2000 and 2002, including gutting and completely redesigning the interior (with only the exterior facade and parts of the 9th floor preserved), this flagship of the Montreal retail scene was transformed into the building known as Complexe Les Ailes and 1500 University.
The mall was named after the Les Ailes de la Mode department store which was its main retailer for over a decade and occupied a third of its total area. The store closed in 2016 and was replaced in 2019 by Decathlon which is one of the largest tenants of the current Montreal Eaton Centre.
Eaton’s History:
The T. Eaton Company Limited, later known as Eaton’s, was a Canadian department store chain that was once the largest retail innovations the country.
Founded in 1869 in Toronto by Timothy Eaton, an immigrant from Northern Ireland. Eaton’s grew to become a retail and social institution in Canada, with stores across the country. The mail-order catalogue that was found in the homes of most Canadians.
A changing economic and retail environment in the late twentieth century, along with mismanagement, culminated in the chain’s bankruptcy in 1999.
The T. Eaton Company Limited
