2014-11-08 Édifice Robillard Montréal Chinatown 1

The Robillard Building (French: ''Édifice Robillard'') once located at 974, boulevard Saint Laurent (974,

Saint Laurent Boulevard Saint Laurent Boulevard, also known as Saint Lawrence Boulevard (officially in french: boulevard Saint-Laurent), is a major street in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. A commercial artery and cultural heritage site, the street runs north–south through ...

), was a landmark building in

Montreal Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the second-most populous city in Canada and most populous city in the Canadian province of Quebec. Founded in 1642 as '' Ville-Marie'', or "City of Mary", it is named after Mount Royal, the triple ...

Quebec Quebec ( ; )According to the Canadian government, ''Québec'' (with the acute accent) is the official name in Canadian French and ''Quebec'' (without the accent) is the province's official name in Canadian English is one of the thirtee ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

, situated in Montreal's Chinatown on the corner of rue Viger (Viger Street) and boulevard Saint Laurent (Saint Laurent Boulevard). On 17 November 2016, the building was destroyed by fire. Despite being a famous landmark, the Robillard Building did not have a heritage status and was not rebuilt. The site remained empty from 2016 until 2022. As of 2022, a condominium is being built on the site.

History

Constructed in the

Neo-Renaissance Renaissance Revival architecture (sometimes referred to as "Neo-Renaissance") is a group of 19th century architectural revival styles which were neither Greek Revival nor Gothic Revival but which instead drew inspiration from a wide range ...

style, the structure was built in 1879, and transformed into a hotel in 1890. In 1891, it housed the ''Gaiety Museum and Theatorium'', a popular Victorian-era curios showcase. In May 1896, it started housing the ''Palace Theatre'', and on June 27 showed the first movies in North America, making it the first cinema in North America. The cinema system used a projector system developed by the Lumiere brothers, the

cinématographe Cinematograph or kinematograph is an early term for several types of motion picture film mechanisms. The name was used for movie cameras as well as film projectors, or for complete systems that also provided means to print films (such as the Cin ...

, and had a screen the size of a towel. The first films shown were of a train, a ship, a cavalry charge, and demolishing a wall. The show continued for two months, and were presented by Louis Minier and his assistant Louis Pupier.Cinema in Quebec in Silent Era
The Arrival of the Cinematographe in Québec
(accessed 28 October 2008) In September 1896, continuous showings with the ''cinematographe lumiere'' started.

References

External links

* La Presse
"Incendie dans le quartier chinois: une enquête criminelle est ouverte"
(17 November 2016) Hugo Meunier, Pierre-Andre Normandin * Montreal Gazette
"Major fire destroys historic building in downtown Montreal's Chinatown"
(17 November 2016) Jesse Feith * Le Journal de Montreal
"Un proprio négligent dénoncé"
(18 November 2016) Hugo Duchaine * Le Devoir
"La première salle de cinéma du Canada s’envole en fumée"
(18 November 2016) Philippe Orfali 1896 establishments in Quebec 1896 in film Burned buildings and structures in Canada Commercial buildings completed in 1879 Defunct museums in Canada Former cinemas in Montreal Landmarks in Montreal Museums established in 1891 Museums in Montreal Renaissance Revival architecture in Canada Burned theatres Ville-Marie, Montreal Buildings and structures demolished in 2016 {{montreal-stub