Project 365 – Day 114: Les Cours Mont-Royal

April 23 2012

Although I’m not a big fan of shopping, my favorite shopping center in Montreal has to be the fashionable Cours Mont-Royal on rue Peel between Sainte Catherine and blvd de Maisonneuve. Located in the former Mount-Royal Hotel, Les Cours Mont-Royal is an upscale shopping center in Downtown Montreal.

The shopping area is organized around four large courts, hence the French name “Les Cours”. Under the main skylight there are six bird-human sculptures by the Inuit artist David Ruben Piqtoukun.

Atrium at Les Cours Mont-Royal

Les Cours Mont-Royal

There’s a wonderful water feature at one corner which was recently renovated. Before it used to be a pond with carp. I’m not sure what happened to the carp, but I like the new design.

Water Garden at Les Cours Mont-Royal

The building was completed in 1922 and with 1,100 rooms was the largest hotel in the British Empire at that time. In the late 1980’s the interior was gutted and renovated and transformed to the shopping center, condos and offices. The only internal remnant of the hotel is the ceiling of the entrance lobby which now features a permanent catwalk for fashion shows. The Chandelier was acquired from the Monte Carlo Casino.