My Montreal Bucket List: Habitat 67

Tweet

Since the day I arrived to Montreal, I had heard rumours and whispers of the fascinating architecture of Habitat 67. Never did anyone speak about this apartment block so boldly, but I heard the name enough times that I became curious. Finally, my curiosity got the better of me. I decided the time for investigation had come!

A couple of times I had spied this interesting building across the water from the Old Port. Fascinated by its seemingly unbalanced structure, it possesses some kind of beautiful motion as the “building blocks” fit together in a surprisingly well balanced manner. Never before have I seen a structure quite like this one.

Built in 1967, Habitat 67 was a revolutionary concept in the architectural world. Based on the “cube,” it is representative of strength and stability. Habitat 67 consists of 354 cubes creating homes for 146 residents.

So in my endeavours to see this building block structure, I begin my journey at the Parc Jean Drapeau Metro. Without a car, it is a slightly long trip. I thought it would be an easy feat to wander through the park to the bridge and then on to Habitat 67. Well, it wasn’t necessarily difficult, but it was certainly longer than I was expecting. It looked much shorter on Google!

But nonetheless, it was totally worthwhile. Before even reaching Habitat 67, I enjoyed the walk across the Concorde Bridge. With views of Montreal’s skyline across the water, it was a refreshing way to spend my morning.

Finally I arrived at Habitat 67. I was amazed by it. This large overwhelming concrete structure was one of a kind. So much grey. The only colour came from the occasional red front door and the flower beds. But it was still a beautiful site. Classically sophisticated, I think. I spent a few moments admiring the structure and then I walked along the path across the facade of the building. I spent practically no time there at all compared with the amount of time it took me to reach it, but the entire journey was a morning well spent.

Habitat 67 is located at 2600 Avenue Pierre-Dupuy, Montreal.