Montreal Aquarium

Last updated
The Montreal Aquarium in 1967
(Alcan Pavillion buildings: Marine Circus & Main Aquarium) La Ronde, l'Aquarium..jpg
The Montreal Aquarium in 1967
(Alcan Pavillion buildings: Marine Circus & Main Aquarium)

The Montreal Aquarium, also known as the Alcan Aquarium, was a public aquarium on St. Helen's Island, in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Built for the 1967 World's Fair (Expo 67), the two-building site operated for nearly a quarter of a century in La Ronde before shutting down in 1991. The main aquarium building was demolished in 1997, but the pool building still remains. Apart from a brief re-purposing as a video game center, it has been vacant ever since.

Contents


History

Montreal Aquadome (1967–1991)

The Expo pavilion was originally sponsored by Alcan Aluminum Ltd., who built the site as a joint venture with the City of Montreal and the Zoological Society of Montreal. The two buildings that made up the site were known as the Alcan Pavilion. The main aquarium building featured penguin pools, exhibits space and a gift shop. The separate dolphin pool building, the Alcan Marine Circus, had a 900-seat auditorium, show pool and holding tanks.

The city planned in 1988 to move the aquarium to a more popular location at the Old Port, but the plan did not come through when the city was mired in recession in the early 1990s.

On September 15, 1991, the aquarium officially closed. Most of its exhibits were transferred to the Biodome.

The main aquarium building was demolished, leaving just the former dolphin pool building.

Animal abuse incidents

In February 1980, blue-collar workers enacted a 41-day workers' strike, refusing to enter the aquarium to feed or care for its dolphins. Abandoned by their trainers, and left to starve in isolation, 3 dolphins died as a result of the neglect. [1] The surviving dolphins were sold to Flipper's Sea School, a roadside dolphin attraction in Florida. The already failing aquarium received even more negative publicity, and Montreal lost its right to care for any dolphins in captivity going forward, an international embarrassment for the city.

After its closure in 1991, even further negativity came about for the city and in larger part the province of Quebec, when the media discovered the aquarium, unable to sell its sharks, made a decision to kill them off (in one failed kill attempt, a sledgehammer was used to finish off the shark). [2]

Nintendo Mégadôme (1995–2006)

The Nintendo Mégadôme opened inside the former aquarium pool space in 1995. [3] Operating for over a decade, it was a Nintendo-sponsored video game center with the then-latest Nintendo video games and attractions. It closed in 2006. The former dolphin pool building it occupied now belongs to La Ronde, and today remains vacant and closed off from the public. The very small segment corner that remains of the main aquarium building (formerly used as a food concessions stand) is now used as a Pass Building: "Zone Groupes - Route 67".

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">World's fair</span> Large international exhibition

A world's fair, also known as a universal exhibition or an expo, is a large global exhibition designed to showcase the achievements of nations. These exhibitions vary in character and are held in different parts of the world at a specific site for a period of time, typically between three and six months.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Expo 67</span> Worlds fair held in Montreal, Canada

The 1967 International and Universal Exposition, commonly known as Expo 67, was a general exhibition from April 28 to October 29, 1967. It was a category one world's fair held in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It is considered to be one of the most successful World's Fairs of the 20th century with the most attendees to that date and 62 nations participating. It also set the single-day attendance record for a world's fair, with 569,500 visitors on its third day.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Habitat 67</span> Housing complex built for 1967 Worlds Fair in Montreal

Habitat 67, or simply Habitat, is a housing complex at Cité du Havre, on the Saint Lawrence River, Montreal, Quebec, Canada, designed by Israeli-Canadian architect Moshe Safdie. It originated in his master's thesis at the School of Architecture at McGill University and then an amended version was built for Expo 67, a World's Fair held from April to October 1967. Its address is 2600 Avenue Pierre-Dupuy, next to the Marc-Drouin Quay. Habitat 67 is considered an architectural landmark and a recognized building in Montreal.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">National Aquarium (Baltimore)</span> Aquarium in Baltimore, Maryland, USA

The National Aquarium – also known as National Aquarium in Baltimore and formerly known as Baltimore Aquarium – is a non-profit public aquarium located at 501 East Pratt Street on Pier 3 in the Inner Harbor area of downtown Baltimore, Maryland in the United States. Constructed during a period of urban renewal in Baltimore, the aquarium opened on August 8, 1981. The aquarium has an annual attendance of 1.5 million visitors and is the largest tourism attraction in the State of Maryland. The aquarium holds more than 2,200,000 US gallons (8,300,000 L) of water, and has more than 17,000 specimens representing over 750 species. The National Aquarium's mission is to inspire conservation of the world's aquatic treasures. The aquarium's stated vision is to confront pressing issues facing global aquatic habitats through pioneering science, conservation, and educational programming.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Expo '75</span>

Expo '75 was a World's Fair held on the island of Okinawa in Japan from July 20, 1975, to January 18, 1976.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Expo '98</span> 1998 Worlds Fair in Lisbon, Portugal

Expo '98 was an official specialised World's Fair held in Lisbon, Portugal from Friday, 22 May to Wednesday, 30 September 1998. The theme of the fair was "The Oceans, a Heritage for the Future", chosen in part to commemorate 500 years of Portuguese discoveries. The Expo received over 10 million visitors in 132 days, while 143 countries and many organizations were represented.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Montreal Casino</span> Casino in Montreal, Quebec, Canada

The Montreal Casino, located in Montreal, Quebec, is the largest casino in Canada. Situated on Notre Dame Island, in Jean-Drapeau Park, it consists of two former Expo 67 pavilion buildings. The casino is open to the public seven days a week, operating morning until late night. It first opened on October 9, 1993.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Okinawa Churaumi Aquarium</span> Aquarium in Okinawa, Japan

The Okinawa Churaumi Aquarium, formerly known as the Okinawa Ocean Expo Aquarium, is a public aquarium located within the Ocean Expo Park in Okinawa, Japan. The Kuroshio sea tank was the largest aquarium tank in the world until it was surpassed by the Georgia Aquarium in 2005.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Expo Express</span> Former rapid transit system in Montreal, Quebec

The Expo Express was a rapid transit system consisting of five stations and a 5.7-kilometre (3.5 mi) route, running from Cité du Havre to La Ronde in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Built for the 1967 World's Fair at a cost of around CAD$18 million, the trains carried 1,000 passengers each and ran approximately every five minutes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Seas with Nemo & Friends</span> Aquarium attraction at EPCOT

The Seas with Nemo & Friends is a pavilion located in the World Nature section of Epcot, a theme park at the Walt Disney World Resort in Bay Lake, Florida. The pavilion is themed as an oceanic exploration base called SeaBase Alpha, with several exhibits devoted to oceanic study. The building includes an aquarium and its attached dark ride attraction, a talk show-type attraction called Turtle Talk with Crush, and the Coral Reef Restaurant. With 5.7 million US gallons of tank volume, the pavilion is also the second-largest aquarium in the U.S. and the sixth-largest in the world.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Montreal Biosphere</span> Environment museum in Montreal, Quebec, Canada

The Biosphere, also known as the Montreal Biosphere, is a museum dedicated to the environment in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It is housed in the former United States pavilion constructed for Expo 67 located within the grounds of Parc Jean-Drapeau on Saint Helen's Island. The museum's geodesic dome was designed by Buckminster Fuller.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Blue Bonnets (raceway)</span>

The Blue Bonnets Raceway was a horse racing track and casino in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It closed on October 13, 2009, after 137 years of operation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">La Ronde (amusement park)</span> Amusement park in Montreal

La Ronde is an amusement park located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It was originally built as the entertainment complex for Expo 67, the 1967 World Fair. Today, it is operated by Six Flags, under an emphyteutic lease with the City of Montreal until 2065. In-addition to being the Six Flags chain's northernmost location, La Ronde is the largest amusement park in Quebec and the second-largest in Canada.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Musée d'art contemporain de Montréal</span> Art museum in Quebec, Canada

The Musée d'art contemporain de Montréal (MACM) is a contemporary art museum in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It is located on the Place des festivals in the Quartier des spectacles and is part of the Place des Arts complex.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Expo 67 pavilions</span>

The Expo 67 International and Universal Exposition featured 90 pavilions representing Man and His World, on a theme derived from Terre des Hommes, written by the famous French pilot Antoine de Saint-Exupéry.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sherbrooke Street</span> Street in Montreal, Canada

Sherbrooke Street is a major east–west artery and at 31.3 kilometres (19.4 mi) in length, is the second longest street on the Island of Montreal, Canada. The street begins in the town of Montreal West and ends on the extreme tip of the island in Pointe-aux-Trembles, intersecting Gouin Boulevard and joining up with Notre-Dame Street. East of Cavendish Boulevard this road is part of Quebec Route 138.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Telephone Pavilion (Expo 67)</span>

The Telephone Pavilion, also known as the Bell Telephone Pavilion and formally named the Telephone Association of Canada Pavilion, was a part of Expo 67, an International World's Fair held in Montreal, Quebec, Canada in 1967 to mark the centenary of the Confederation of Canada. The pavilion was built to promote Canadian telephone companies and their services. The pavilion's feature attraction was Canada '67, a documentary film directed by Robert Barclay for Walt Disney Productions. The movie was presented in Circle-Vision 360° to audiences of 1,200–1,500 people every 30 minutes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Olympic Park, Montreal</span> Sports and entertainment precinct in Montreal

The Montreal Olympic Park is a sports and entertainment precinct located in the Hochelaga-Maisonneuve neighbourhood of Montreal, Quebec. It is separated from Maisonneuve Park and the Montreal Botanical Garden by Sherbrooke Street on its northern end, and bordered by Viau Street to its east, Pierre de Coubertin Avenue to its south, and Pie-IX Boulevard to its west.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Québec Pavilion</span>

The Québec Pavilion was a pavilion at Expo 67 in Montreal on Notre Dame Island. It featured modern architecture and exhibited Quebec's urban and industrial growth.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Minirail</span> Defunct automated monorail system

The Minirail was an automated monorail system on Saint Helen's and Notre Dame islands in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The network was built for the 1967 World's Fair, and continued to operate for Man and his World. The system consisted of three independent circuits operated by two different types of trains: the larger "Blue" that ran mostly on Notre Dame Island, and the smaller "Yellow" which ran on the north and south ends Saint Helen's Island.

References

    1. Dr François Lubrina. "La fin pitoyable et tragique des dauphins de Montréal" (in French). Vetérinet. Archived from the original on 2011-07-24. Retrieved 2009-12-27.
    2. https://www.worldfairs.info/forum/viewtopic.php?t=2846-aquarium-alcan
    3. spacemtfan (June 10, 2016). "The Vampire of Montreal: Part 18 of the Inverted Coaster Serie". ParkVault. Retrieved August 2, 2018.

    45°31′19.02″N73°32′14.56″W / 45.5219500°N 73.5373778°W / 45.5219500; -73.5373778