Montreal Forum, Indoor arena in Ville-Marie, Canada
The Montreal Forum is an arena in Ville-Marie, Canada, that now houses a cinema complex and educational facilities. The brick and limestone facade stretches along Rue Sainte-Catherine Ouest and shapes the streetscape with its tall arches and solid walls.
The building was completed in 1924 and served as home to the Montreal Canadiens for over seven decades, until the team moved to a new venue in 1996. After that, the arena was converted into a cinema and education complex while parts of the original structure were preserved.
As home to the Montreal Canadiens, the building carried deep meaning for the city and its residents, who cheered on generations of hockey players here. The name Forum, echoing Roman gathering places, was chosen to emphasize the building's social role as a meeting point.
Access is through the entrances on Rue Sainte-Catherine, where the cinema ticket counters and other facilities are located. Visitors to the building will also find areas with memorabilia from its time as a hockey arena, which are freely accessible.
During the conversion, a portion of the original flooring from the hockey era was integrated into the new use, allowing visitors to stand on the same surface once tread by players. Some of the old seating rows were also retained and built into the cinema lobbies, keeping the earlier atmosphere present.
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