Gyrophare de Montréal, Rotating beacon at Place Ville Marie, Canada.
The Gyrophare de Montreal is a rotating beacon at the top of Place Ville Marie, a major office tower in the city center. Four powerful light beams sweep across the night sky, making it visible from far distances and recognizable from many locations throughout the region.
The original beacon was installed by the Royal Bank of Canada in 1957 at their headquarters on Saint-Jacques Street and moved to Place Ville Marie in 1962 when the bank relocated there. The transfer established the light as a permanent feature of the city's most recognizable tower.
The beacon is part of Montreal's nighttime visual identity, joining other illuminated landmarks in creating the city's distinctive evening character. It represents the architectural pride of the tower and marks a central gathering point recognized across the urban landscape.
The beacon operates every night from dusk until roughly 1:30 AM and can be seen from numerous locations across the city. For the best view of the rotating beams, watch from a distance where the full sweep of the light becomes clearly visible.
A pilot who became lost once sent a thank-you letter to the Royal Bank of Canada after using the rotating light to navigate back to Montreal. The story illustrates how this rotating system proved useful in a real emergency situation.
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