Montreal Planetarium
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The Montreal Planetarium — formerly known as the Dow Planetarium — is a public planetarium located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
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[edit] History
The planetarium was inaugurated on April 1, 1966 by then-Montreal mayor Jean Drapeau. Its inaugural show, "New Skies for a New City", premiered on April 4, 1966.
Work had commenced on the project more than three years before, under the guidance of Dr. Pierre Gendron, a former professor of chemistry and founding Dean of the Faculty of Science at the University of Ottawa, who was an avid amateur astronomer.
The architects on the project were David-Barott-Boulva. The chosen design had an astronomical theme, and the exterior of the dome resembles Saturn surrounded by its rings. The Planetarium was built at a cost of $1.2 million on the site of the historic Bonaventure Station on Chaboillez Square near Old Montreal.
[edit] Original name
At the time, Dr. Gendron was also president of the board of directors of Dow Breweries, which was later to become O'Keefe Breweries (and which was later absorbed by Molson Breweries). Gendron was able to convince Dow Breweries to endow Montreal with a world-class planetarium.
[edit] Past and present
Since 1966, the Planetarium has produced more than 250 shows, been visited by nearly six million spectators, and more than 58,000 presentations have given in French and English in its "Star Theatre". The Planetarium is one of Montreal's most popular tourist attractions. It is currently the largest planetarium in Canada, with a seating capacity of approximately 375.
[edit] Future
Plans are underway to move the Planetarium from its central location to Maisonneuve Park in the eastern part of the city, near the Olympic Stadium. The logic behind this decision is that it would make more sense for the Planetarium to be close to other science-themed attractions like the Biodome, the Insectarium and the Montreal Botanical Garden, which are already in this area. The move would cost an estimated $31 million. Alcan would contribute $4 million, with the three levels of government (city, province and federal) splitting the rest.
[edit] External links
- Montreal Planetarium (in French and English)
