Spectrum site to house residential towers

Imagine being able to watch the massive blowout concert at the Jazz Festival every year from your own private loge, 25 storeys above the stage. That’s what real-estate developers Devimco and Fiera Properties are promising as they announce the creation of a $700-million residential and commercial project in the heart of the Quartier des Spectacles. With 1,000 condos and 500 rental units, Maestria, which is also backed by the FTQ’s real-estate fund, will take the shape of two towers — 51 and 53 storeys high — and include 512 indoor parking spaces, music rehearsal and art studios, restaurants, cafés and shops. All this on the former Spectrum land and adjacent lots. “As a reminder of the glory days of the Spectrum, we plan to incorporate some commemorative items, including a collection from the legendary concert venue’s archives,” said Normand Bélanger, president and CEO of the Fonds immobilier de solidarité FTQ development capital fund. Daniel Arbour, a senior partner with Lemay, the architectural firm that will help design Maestria, describes it as a “project with a powerful identity and a unique signature, with the two tall towers seemingly in motion, like a pair of tango dancers.” Perhaps the highlight of the project, however, is the 25th-storey walkway — the highest walkway between two buildings ever to be built in Montreal — and its skybox, a “bona fide private loge with a terrasse overlooking the entire Esplanade des Festivals.” The units, which will range in size from 300 to 2,500 square feet, and go on sale in February, will probably not be cheap, however. The complex will come with outdoor and indoor pools, a full Scandinavian spa circuit, a movie theatre, a “virtual golf ” room, and a 4,800-square-foot fitness room. In a news release, the three partners note they will be donating $100,000 to promote children’s welfare through art classes with artist Séguin Poirier. Poirier’s large-scale work, Changer le monde, created in collaboration with 1,000 youths at Montreal youth protection centres, was acquired for the project. Construction is set to begin by the end of 2019.