Art Deco Icon Gets New Life
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For generations of Canadians Eaton’s was synonymous with department stores, while for older Quebecers, the defunct retailer is a reminder of anglophone cultural dominance. For Montrealers, Eaton’s may be both of these things, but it was perhaps first and foremost the location of a restaurant whose art deco grandeur could make anyone feel like royalty.
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That restaurant was shuttered a quarter of a century ago when Eaton’s went bankrupt. Given the socio-political situation in 1999 — four years after the second Quebec referendum and years before Montreal would re-establish itself as a global icon of hipsterism — the closure of the Eaton’s ninth-floor restaurant was discouraging.
Eaton’s was perhaps the last holdout of the old anglophone establishment in Montreal. Though memories of “les grosses Anglaises de chez Eaton” (the fat Englishwomen of Eaton) — an unfortunate stereotype of stubborn anglophone (and anglophile) store clerks who refused to serve their clients in French — have faded from today’s collective consciousness, such was not the case twenty-five years ago. Who can forget that “Mr. Eaton” mistakenly sent a young Roch Carrier the hated Toronto Maple Leafs jersey in the renowned author’s short story “The Hockey Sweater”?
This deep-rooted cultural aversion to all things Eaton’s notwithstanding, the separatist Quebec government unexpectedly heeded the call of preservationists. The ninth floor was designated as a heritage property under Quebec’s Cultural Heritage Act in August 2000. The restaurant and its oak-and-walnut floors, its marble pillars, as well as all of its fixtures, furnishings, and flatware would be preserved in its entirety.
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It took some time for the stars to align. Heritage Montreal, a non-profit organization that works to protect local heritage, has been collaborating with owner Ivanhoé Cambridge, a real estate company, for many years on how best to preserve the shuttered space. Their efforts culminated in late May with the reopening of the revived ninth floor. Named Le 9e (The 9th), it includes a performance space, a rental hall, and a restaurant called Île-de-France.
Restored by EVOQ Architecture — best known for rehabilitating the West Block of the Parliament Buildings in Ottawa — the restaurant looks much like it did when it first opened in 1931. Originally designed by French architect Jacques Carlu at the request of Lady Flora Eaton, the restaurant was inspired by and named after the great dining hall of the SS Île de France ocean liner.
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