BCE Place,
Allen Lambert Galleria and
Heritage Square
181 Bay Street
Toronto
Ontario
Canada
Santiago Calatrava 1987-1992
BCE Place is comprised of shops,
restaurants, the old Bank of Montreal building which houses the Hockey
Hall of Fame, office towers for financial, commercial
and legal firms, and 11 heritage buildings. In order to meet
the city public art requirements, an invited competition was held for the
design of the Gallery and Heritage Square in 1987, the winner being
Santiago Calatrava.
The Galleria is five stories high
and runs parallel along Front Street. The roof provides cover for the
street Galleria and connects Bay Street to Heritage Square. The design is
spacious and inviting, and was also recognized as a 'hall of light'. The
structure is comprised of eight freestanding steel supports on either side
of the Galleria. These supports branch out into parabolic shapes that are
reminiscent of a forest canopy. As for the Heritage Square, there are 16
supports that branch out in a similar fashion to the ones in the
Galleria.
Wilma Kwan 2002
(updated 2006)
How to visit
The Galleria and Heritage Square
are located within BCE Place. The structure is contained by Yonge Street
to the east, Wellington Street to the north, Bay Street to the west, and
Front Street to the south. The main entrance of the Gallery faces Bay
Street just north of Front Street. The Heritage Square entrance faces
Yonge Street just north of Front Street, next to the Hockey Hall of
Fame.
The Galleria and Heritage Square
are part of the underground "PATH" system and are open to the
public. They provide access to surrounding office buildings, shops,
restaurants, and the Hockey Hall of Fame. For more information please
visit www.bceplace.com.
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