Grande Bibliothèque - BAnQ
Glass-clad national library lending free board games and video games alongside four million books.
Location
About this audio guide
This guide to the Grande Bibliotheque in Montreal starts with what used to occupy this corner of Berri and De Maisonneuve before a single book arrived: a roller-skating rink called the Paladium, tucked inside a sprawling exhibition hall that hosted auto shows, boat shows, and agricultural fairs for nearly fifty years. It follows the site's sale, demolition, and 2005 rebirth as the largest French-language library in North America, designed by Patkau Architects with Croft-Pelletier and Gilles Guite. Listen for how the building's board game and video game collection, free to borrow on level one, keeps alive the same instinct that once filled this floor with skaters.
This audio guide was created using AI.
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