
Silo #5
Century-old grain elevator turned interactive sound instrument, played by phone calls from around the world.
Location
About this audio guide
This guide to Silo Number Five in Montreal traces Montreal's Old Port grain elevator, built in stages from 1903 to 1958, through its wheat-shipping heyday and its abandonment after the Saint Lawrence Seaway bypassed the port in 1996. It follows the team of sound artists who returned in 2000 to turn the empty concrete cylinders into an instrument played by phone calls from strangers around the world. Listen for the long echo the silo's builders never intended.
This audio guide was created using AI.
Similar places
Vieux-Port de Montréal
Riverside park of docks and promenades, where a mothballed grain silo still looms over the water.
Port of Montreal Tower
Glass observation tower on a former grain-export pier, with a golden spiral stair and river-to-mountain views.
Fonderie Darling
Former ironworks turned contemporary art centre, its landmark spiral chimney still crowning the old casting hall.
Montreal Science Centre
Converted cargo pier turned interactive science museum with an IMAX theatre on the historic waterfront.
Lachine Canal National Historic Site
Restored industrial waterway lined with locks, factories, and a scenic towpath along the old shipping route.
Rapids Park
Riverside park built over a decommissioned hydro plant, now a protected heron sanctuary beside roaring rapids.