The Spectrum (French: Le Spectrum de Montréal) was a concert hall, in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, that closed on August 5, 2007. Opened on October 17, 1952, as the Alouette Theatre, it was briefly renamed Club Montreal before receiving its popular name.

Spectrum
Le Spectrum de Montréal
Facade of venue during demolition (c.2008)
Map
Former namesCinéma Alouette (1952-70)
Théâtre Alouette (1970-74)
Théâtre Pigalle (1974-76)
Cinéma Carrefour (1976-80)
Club Montréal (1980-82)
Spectrum (1982-2007)
Address318 rue Sainte-Catherine O
Montreal H2X 2A1
Canada
LocationDowntown Montreal
OwnerL'Équipe Spectra
Capacity1,200
Construction
Opened7 March 1952 (1952-03-07)
Closed5 August 2007 (2007-08-05)
Demolished8 October 2008 (2008-10-08)

The Spectrum had a capacity of about 1200 and had a "cabaret" setup with table service. A unique effect was the wall mounted lighting which included hundreds of small lightbulbs.

The last show was performed by Michel Rivard, the only performer to have played over one hundred concerts at the venue.[1] The block on which the building stands was slated to be torn down and rebuilt as a combined shopping centre and office complex. The Spectrum had been owned by Équipe Spectra which owns other venues in Montreal.

On February 17, 2008, the borough of Ville Marie voted to proceed with demolition plans[2] and on October 18, 2008, almost 56 years to the day from when it first opened, the Spectrum was torn down.

References

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  1. ^ Dunlevy, T'Cha (August 3, 2007). "Remembering 25 years of music and magic". Archived from the original on August 7, 2009.
  2. ^ Magder, Jason (March 18, 2008). "Spectrum demolition approved". Montreal Gazette. Canwest. Retrieved April 2, 2008.