The Stade Olympique or Montreal Olympic Stadium was built for the 1976 Montreal Olympic Games and still today is the world’s tallest inclined tower measuring 175 metres. The tower is recognised as one of the World Federation of Great Towers which includes some of the world’s most impressive buildings. The structure today is used for special events, concerts and the odd sporting event. The stadium has had a fairly chequered life, with a huge blow out in original cost . It was expected the stadium would cost in the vicinity of $770 million Canadian to pay off but some much needed modifications and repairs took the final cost to nearly 1.5 billion dollars, and took over 30 years to repay.
The stadium holds around 55000 people depending on the event and the configuration. The attendance record dates back to 1977 when Pink Floyd rocked the stadium in front of over 78000 fans, even Pope John Paul II couldn’t break that record when he visited in 1884 with around 55000 worshippers. The stadium was planned to be roofed fro the Olympics but time and money. After some construction problems and a fire the roof was finally put in place in 1987. The roof was retractable but had continual problems with the weight of snow and tearing. The stadium is well worth a look when visiting Montreal- for the history and interesting architecture alone, and there is a pretty good view of the surrounding city from the lookout in the tower.
