Does This Train Stop at the Eiffel Tower? by tpal
And you thought this was my Montreal page...well, it is!And no, this not the last stop of the Paris Metro. In fact, this is the Square Victoria Station of the Montreal Metro system. The famous Metropolitain subway entrance designed by Hector Guimard for the Paris system in 1900 was donated to the City of Montreal by the Règie Autonome des Transports Parisiens (RATP) in 1967 to commemorate Guimard's 100th birthday.
Its initial installation was less than stellar. Local code requirements stipulated that the entrance had to be wider than the original and therefore the distinctive Metropolitain sign could not be installed. Over time it fell into serious disrepair and was in danger of being lost. Finally, in 2001 efforts to save the precious gift were successful. The components were disassembled, restored and re-installed over a new opening which had received a waiver in the building codes allowing the narrower entrance.
I have long been a huge Art Nouveau fan and this work of Hector Guimard, along with the works of Antonio Gaudi and Charles Rennie Macintosh, has, for me, always been the pinnacle of the genre. Next, I must see this in its original setting...Paris :-)
