Expo 67

“Man and His World”

• World Fair or Universal Exposition Apr 27 to Oct 29, 1967.

• To mark Canada’s Centenary

• Liberal gov’t in Quebec under Jean Lesage were delighted

• 850 buildings and pavilions were constructed by architects and engineers from all over the world

Building the Site

• Îles Sainte-Hélène and Notre-Dame were officially handed over to Expo by the City of Montreal, which was in charge of the work, on June 30, 1964

• Île Notre- Dame was artificially created using earth excavated from the Montreal metro system which was already under construction.

• Most of the 62 countries involved had their own pavillions

• Man the Creator: The Gallery of Fine Arts; Contemporary Sculpture; Industrial Design; Photography.

• Man the Producer: Resources for Man; Man in Control; Progress.

• Man the Explorer: Man, his Planet and Space; Man and Life; Man and the Oceans; Man and the Polar Regions

• Man the Provider • Man and his Health • Man in the Community • Labyrinth • Habitat 67 • Du Pont Auditorium of Canada

• Ontario Pavilion

• US Pavilion at night

• Pulp and Paper Pavilion

Canada’s Pavillion

• The central structure is an inverted pyramid, called Katimavik, which means "meeting place" in Inuktitut, the language of the Inuit. Architects had placed a paper weight on the model of the pavilion to make certain parts stick when they realized that this shape would fit in wonderfully with their overall vision of the pavilion. Another distinctive aspect of the pavilion is the enormous stylized tree adorned with 1,500 fall-coloured leaves made up of photographs of Canadians

Charles De Gaulle

• The president of France, Charles De Gaulle, caused an international incident on July 24 when he addressed thousands at Montreal City Hall by yelling out the now famous words of: "Vive Montréal... Vive le Québec ...Vive le Québec Libre!"

The Arts

• International Fine Arts Exhibition at the Cité du Havre Art Gallery showed nearly 200 masterpieces from various eras and from 40 countries

• There was also an open-air show devoted to contemporary sculpture, where some 50 works were on display. Two other international exhibitions also took place: the International Design Exhibition thrilled fans of industrial design, while the International Photography Exhibition, with its focus on the human being.

Habitat

The actual housing area contains 158 housing units in 20 types, ranging from a 1-bedroom 600 ft. square unit to a 4-bedroom house of 1,700 sq. ft. The houses were put together by the use of 354 modular construction units, each 17'6" by 38'6" by 10' high, precast of concrete. After casting, the modular units were taken to a finishing area, where kitchens, bathrooms, window frames, insulation, fixtures, etc. were installed. The unit - weighing 70-90 tons - was then lifted into place by crane.In grouping the units, the garden of each home is formed on the roof of the unit below. Each garden is provided with planters, automatically irrigated and fertilized from a central source. The occupants choose flowers and shrubs to suit their fancy.

Moshe Safdie's creation — a four-block-long row of 158 prefabricated rectangular houses stacked seemingly randomly in a pyramid — is both highly praised and harshly criticized by architects, planners and politicians.

Canada Turns 100!

• Expo 67 and Can’s Centenary were tied together

• The Confederation Train, which featured a number of exhibitions about Canada, ended its tour in Montreal

Legacy

• instrumental for the entire City of Montreal as it led to the construction of infrastructures that were essential to the city's growth

• Montreal Expos• Expo 67 contributed significantly to the

sense of pride of Montrealers and Canadians in general