An article fromHéritage Montréal by Maude Bouchard Dupont, in collaboration with Dinu Bumbaru, Policy Director, and Marie-Maxime de Andrade, PhD student in art history (UQAM and Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne).
Like a boat perched on the top floor of the Eaton, the "9th" restaurant is in a vacuum. You have to cross the "bridge" along the way to the dining room to see downtown and the St. Lawrence River. In those days, there were no skyscrapers to block the view!
Fourteen express elevators lead up to the Eaton's 9th floor. With walnut and oak parquet flooring, two corridors on either side of the restaurant feature semi-private telephone booths (a novelty in 1931!) and washrooms. The passageway is embellished with round and square steel-framed advertising windows, where works of art are sometimes displayed.
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At the end of the hall, the foyer-promenoir overlooks the downtown skyline. Overhung by a large circular ceiling light, the space serves as an anteroom and tea room.
After dropping off their belongings in the foyer checkroom, guests - particularly female shoppers - enter the monumentally proportioned main dining room.
In the heart of the 9th arrondissement
With room for 600 guests, the rounded nave is 10 metres high, 40 metres wide and 23 metres long. The floor is linoleum with a cubist motif.
Flanked by two side wings, the main hall is delimited by a series of 16 pillars of gray and pink Escalette marble imported from France, whose hues harmonize with the pink and mouse-gray chosen for the decor.
At each end of the nave, a small platform surrounded by a satin-finish steel railing regularly hosts fashion shows and concerts to liven up the lunch hour. Two enclosed lounges (gold and silver) are reserved for private receptions and used mainly by businessmen.
Innovative decor
To decorate the ensemble, Natacha Carlu created the murals Amazones and Dans le parc (also entitled Les plaisirs de la chasse and Les plaisirs de la Paix respectively ). Exhibited on either side of the nave, they form the focal point of the dining room. Beneath the works of art, a fountain completes the perspective.
Parisian sculptor Denis Gélin (1896-1979), in collaboration with Alfred Bottiau (1889-1951), created 14 delicate diamond- or shell-shaped bas-reliefs adorning the lintels overhanging the dining room.
Reflecting the functions of the restaurant (eating and drinking) and the still-life tradition (cornucopia, meat, fish and fruit and vegetables), these decorative elements are typical of Art Deco.
Modern lighting
Located at the top of the building, the dining room benefits from indirect lighting, a key Art Deco decorative element. Light is subdued by oval ceiling lights under the side wings and by banded windows in milky glass overhanging the main room.
In addition to luminaires on each column, white alabaster urn lamps on black Belgian marble bases provide soft lighting.
They are inspired by the porcelain vases in the first-class tea room of the transatlantic liner Île-de-France, designed by French interior architect Émile-Jacques Ruhlmann (1879-1933).
Made-to-measure furniture
Lighting, furniture, crockery, works of art, even the ventilation grilles, Jacques Carlu supervises every detail of his work, as the journalist from La Presse reported in 1931:
"Fromthe payphone boxes, which are hitherto unheard of in terms of originality and comfort, to the carpets in harmonized shades and the furniture that seems to be part of the whole, right down to the architectural outlines, everything has been designed by Mr. Carlu. And nothing has been overlooked or left to chance.1. "
Made specifically for this location, these pieces have undeniable artistic value and, along with the dining room, form one of the very first sets created in Art Deco style in Quebec.
The 9th and its ladies
A place to socialize
Confined to the home since Victorian times, women have few social spaces dedicated to them. Going out alone is no mean feat in certain circles, where you have to be constantly supervised and accompanied. Department stores like Eaton's offer them this freedom - self-serving, needless to say, but very real.
Window-shopping followed by lunch at Eaton's 9th is a real treat for these well-dressed ladies. The vast majority of our customers are regulars. They feel comfortable and secure. They ask for their favorite waitresses. They celebrate family birthdays, Christmas, Easter and get-togethers with friends. They attend fashion shows and concerts. It's a special time away from the obligations of home, at a place where they're looked after with loving care.
Working at the 9th
"There were 45 girls when I started working here. The majority were English. There were very few French-Canadians. Among them [the English-speaking waitresses], there were some who weren't very happy to have French-Canadians. But fortunately, with time, things improved. After a while, they saw that we were pretty good too. We worked things out," smiles retired employee Laurette Desjardins in the documentary Les Dames du 9e (1998) by Catherine Martin.
It's not always easy for young waitresses to get started," recalls veteran waitress Annette Cortez, who in 1998 boasted over 25 years' experience. Orders have to be memorized by heart, nothing can be forgotten, trays are heavy, the kitchen is far away, and so on. But perseverance pays off.
"We had great hours on the 9th floor, especially for married women with children," continues Ms. Desjardins, as the restaurant is open during the day, at lunchtime. Thanks to their tips, they earn a better salary there than as sales assistants on the lower floors.
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Vue 360 degrés des toilettes des femmes du 9e, qui offrent une des plus belles vues sur le centre-ville de Montréal. Crédit : Héritage Montréal, 2024Then, in 1981, the installation of a buffet and counters in the dining room facilitated service. The women love it here; many of them have more than 10 or even 20 years' experience. The result is a real family at 9e, where employees are as attached to the place as they are to their team.
A place like no other
The appeal of the 9th is not just in the food, but also in the ambiance and service. French-style service, meals served on silver platters, hot drinks poured into fine china, white tablecloths: everything is in place for a good time with friends or family.
Versatile, the 9th allows customers to travel. After the Second World War, Eaton's frequently hosted major national exhibitions. In Montreal, for example, the stores presented different themes on the building's nine floors: the Far East in 1965 and Japan in 1984. In addition to the works of art on display, traditional dances and extraordinary fashion shows, the kitchens prepare a special menu for the occasion.
From bankruptcy to rehabilitation (1999-2024)
In the 1990s, the emblematic Eaton's department store chain was heading for a shipwreck that would leave a lasting impression. Despite attempts at revival, after 130 years of existence and a 74-year presence in Montreal, Eaton's management announced bankruptcy and store closures on August 20, 1999, laying off all 13,000 staff and liquidating inventories across Canada.
In addition to economic difficulties that had been felt since the 1980s, senior management missed the train to reposition Eaton's as a fashion retailer in 1994, in the image of Macy's. Bankruptcy was inevitable.
On October 14, 1999, the 9th Eaton's store closed its doors. For many, it was the end of an era and the beginning of a new era of uncertainty.
But this was without counting on the vigilance of groups concerned with Montreal's heritage, such asHéritage Montréal. Anticipating Eaton's impending bankruptcy, the organization convinced Quebec's Minister of Culture, Agnès Maltais, to intervene immediately and urgently classify the department store's 9th-floor restaurant and its exceptional interior, including furniture, cutlery, works of art, lighting fixtures and more. Without knowing whether the restaurant would ever reopen, this unique heritage had to be saved.
In 2000, Ivanhoe Cambridge, a real estate subsidiary of the Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec, purchased the Eaton store building in Montreal. The skyscraper undergoes major renovations. Divided into two addresses, Complexe les Ailes and 1500, University were inaugurated in 2002.
But the Les Ailes section was not as successful as expected. In 2015-2016, it was attached to its neighbor and redeveloped. The whole complex is now called the Eaton Centre.
25 years dormant
Although the 9th floor was classified with its interior decor and furnishings in 2000 by Quebec's Minister of Culture, heritage conservationists remained vigilant in the years that followed. Access to the restaurant on the 9th floor without the Eaton in between poses a problem. The premises are inaccessible to the public and vulnerable to the vagaries of renovation. A small electrical fire that damaged Natacha Carlu's paintings in the spring of 2000, followed by the demolition of the kitchens in 2002 to create an atrium in the heart of the old store, raised fears and many questions.
In the years that followed, Héritage Montréal did not hesitate to include the 9th in its list of the 10 most endangered emblematic sites in Montreal. The primary threat here is oblivion, as time and promises of reopening slip away. These public reminders from the organization prevent the iconic restaurant from disappearing from the priorities of owners and authorities, and highlight its immense potential, then dormant.
Excerpt from Le devoir, June 6, 2006, p.A8
"It's not an exhaustive list. These are emblematic sites that we use as indicators of the health of our heritage, which needs constant care," explainsHéritage Montréal's Managing Director, Nathalie Zinger.
The list of ten sites threatened in 2006 includes four of those already identified in 2005. Chief among them is the ninth floor of the Eaton store, with its Art Deco decor designed by Frenchman Jacques Carlu. "It's in very good condition, but as time goes by, it's in danger of being forgotten, and we're very concerned about that," says Dinu Bumbaru, Director of Policy.
Meticulous restoration
Finally, at the end of March 2023, the big announcement was made: Ivanhoe Cambridge announced the forthcoming reopening of the 9th!
Rather like the Round Room on the 7thfloor of Toronto's former College Street store, closed in 1977, listed, restored and reopened as Le Carlu in 2003, the 9th floor houses a restaurant, bar and event space.
The renovation project is being implemented by EVOQ Architecture, a firm specializing in heritage conservation that has accompanied the 9th district over the past few decades. EVOQ is well known for its renovations of the Jean-Talon train station (1997-2000), the West Block of the Parliament of Canada (2018 -), the Maisonneuve library (2017-2023) and the Christ-Church Anglican Cathedral of Montreal (2023 -).
The challenge of compliance is considerable. Perched on the 9th floor, the restaurant must have a fire evacuation plan that complies with current regulations, which are far more stringent today than they were in 1931. Over the years, professionals have found solutions to rehabilitate the premises.
Under the supervision of professionals at ministère de la Culture du Québec, the upgrading, adaptation and restoration work was carried out to the highest standards, with great attention to detail and expertise. For example, light bulbs were custom-made to imitate perfectly the artificial lighting originally designed by Jacques Carlu.
This example, like many others, shows the remarkable investment in knowledge and talent that went into this project, carried out with passionate professionals and craftsmen, an exceptional effort that is worthy of this exceptional heritage site.
A heritage site looking to the future
A true ambassador of Art Deco in America, it is thanks to Jacques Carlu, his wife Natacha Carlu and numerous artisans that this modern movement with European and American influences made its entry into Quebec and Canada through this commercial and cultural mandate for T. Eaton Co.
Interiors are a very fragile type of heritage, very difficult to preserve, especially in the case of restaurants, which are regularly updated.
But the immense popularity of the Eaton's restaurant and the beauty of Carlu's design meant that it was spared (or almost spared) the fashions that came later.
And that's what makes it so charming. Little altered over the years, the patina of time gives it a unique character as a rare surviving example of an ocean liner-style restaurant in North America.
Rehabilitation was made possible thanks to the efforts ofHéritage Montréal from the late 1990s onwards. The organization oversaw the site's classification in 2000 by gouvernement du Québec. This was followed by a vigilant watch to ensure that the site would one day be upgraded.
Today, this iconic heritage restaurant is coming back to life, regaining the accessibility it had lost for almost a quarter of a century, to the delight of those who knew it, as well as younger diners who wish to return, frequent or simply discover it.
Discover the other articles of the Eaton's 9th special series
Find out more
- Carlu, Jacques. Tradition and Modernism, Royal Architectural Institute of Canada Journal. V.8, no.5, May 1931, p. 181-186[online]
- Gournay, Isabelle. Note biographique de Jacques Carlu, published in Archives d'architecture du XXes ., Paris, Ifa/Archives d'architecture du XXe siècle; Liège, Mardaga, 1991, p. 15-19,[online]
- Lachapelle, Jacques. Le fantasme métropolitain : l'architecture de Ross et Macdonald, Montréal, Presse de l'Université de Montréal, 2001, 180 p.,[online].
- Martin, Catherine. Les Dames du 9e/The Ladies of the 9th Floor, documentary co-produced by the NFB and Galafilm Inc, 1998, 50 min 12 s,[online]
- Soren, Maya. Reclaiming Le 9e: Public Heritage at the Eaton's Ninth Floor Restaurant, Montreal, Master's thesis, Concordia University, Montreal, 2011,[online].
Cover photo: Joe Alvoeiro, Ivanhoe Cambridge. Editing: Anthony Plagnes Payá
2 comments
A unique story for a fabulous place. Thanks to Héritage Montréal and all those involved for this exemplary restoration.
Very happy to see this work of art recovered and alive...When the date arrives, I'd like to celebrate my 70 years of history on this earth with you!