How Montreal falls in and out of love with Brutalist architecture

How Montreal’s unapologetic concrete giants went from symbols of modernist utopia to polarizing relics—and why the city just can’t quit them.

J.P. Karwacki

J.P. Karwacki

January 17, 2025- Read time: 5 min
How Montreal falls in and out of love with Brutalist architecturePhotograph: @dontdieforfree / X
“Montreal is like the most Brutalist non-Soviet place on earth. Our entire metro system is brutalist af.” — Reddit, u/Gap1293
The Hydro-quebec building near Berri-UQAM. | Photograph: Chymick6 / Reddit

Montreal isn’t shy about its architectural identity.

These days, we’ve got our share of glass and steel structures like anybody else, but that’s only in addition to a skyline that leans into rawness and embraces the unapologetic honesty of Brutalism.

From the iconic Habitat 67 to the sprawling Guy-Favreau Complex, the city’s Brutalist landmarks are cultural artifacts, each etched with the ideals and contradictions of their era.

But how’d we get here?

The birth of Brutalism in Montreal

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