A hippodrome is defined as: an oval stadium for horse and chariot races in ancient Greece, or an arena for equestrian performances. While no hippodromes have seen actual chariot racing for quite some time, the Montreal Hippodrome has had a long and storied history. Most of the stories aren’t actually that interesting, usually involving large sums of money wagered on horses with odd names, but let’s not split hairs.
Located by Decarie Boulevard in a small Montréal neighbourhood called Ville St-Pierre, in the south-west portion of the island, the Hippodrome, which started out its life in 1872 as the Blue Bonnets Raceway, has closed its doors forever. What used to be a sophisticated destination for drinking, gambling and thoroughbred horse-racing, is now an unused amphitheatre which is to be demolished in the coming year.
In the early part of the 20th century, horse-racing was a hugely popular spectator sport, attracting visitors from all over the world. Montreal’s Blue Bonnet’s Raceway was considered one of the best, and put Montreal on the map for the quality of its races. The track changed hands many times over the years, but maintained its position as a top race-track gambling establishment.
Until the 1990’s, horse racing in different varieties was continued more or less consistently at the Blue Bonnets, and the clubs, restaurants, and gambling activities continued unabated. In 1991 the Société d’habitation et de développement de Montréal became the owners of the track, and renamed it the Hippodrome. It was about this time that Montreal’s other casino opened its doors in what was once the French Pavilion of the 67 Expo on Notre-Dame Island in Jean Drapeau Park. This did not help matters for the Hippodrome! However, horse racing and betting continued until 2008 when it began bankruptcy processes.
The track sat unused for a few years until it attracted the unlikely attention of world-famous rock group U2, who selected it as the location for their Montreal stop on their much-touted 360 tour. $4 million were spent on renovating the space, and erecting a stage for the band to perform on. More than 80,000 people watched the show, and the music could be heard (clearly) 5 kilometres away! Not all of the neighbours were thrilled about this, but it was generally considered a successful function.
The plans for the site have not yet been made public, but moving companies in Montreal are waiting for the final news, as the land is tentatively zoned for housing development, which means hundreds if not thousands of new families might be moving into this part of the city. Another possibility is that the land (which is being offered for sale at $100 million) might be donated to the city.
At the end of the day, we must remember that all good things come to an end; horse-racing just isn’t as popular as it used to be, and U2 doesn’t stop in Montreal every year. While the Montreal hippodrome was once a social and commercial hot-spot; times, fashions, and the fickle interest of the buying public change.
