Montreal Holocaust Museum

77 years after the end of World War II, we are once again in a time of crisis and great uncertainty, when fascism, racism and anti-semitism are ascendant. This museum addresses one of our darkest histories, even as it speaks to resilience and hope. The new building will help the museum reach out to all communities and promote respect for diversity and the sanctity of human life. As so many survivors have observed, the Holocaust remains a reality that cannot be fully grasped in prose, images or architecture. Not only is it impossible, but inappropriate. The site on Blvd St Laurent — where Jewish and other immigrant communities settled — and the unique culture and history of Montreal, are foundational to the design. The architecture is woven fluidly into the urban fabric, its form inspired by the built history of the site. Former lot lines of the assembled property are represented by linear shafts of daylight reaching deep into the new building. They define discreet bays echoing the rhythm and morphology of the city. From this everyday world, you enter the building into an animated and welcoming ground floor. The transparency at grade contrasts with the solid volumes of the exhibition galleries above. Clad in traditional Quebec limestone, they complete the iconic streetscape. The visitor enters the agora and is drawn to the adjacent birch garden that marks the changing of the seasons. Daylight from the skylit voids above moves slowly across the agora, providing a heightened awareness of the rhythm of the day. Nature is at the heart of the museum experience. In the Permanent Galleries on the second floor, you are drawn into an intimate relationship with history. The design allows current issues and difficult memories to intersect in a building that will resonate with all who visit. The visitor moves between the emotional intensity of the exhibits and shared stories, to moments of relief and respite offered by nature, daylight, and views to the city. Ascending to the roof garden and the panorama of Montreal, we are reminded that there was hope, solidarity and courage during the Holocaust, as there is now.