Côte-des-Neiges-Notre-Dame-de-Grâce borough inaugurates its legacy Les Racines de l'Avenir, highlighting Montréal's 375 years

MONTRÉAL, June 28, 2017 /CNW Telbec/ - As part of Montréal's 375^th anniversary, the Mayor of Montréal, Mr. Denis Coderre, joined by the Mayor of Côte-des-Neiges‑Notre-Dame-de-Grâce borough (CDN-NDG), Mr. Russell Copeman, unveiled the borough's legacy, Les Racines de l'Avenir, marking the founding of the metropolis on a local level.

Inspired by the theme "Building bridges," this borough legacy is divided into two separate developments built in Notre-Dame-de-Grâce Park and Kent Park. These are two public squares with similar designs developed in the spirit of concomitance typical of CDN-NDG.

Built for a total cost of $1 million, each of these squares, baptized Place du 375^e, was the vision of students from Université de Montréal and Concordia University. It is the students who put together the creative foundations leading to the construction of this referential concept. Indeed, as a result of this joint ideation, the elements of design that can be found in each square are an echo of each other while simultaneously respecting the geographical particularities of both neighbourhoods.

"The architectural vision that led to the construction of Place du 375^e is built on the idea that citizens are the actors and observers of life in their neighbourhood, regardless of the time and place. Each year and for the next 25 years, a tree will be planted around each of the two squares. Near the plantings, a plaque engraved with the current year will be placed reminding us of the notion of time in the past, present and future. The theme, Les Racines de l'Avenir, will then take on all its meaning," underlined the Mayor of Montréal, Mr. Denis Coderre. To ensure the continuity of the concept, a call for proposals will be sent out to the population each year so that a new seat can be created then added to the site.

Inauguration of the two infrastructures was carried out in two parts. First, greeted by the brass band La Fanfarniente della Strada, mayors Coderre and Copeman celebrated the opening of Place du 375^e in Kent Park. "If we decided to create our legacy concept on two separate sites, it was to symbolize the footprint of both urban cores, which developed individually, but which grew into a single community," declared the borough Mayor, Mr. Russell Copeman, before the festive crowd present at Kent Park.

A little later, the two dignitaries went to Notre-Dame-de-Grâce Park to complete the inauguration of the two squares which will allow leisure activities and public gatherings to take place. Before spectators, who celebrated to the music of the Gypsy Kumbia Orchestra, Mayor Denis Coderre declared "the CDN-NDG borough has always known how to value its residents and its history through the diversity of people and the memory of the site."

SOURCE Ville de Montréal - Arrondissement de Côte-des-Neiges - Notre-Dame-de-Grâce

Sophie Paquet, communications officer, Cell: 514 463-0393, Media line: 514 465-1853

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