October 30, 2015

1999 CANADA (Quebec) - The Olympic Stadium in Montreal



Built in the mid-1970s as the main venue for the 1976 Summer Olympics, the Olympic Stadium in Montreal is nicknamed "The Big O", a reference to both its name and to the doughnut-shape of the permanent component of the stadium's roof. It is also called "The Big Owe" to reference the astronomical cost of the stadium and the 1976 Olympics as a whole. After the Olympics, artificial turf was installed and it became the home of Montreal's professional baseball and football teams.

The stadium was designed by French architect Roger Taillibert to be a very elaborate facility featuring a retractable roof. Incorporated into the north base of the stadium is the Montreal Tower, the world's tallest inclined tower at 175m. The building's design is cited as a masterpiece of Organic Modern architecture, but due to the numerous structural and financial problems, it is largely seen as a white elephant. The stadium currently serves as a multipurpose facility for special events (e.g. concerts, trade shows) with a permanent seating capacity of 56,040.

About the stamp
The stamp is part of a series of five definitive stamps, Baby Wildlife, about which I wrote here.

References
Olympic Stadium (Montreal) - Wikipedia

Sender 1947: Denise
Sent from Montreal (Quebec / Canada), on 15.09.2015
Photo: Daryl Benson / Masterfile

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