The 50th anniversary of the Games of the XXI Olympiad is an opportunity to highlight the history and human stories—first and foremost those of the athletes and their successes, whether individual or as part of a team. It is also an opportunity to reconnect with a major architectural legacy, primarily in Montreal, that has long been neglected, or even deliberately forgotten.

In addition to new structures such as the iconic Olympic Park in Maisonneuve, the Olympic Aquatics Complex, the Claude-Robillard Center, and the Athletes’ Village, the Games were a part of Montreal, its neighborhoods, and beyond. Consider the former Forum, the legendary hockey arena in downtown Montreal where Nadia Comăneci triumphed; the stadiums at the University of Montreal and McGill University; Mount Royal; the marathon route, a legendary event; and the metro extension, which, like the Pie-IX station, features remarkable works of art. Let’s also think of Sherbrooke Street, marked by the Corridart exhibition, which was abruptly dismantled.

While Munich and Germany are moving toward having the magnificent Olympiapark designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, our Olympic Park has just been designated as a historic site, and the 1976 Olympic Games as a historic event. Following the inclusion of a heritage mandate in the law establishing the Olympic Park Development Corporation—passed in the midst of the pandemic—this designation is a positive sign and a call to do better.

Thanks to public initiatives such as those of Héritage Montréal, as well as the insights and actions of Michel Labrecque and his team at the Olympic facilities, perceptions of this heritage have evolved for the better. However, its official recognition under the Cultural Heritage Act—recommended in 2012 in the Bissonnette Report and during an international expert workshop organized in 2016 by Héritage Montréal and its partners—has been a long time coming. It is also worth noting that citizens had previously filed a request for the Olympic Village to be designated as a heritage site.

Héritage Montréal welcomes this designation and calls for it to be accompanied by the official creation of a heritage advisory committee. The 50th anniversary of the Montreal Olympics is finally an opportunity to recognize this heritage in order to keep alive not only the memory of the Games but also these remarkable sites. A wonderful challenge ahead of the 75th anniversary!