Overview
Located in the heart of the Quartier des spectacles, at the juncture of Ste. Catherine St.
and the Place des Festivals, the Blumenthal Building, constructed in 1910, now houses
the Maison du Festival Rio Tinto Alcan. The Maison is a permanent
headquarters for the promotion of jazz, blues and world music and also houses L'Astral,
a versatile live showroom; Le Balmoral, a bistro-terrasse; the
Galerie Lounge TD, dedicated to the promotion of visual arts; an exhibition hall; the
Médiathèque Jazz/La Presse, an impressive jazz
resource centre and cinémathèque accessible to the public free of
charge; as well as a ticket office and a permanent boutique offering original gifts
and souvenirs bearing the logos of the Festival International de Jazz de Montréal
and the FrancoFolies de Montréal.
The Maison is housed in the Blumenthal Building—with its historic façade—which was ceded to the Festival via an emphyteutic lease by the Gouvernement du Québec, which also contributed over $10M. The Government of Canada contributed over $3M to the outfitting and development of the building.