The Îlot Fleurie was dotted with artistic creations of all kinds. Sculptor Irénée Lemieux poses here in front of one of his pieces, a stone sculpture. Teeming with optimism, the place sparked a veritable renaissance in Saint-Roch, illustrating the powerful community spirit that flourished there. A few years later, in 1998, the Îlot Fleurie was moved under the Dufferin-Montmorency Highway overpasses.

1974 - 2012

Decline and revitalization of the downtown Saint-Roch district

The Saint-Roch district in downtown Québec City faced the same destiny as many other North American urban centres. At the end of the 1960s, the commercial artery in the Saint-Roch district gradually emptied as new shopping centres sprung up in the suburbs. To counter the decline of this downtown area, an open-air mall, the Mail Saint-Roch, was inaugurated in 1968 on Saint-Joseph Street. In 1974, more than a kilometre of the mall was covered with a roof. However, popular preference for suburban shopping soon made the area obsolete. In the 1990s and 2000s, a new effort of innovative architectural and social initiatives was made to revitalize this neglected downtown area.

Sculpture at the Îlot Fleurie

Jean-Marie Villeneuve The Îlot Fleurie was dotted with artistic creations of all kinds. Sculptor Irénée Lemieux poses here in front of one of his pieces, a stone sculpture. Teeming with optimism, the place sparked a veritable renaissance in Saint-Roch, illustrating the powerful community spirit that flourished there. A few years later, in 1998, the Îlot Fleurie was moved under the Dufferin-Montmorency Highway overpasses.

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Depicted period: 1991

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