No featured blog this week (sorry), but instead I have a short story about the Ile-Sainte-Hélène metro station (now Jean-Drapeau) and an interview with its architect and designer Jean Dumontier, for the Expo Artifacts series.

Most of the information is old news to metro buffs (like the fact that the large halls on the platforms used to house bathrooms), but I found it interesting that the lack of colourful artwork in the station was purposefully designed, since the large crowds wearing colourful 60s clothing provided plenty of colour.

The paper version also includes a (small) photo of Dumontier with a three-dimensional model of the station’s original (more elaborate) plans, which he still has at his house.