3. L’Olympia

L’Olympia has seen the decades pass by in what is now the Gay Village. Back when it was built in 1925, the area was known as the Faubourg à M’lasse, (Molasses district) because of the distinct smell emanating from the barrels of molasses stored in factories nearby. The area’s citizens, mostly factory workers and working-class families, came to the Olympia to watch ‘Les vues animées’ (motion pictures). When cinema multiplexes gained popularity, most small movie theaters closed but L’Olympia was able to reinvent itself as a concert hall and theater venue.