After months of reflection, the Colisée of Quebec, which opened its doors in 1949, is finally going to be destroyed. This establishment closed in 2015, exactly when the Videotron Center opened its doors.

Since the Videotron Center opened, the Colisée Pepsi has lost its usefulness. It serves as storage for FEQ equipment.

The Colisée was the predecessor of Vidéotron Center, which means that it hosted shows, the Pee-Wee tournament, and the Nordiques of Quebec. The Nordiques started playing in this establishment in 1972, and in 1980, they expanded the arena so it could accommodate more spectators.

The government could either destroy everything or keep everything; deconstructing partially wasn’t an option. We wanted to see if it was possible to do a partial demolition. It’s not really feasible, notes the municipal councillor. Either we keep everything, or we deconstruct, she adds.

Even if the government gave the OK to deconstruct the building, the deconstruction will not begin until 2026. It will be deconstructed not by implosion but in a way that will have no impact on the environment.

The cost for this project was around 15M$ and 17M$ in 2021, so it would be even more expensive today. “The longer we wait, the more expensive it will be, both on a technical and environmental level,”  said Mélissa Coulombe-Leduc, the municipal councillor. 

The Colisée won’t be deconstructed for nothing. They want to start a new building project, but no information has been given about that. This project won’t start for a very long time because the deconstruction is supposed to take around two years.