| Place Alexis Nihon | |
 | |
 | |
| Location | 1500 Atwater Ave. Montreal, Quebec H3Z 1X5 |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 45°29′20″N 73°35′9″W / 45.48889°N 73.58583°W |
| Opening date | 1967 |
| Developer | Alexis Nihon Group (REIT) |
| Management | Cominar REIT |
| Owner | Cominar REIT |
| Architect | Harold Ship, master concept and plaza design, Dimitri Dimakopoulos, office building design |
| No. of stores and services | 100+ |
| No. of anchor tenants | 6 |
| Total retail floor area | 37,200 m2 (400,420 sq ft). |
| No. of floors | 3 |
| Parking | 1,100 vehicles |
| Public transit access |   at Atwater  Terminus Atwater |
| Website | Alexis Nihon |
Alexis Nihon Complex (French: Complexe Alexis Nihon) is a 223,000 m2 (2,400,000 sq ft) building complexe situated at the border of Downtown Montreal, Quebec, Canada and the neighbouring city of Westmount, consisting of a shopping mall, two office towers, and a residential building. Although the complex is typically associated with Downtown Montreal and its main entrance on Atwater Avenue is in Montreal proper, more than 80% of the land it occupies is located in Westmount.[1] It is named after the inventor and businessman Alexis Nihon. The shopping mall is directly connected to the Atwater metro station, which joins the building by a short tunnel with the adjacent Dawson College, and by a longer one adjoins nearby Westmount Square. The original complex was designed by the Montreal architect Harold Ship,[2] and its architectural plans are housed at the Canadian Centre for Architecture.[3]
Construction of Alexis Nihon Plaza, as the complex was originally called, began in September 1965.[4] The shopping mall inaugurated on April 17, 1967 but its stores didn't actually start doing business until the next day (with the notable exception of one retailer that had opened a day in advance by mistake).[5] It was the first shopping centre in North America with three levels.[6] The Miracle Mart store occupied all three levels of the shopping mall at 270,000 square feet, making it the largest of the retailer's locations at the time.[7] The Steinberg's supermarket was one of the largest built by the company back then.[8] Only the shopping mall opened in April 1967 but it was already decided back then that office and high-rise apartment buildings would be added in subsequent phases.[9]
On October 26, 1986, a major fire heavily damaged its 16-story office building and is still considered the city's biggest fire in a skyscraper. At least six stories were destroyed in the blaze. The federal government, who was tenant of the building when the fire occurred, sued on August 18, 1988 the then-owner for 585,000$ dollars, accusing them of being negligent and careless in the maintenance of the Alexis Nihon Complex.[10] In 2002, the service de sécurité incendie de Montréal was heavily blamed for negligence and incompetence according to the Cour d'Appel du Québec.[11] Two office towers, taller than the originals, have since been added atop the shopping complex at 3400 and 3500 De Maisonneuve Boulevard West.
During the Dawson shooting incident on September 13, 2006, the building was fully evacuated.[12]
On April 5, 2017, a minor fire broke out near the roof of the food court. Minor damage occurred as a result.
The shopping mall portion is anchored by Canadian Tire, IGA, Sports Experts, Winners and Pharmaprix.
The block now containing the mall was once the site of Atwater Park, home of the Montreal Royals baseball team through 1927.
