New Montreal Plaza is a skate spot like no other in Quebec, bringing the sport back to its roots

Louka Thériault has a habit of getting up at 7am, whipping up breakfast and heading to one of Montreal’s skate parks to spend the day perfecting his skills.

Now the 19-year-old has a new place to put those skills to the test – one that offers all the challenges of skating on urban furniture, without the hassle of being chased away by security or police.

It’s called Montreal Plaza and it’s very different from a traditional skate park. Instead of ramps, quarterpipes and rails, it has the appearance of a public plaza with granite ledges, steps and blocks.

However, unlike most public plazas, every inch of the plaza was carefully designed by skateboarders for skateboarders.

“It’s my first time here and I love it,” Thériault said.

In 2007, Montreal opened a skate park under the Jacques Cartier Bridge at the corner of De Lorimier Avenue and Maisonneuve Boulevard, but it was immediately rejected by the skateboarding community.

“I skated here before when it was called Tomato Plaza,” says Troy Courtney, a born-and-raised Montrealer who has been skateboarding for 17 years.

“The skate park went all the way in. So everyone bumped into each other at the bottom.”

Skaters have spoken out against it for years, saying it lacks the design influence of those who will actually use it, rendering it useless.

So it was largely ignored, accumulating more graffiti, litter and loiterers than sweet summer memories of landing kickflips in the shadow of an iconic bridge.

That has all changed. The new square was built in collaboration with the Association Skateboard Montreal (ASM).

Local park designer Charles Deschamps was brought in to ensure the park offers a unique, street-style experience in the heart of the city.

The ASM says the design was inspired by world-famous skate spots like the Museum of Contemporary Art in Barcelona or Love Park in Philadelphia.

And just like these famous spots, Montreal has a few. The Olympic Stadium and Paix Park used to gain recognition in the global skate scene.

These famous skate spots, although not built for the sport, eventually put modern skateboarding on the map in the 90s and 2000s.

“To emphasize the street backdrop of Montreal skateboarders, the new Montreal Plaza will be largely made up of smooth granite ledges,” the ASM says on its site.

“The big difference is that you never get kicked off the square for skating over the ledges!”

The new square is surrounded by colorful landscaping, complete with plants, trees and flowers. There is a drinking fountain for those in need of a cool down and it is not far from Papineau metro station.

According to the ASM’s website, the city has invested more than $2.7 million in the plaza. However, Montreal officials declined to give any information to CBC News before the official inauguration of the square on June 28. City officials also ordered the ASM not to speak to the media until then.

But Nico Ewens is not waiting for the official opening.

He is one of dozens of skaters who have made it to the new spot since construction wrapped earlier this month.

Ewens is originally from Magog, Que. The 22-year-old said he has been skating since he was eight years old, but has taken the sport more seriously since moving to Montreal a few years ago.

“It’s my first time skating on it and I love it,” he said on Wednesday. “The ground is smooth. Everything is fun. It’s close. You can skate with some friends and have fun.”

Courtney said the design is reminiscent of skating in the early 2000s, long before skate parks went mainstream.

“Skaters appreciate this because it takes you back to the roots,” he said. “It is awesome.”

Mathieu Chouinard, who lives in Longueuil on Montreal’s south coast, said he appreciates the feeling of hammering his plank onto granite and grinding a solid ledge into the new plaza.

“It’s more adapted to the street style of skating,” he said. “I think every major city should have a park like this.”

He said cities are investing in devices, known as skate stoppers or skate deterrents, that deter skaters from skating on urban infrastructure.

Instead, cities should invest in building places that welcome skating, encourage the sport and provide skaters with a welcoming place to just hang out, Chouinard said.