Cree Regional Economic Enterprises Company (Creeco), the parent company of Eeyou Eenou Realty Properties, celebrated the inauguration of Odea, its landmark 26-story mixed-use residential building on Boulevard Robert-Bourassa in Old Montreal on August 22.
Located on a Cree-owned site, the $200 million tower with 68 condos, 367 rental apartments and commercial space features a giant canoe shape on its southwest corner.
Creeco President Derrick Neeposh said the canoe reflects the spirit and heritage of the Cree Nation and is significant for all Indigenous peoples in Canada.
“It is a symbol that is very important to our history and culture as Cree people,” Neeposh told the Nation. “We also took into consideration the strong connection with the fact that Indigenous people used the canoe to navigate the rivers of our country. Indigenous culture is a part of modern architecture.”
Neeposh said the inauguration was an opportunity to meet with tenants and condo owners.
“Many of them didn’t know why the design was done this way,” he explained. “They were all impressed, and very proud to be in the building. One condo owner mentioned that it is a modern style building with a deep connection to Indigenous cultures and nature.”
Creeco bought the property where the building stands in 1996 to serve as the Montreal office for the Cree Nation Government. The board decided to develop the property in 2019 and provided a few concepts to the city. However, the city refused the original proposal, saying it was “too generic.”
“We weren’t offended,” Neeposh said. “But it motivated us to come up with something unique, something relevant to our culture. That is why the canoe-shape design makes the building look connected to nature and fits in with the urban environment. It is a celebration of Cree values with modern architecture.”
Creeco hired world-renowned Anishinaabe architect Douglas Cardinal, who created this design in collaboration with Montreal architecture firm Lemay.
“Cardinal came up with the initial concept of the canoe,” Neeposh said. “This was based on the session that we had with a few Cree Elders. Douglas was very visionary about the whole process.”
The name Odea is inspired by the Cree word “ode,” meaning canoe, “a symbol subtly and elegantly integrated into the building’s architecture”, which combines various architectural parts “that evoke stone, wood, greenery, nature and light,” Creeco stated in a press release.
“Odea Montreal is more than just a real estate project. It is a tangible expression of our collective vision and our commitment to building a prosperous future for our nation and beyond. This project embodies our history, our resilience and our desire to see our culture thrive in an urban environment,” stated Grand Chief Mandy Gull-Masty.
Claudine Duperre, marketing director at real-estate developer and project partner Cogir Immobilier, believes the Odea building is important for Montrealers in a sense of culture.
“On one of the busiest streets of the city the canoe design gives a strong presence of the Cree community in Quebec,” she said. “The architecture of the building is unique. We can see it every time we enter Montreal.”
It’s something like “an architectural bijou,” she added.