Historic Montreal gym closing for 2 years to undergo renovations
The Club Sportif MAA on Peel Street in downtown Montreal will be closing its doors for two years on Aug. 16.
The brick building housing the 130-year-old gym will be undergoing major renovations.
The entire structure, except the facade, will be torn down and completely rebuilt.
MAA, formerly known as the Montreal Amateur Athletic Association (MAAA), is the oldest sports club in North America, opening its doors in 1881. It has been in its current building since 1905.
It was renamed the Club Sportif MAA after a brush with bankruptcy in 1999.
The club’s representatives say it was one of the most important sporting institutions in North America during the 19th and 20th centuries.
The Montreal Hockey Club was the first team to win the Stanley Cup.
The Montreal Hockey Club, which used MAA’s winged wheel logo, was the first team to win the Stanley Cup.
“The Stanley Cup was donated to the league by Lord Stanley, who was a board member here,” said Nathalie Lambert, spokesperson for the club and former Olympian.
She notes the Detroit Red Wings logo was also borrowed from the MAA’s winged wheel logo.
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