Architect Luc Laporte's Lux, a Long Lost Montreal Classic on the Main

When we polled industry people in Montreal about much lamented restaurants on the occasion of this special Classics Week Power Hour, one name came up time and time again.

In the 1980s Lux was the place to be on the Main. Part Eurotrash bistro, part library, part salon, the restaurant was open 24 hours a day. Customers came to browse magazines and newspapers, procure obscure, fashionable cigarette brands, drink imported beers and nosh on frites. After-hours, it was a scene.

The late architect Luc Laporte (you can admire his work at SAT and Leméac) was the brains behind the vaulted, multi-leveled concrete and steel space. Lux's ceiling was preposterously high and mirrors reflected sunlight throughout. The restaurant made an indelible impression on what was a moribund block of Mile End. Lux closed in 1993 after only a decade. A post-production company now calls the space at 5220 Saint-Laurent home.

Fly Studio in the old Lux