BDC Building

43.255551°N 79.871060°W / 43.255551; -79.871060

BDC Building
General information
Location	Hamilton, Ontario
Address	25 Main Street West
Groundbreaking	August 1969 (1969-08)
Opened	29 March 1971 (1971-03-29)
Height
Roof	91 metres (299 ft)
Technical details
Floor count	22
Design and construction
Architecture firm	Roscoe MacIver and Stienstra

The BDC Building, 22-storey office tower (91.5 m), is the 6th tallest building in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. Originally the building was known as the IBM Building when it first opened in 1972.^[1] The "BDC" stands for the Business Development Bank of Canada.^[2] It stands on the corners of Main Street West and MacNab Street South.

History and design

Plans for the building were announced on 5 August 1969, and the sod was turned that same week. The building was constructed by Cutaia Investments Limited, a development firm founded and operated by brothers Angelo (1929–1981), Nicholas (1928–2016), and Richard Cutaia (1922–2000). The brothers constructed their first building, the Professional Arts Building, in 1959 at 155 James Street South on the site of their father's grocery store. The expected completion date was late 1970, however, this would end up being put back.^[3] Other projects by the Cutaias included Alexandra Square and the Undermount Building.

On 5 November 1970, Mayor Victor Copps led the topping off ceremony. Following the ceremony, a formal reception was held on the building's seventh floor, where civic officials and guests had champagne and caviar.^[4] On Friday, 26 March 1971, IBM began moving into the building, and opened its office the following Monday.^[5]

The BDC is a financial institution wholly owned by the government of Canada. BDC plays a leadership role in delivering financing and consulting services to Canadian small business, with a particular focus on technology and exporting. The BDC has 80 branches and its operating structure is divided up into 21 key market areas across the country. The BDC head office is in Montreal.

Images

• 
  BDC Building, view from atop of Stelco Tower
• 
  B.D.C. Building
• 
  B.D.C. Building, Main Street West
• 
  BDC Building at dusk

See also

• List of tallest buildings in Hamilton, Ontario

References

1. "BDC Building (www.emporis.com)". Archived from the original on September 29, 2007. Retrieved 2007-02-09.
2. "Official site: Business Development Bank of Canada". Archived from the original on September 24, 2006. Retrieved 2007-02-09.
3. "Multi-storey tower going up downtown," Hamilton Spectator, (5 August 1969), 7.
4. "Wind-blown ceremony 22 floors up," Hamilton Spectator, (6 November 1970), 7.
5. "IBM moves into new tower," Hamilton Spectator, (29 March 1971), 7.

External links

• Hamilton Skyscraper page- diagrams
• Image #1: BDC Building