Bank of Montreal Head Office

This article is about the Head Office on Saint Jacques Street. For the National Historic Site on Notre Dame Street, see Bank of Montreal National Historic Site.

The Bank of Montreal's Head Office (French: Édifice de la Banque de Montréal) is located on 119, rue Saint Jacques (119, Saint Jacques Street) in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, across the Place d'Armes from the Notre-Dame Basilica in the Old Montreal neighbourhood. The Bank of Montreal is the oldest bank in Canada, founded in 1817. Although it still remains the bank's legal headquarters, its operational head office was moved to First Canadian Place in Toronto in 1977 due to political instability in Quebec.

Bank of Montreal Head Office Édifice de la Banque de Montréal
Bank of Montreal's main Montreal branch at Place d'Armes in Old Montreal
General information
Address	119, rue Saint-Jacques Montreal, Quebec H2Y 1L6
Coordinates	45.5049°N 73.5579°W / 45.5049; -73.5579
Current tenants	Bank of Montreal Bank of Montreal Museum
Completed	1847
Technical details
Floor count	1
Design and construction
Architect(s)	John Wells
Architecture firm	McKim, Mead & White
Main contractor	Anglin-Norcross Ltd. [1]

The centrepiece of the complex is the Bank of Montreal Main Branch, a Pantheon-like building designed by John Wells in 1847. The building was inspired by the design of the former headquarters of the Commercial Bank of Scotland in Edinburgh.^[2]

The building is in neoclassical style. The sculpted pediment of the building was done by Sir John Steell. The bronze pediment (23 tons, 16-meter wide) was melted in Scotland.^[3] Enlargements to the building were made in 1901–1905 by the New York City firm of McKim, Mead & White.^[4]

Bank of Montreal Museum

The Bank of Montreal Museum features exhibits about the history of the bank, including a 19th-century teller's window, photos, coins and banknotes, cheques, and mechanical piggybanks. The displays are located in the passage between the old building and the current head office. The museum is open during regular bank hours and admission is free.^[5]

Gallery

• 
  Bank of Montreal under construction (1859)
• 
  Bank of Montreal main Montreal branch ca. 1909
• 
  Bank of Montreal main Montreal branch
• 
  Bank of Montreal main Montreal branch
• 
  Bank of Montreal main Montreal branch

See also

• Banks portal

Other bank buildings in Montreal:

• Old Canadian Bank of Commerce Building, Montreal
• Old Royal Bank Building, Montreal
• Molson Bank Building, Montreal
• Tour CIBC

Other BMO buildings:

• First Canadian Place - operational head office of BMO in Toronto

References

1. "Anglin, James Penrose | Biographical Dictionary of Architects in Canada".
2. Epstein, Clarence. "John Wells". The Canadian Encyclopedia. Historica-Dominion. Retrieved 19 October 2022.
3. Proulx, Gilles (2016-10-22). "La fondation de la Banque de Montréal (1817)". Le Journal de Montréal. Retrieved 2023-08-29.
4. Rue Saint-Jacques, Old Montreal Web site
5. "Bank of Montreal Museum". Montreal Tourism. Archived from the original on 24 September 2015. Retrieved 8 February 2014.

External links

• Bank of Montreal Head Office, Montreal information from Vieux-Montréal (in French)