The Bank of Montreal's Head Office (french: Édifice de la Banque de Montréal) is located on 119, rue Saint Jaques (119,

Saint Jacques Street Saint Jacques Street (officially in french: rue Saint-Jacques), or St. James Street, is a major street in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, running from Old Montreal westward to Lachine, Quebec, Lachine. The street is commonly known by two street name, ...

) in

Montreal Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-most populous city in Canada and List of towns in Quebec, most populous city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian ...

Quebec Quebec ( ; )According to the Canadian government, ''Québec'' (with the acute accent) is the official name in Canadian French and ''Quebec'' (without the accent) is the province's official name in Canadian English is one of the thirtee ...

, Canada, across the

Place d'Armes Place may refer to: Geography * Place (United States Census Bureau), defined as any concentration of population ** Census-designated place, a populated area lacking its own municipal government * "Place", a type of street or road name ** Often ...

from the Notre-Dame Basilica in the

Old Montreal Old Montreal (French: ''Vieux-Montréal'') is a historic neighbourhood within the municipality of Montreal in the province of Quebec, Canada. Home to the Old Port of Montreal, the neighbourhood is bordered on the west by McGill Street, on th ...

neighbourhood. The

Bank of Montreal The Bank of Montreal (BMO; french: Banque de Montréal, link=no) is a Canadian multinational investment bank and financial services company. The bank was founded in Montreal, Quebec, in 1817 as Montreal Bank; while its head office remains in ...

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 First Canadian Place (originally First Bank Building) is a skyscraper in the Financial District of Toronto, Ontario, at the northwest corner of King and Bay streets, and serves as the global operational headquarters of the Bank of Montreal. At ...

in Toronto in 1977 due to political instability in Quebec. The centrepiece of the complex is the Bank of Montreal Main Branch, a

Pantheon Pantheon may refer to: * Pantheon (religion), a set of gods belonging to a particular religion or tradition, and a temple or sacred building Arts and entertainment Comics *Pantheon (Marvel Comics), a fictional organization * ''Pantheon'' (Lone S ...

-like building built by John Wells in 1847. The building was inspired by the design of the former headquarters of the

Commercial Bank of Scotland The Commercial Bank of Scotland Ltd. was a Scottish commercial bank. It was founded in Edinburgh in 1810, and obtained a royal charter in 1831. It grew substantially through the 19th and early 20th centuries, until 1958, when it merged with th ...

in Edinburgh. The building is in

neoclassical style Neoclassical architecture is an architectural style produced by the Neoclassicism, Neoclassical movement that began in the mid-18th century in Italy and France. It became one of the most prominent architectural styles in the Western world. The pr ...

. The sculpted pediment of the building was done by

Sir John Steell Sir John Robert Steell (Aberdeen 18 September 1804 – 15 September 1891) was a Scottish sculptor. He modelled many of the leading figures of Scottish history and culture, and is best known for a number of sculptures displayed in Edinburgh, ...

. Enlargements to the building were made in 1901–1905 by the

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

firm of

McKim, Mead & White McKim, Mead & White was an American architectural firm that came to define architectural practice, urbanism, and the ideals of the American Renaissance in fin de siècle New York. The firm's founding partners Charles Follen McKim (1847–1909), Wil ...

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.

Gallery

File:85 William England - Montreal from Nôtre Dame basilica.jpg, Bank of Montreal under construction (1859) File:St James Street, showing Bank of Montreal & Post Office, Montreal.JPG, Bank of Montreal main Montreal branch ca. 1909 File:Banque de Montreal Place d Armes Montreal 02.jpg, Bank of Montreal main Montreal branch File:Bank of Montreal 3 db.jpg, Bank of Montreal main Montreal branch File:Bank of Montreal 4 db.jpg, Bank of Montreal main Montreal branch

References

*Rémillard, François, ''Old Montreal — A Walking Tour'', Ministère des Affaires culturelles du Québec, 1992

External links

Bank of Montreal Head Office, Montreal information from Vieux-Montréal
{{in lang, fr
Photograph:Bank of Montreal Building, circa 1860
- McCord Museum
Photograph:Bank of Montreal Building, circa 1871
- McCord Museum
Photograph:Bank of Montreal Building, circa 1880
- McCord Museum
Photograph:Bank of Montreal Building, 1890
- McCord Museum
Photograph:Bank of Montreal Building, circa 1906
- McCord Museum
Photograph:Bank of Montreal Building, 1911
- McCord Museum 1847 establishments in Canada Bank of Montreal Commercial buildings in Montreal Commercial buildings completed in 1847 Historic bank buildings in Canada McKim, Mead & White buildings Neoclassical architecture in Canada Old Montreal John Wells (architect) buildings Headquarters in Canada

Bank of Montreal Museum

Gallery

See also

References

External links