Henry Morgan & Company (colloquially Morgan's) was a Canadian
department store
A department store is a retail establishment offering a wide range of consumer goods in different areas of the store under one roof, each area ("department") specializing in a product category. In modern major cities, the department store mad ...
chain founded by
Henry Morgan
Sir Henry Morgan (; – 25 August 1688) was a Welsh privateer, plantation owner, and, later, the lieutenant governor of Jamaica. From his base in Port Royal, Jamaica, he and those under his command raided settlements and shipping ports o ...
in 1845. The first store was in
Montreal
Montreal is the List of towns in Quebec, largest city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Quebec, the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-largest in Canada, and the List of North American cit ...
, and expanded to include 11 stores in
Ontario
Ontario is the southernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Located in Central Canada, Ontario is the Population of Canada by province and territory, country's most populous province. As of the 2021 Canadian census, it ...
and
Quebec
Quebec is Canada's List of Canadian provinces and territories by area, largest province by area. Located in Central Canada, the province shares borders with the provinces of Ontario to the west, Newfoundland and Labrador to the northeast, ...
before being bought by
Hudson's Bay Company
The Hudson's Bay Company (HBC), originally the Governor and Company of Adventurers of England Trading Into Hudson’s Bay, is a Canadian holding company of department stores, and the oldest corporation in North America. It was the owner of the ...
in 1960. Most Ontario stores were converted to
The Bay in 1968 and the Morgan's locations in Quebec were renamed La Baie in 1972.
The flagship store was in the
Henry Morgan Building in
Downtown Montreal
Downtown Montreal (French language, French: ''Centre-Ville de Montréal'') is the central business district of Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
The district is situated on the southernmost slope of Mount Royal, and occupies the western portion of the ...
, and remains a flagship property of the Hudson's Bay Company.
History
The first store was opened in Montreal in 1845 by Scottish immigrant
Henry Morgan
Sir Henry Morgan (; – 25 August 1688) was a Welsh privateer, plantation owner, and, later, the lieutenant governor of Jamaica. From his base in Port Royal, Jamaica, he and those under his command raided settlements and shipping ports o ...
as Henry Morgan and Company at 200 Notre Dame Street (now 404 Notre Dame St. W), then moved in 1852 to 100 McGill Street (now 478 McGill St.; addition at 3-5 St. Joseph, now 610 Notre Dame W., in 1857) and again in 1866 to the north side of St. James Street (
Saint Jacques Street) at Victoria Square. In 1891, they built a
new flagship store at 585
Saint Catherine Street West in front of
Phillips Square.
[ This store opened as businesses were moving away from the old city centre and helped to make Saint Catherine Street the principal street for shops in Montreal.
The second store to operate under the Morgan's name opened in 1950 on Queen Mary Road in the ]Snowdon
Snowdon (), or (), is a mountain in Snowdonia in North Wales. It has an elevation of above sea level, which makes it both the highest mountain in Wales and the highest in the British Isles south of the Scottish Highlands. Snowdon i ...
area of Montreal. Other stores then opened on the island of Montreal
The Island of Montreal (, ) is an island in southwestern Quebec, Canada, which is the site of a number of municipalities, including most of the city of Montreal, and is the most populous island in Canada. It is the main island of the Hochelag ...
, and in several Ontario cities. Ownership of the store was originally split evenly between Henry Morgan and his partner, David Smith. Smith's portion was later purchased by Henry's brother, James Morgan. The store stayed under the ownership and management of the original Morgan brothers and their descendants for over 100 years of business.
In 1960, Hudson's Bay Company
The Hudson's Bay Company (HBC), originally the Governor and Company of Adventurers of England Trading Into Hudson’s Bay, is a Canadian holding company of department stores, and the oldest corporation in North America. It was the owner of the ...
purchased Morgan's. In January 1968, the stores in Toronto and Hamilton were converted to The Bay, a familiar name in Western Canada
Western Canada, also referred to as the Western provinces, Canadian West, or Western provinces of Canada, and commonly known within Canada as the West, is a list of regions of Canada, Canadian region that includes the four western provinces and t ...
that was already being used in Ontario for the last two years in tandem with Morgan's. The rebranding to The Bay affected a total of four Morgan's stores in the two cities. The store on Bloor Street
Bloor Street is an east–west arterial road in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Bloor Street runs from the Prince Edward Viaduct, which spans the Don River (Ontario), Don River Valley, westward into Mississauga where it ends at Central Parkway. East ...
in Toronto kept the Morgan's name albeit managed by The Bay. The Morgan's stores in Quebec were converted to La Baie on June 19, 1972.
The store on Sparks Street in Ottawa continued with the Morgan's name until the location closed on April 14, 1973. No terminations resulted from the shuttering of the store; all employees were offered jobs within locations of the Freimans chain which Hudson's Bay Company had acquired the previous year. Freiman's would itself get replaced by The Bay two months later on June 25, 1973.
1945 Commemorative Wedgwood Bowl
In 1945, Morgan's Department Store commissioned a Wedgwood bowl, designed by Keith Murray, to commemorate the store's 100th anniversary in Montreal. Black and white transfer prints on the front and back contrast Montreal as it was in 1845 and in 1945. Relief portraits on each side of Jean Baptiste and John Bull are surrounded by colourful maple leaves, shamrock, rose, thistle, and fleur-de-lis and celebrate the city's French and English heritage. The inside of the bowl is decorated with the coat of arms and motto Concordia Salus (Salvation Through Harmony), colourful maple leaves, and the following English and French inscriptions around the upper rim: "Discovered by Jacques Cartier in 1534, Founded by Maisonneuve in 1642, Decouvert par Jacques Cartier en 1534, and Fonde par Maisonneuve en 1642". The underside of the bowl has the Morgan's and Wedgwood logos and provides the population data for Montreal in 1845 (45,000) and 1945 (1,500,000). This footed bowl measures 12 1/4" in diameter, and is 6 3/4" high.
Legacy
Three former Morgan's stores are still in operation as The Bay: the flagship in downtown Montreal
Downtown Montreal (French language, French: ''Centre-Ville de Montréal'') is the central business district of Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
The district is situated on the southernmost slope of Mount Royal, and occupies the western portion of the ...
and the suburban locations in Eglinton Square Shopping Centre and Rockland Centre. The Bay at Rockland relocated in 1983 within the same mall and the Eglinton Square store was converted in 2023 as a liquidation outlet for the chain. All three stores are among the locations that are being liquidated with the rest of the Hudson's Bay chain in 2025.[https://www.thebay.com/]
The Montreal locations in the Boulevard Shopping Centre and Dorval Gardens shopping malls lasted until 2018 and 2021 respectively. In Ontario, virtually all The Bay stores, that had previously been Morgan's locations, closed between the 1970s to 2000s decades.
Locations
* Montreal
** St. Catherine St. (1845)
** Queen Mary Road (1950)
** Le Boulevard Shopping Centre (1953)
** Dorval Gardens (1954)
** Centre Rockland (1959)
* Toronto
** Bloor/ Yonge (1950)
** Lawrence Plaza (1955)
** Cloverdale Mall (1960)
** Eglinton Square (1963)
* Hamilton
** Greater Hamilton Shopping Centre (1957)
* Ottawa
** Sparks Street (1951)
Gallery
File:Morgan's logo.png, Previous logo in 1960
File:Morgans decorated for royal visit.JPG, Morgan's in 1939, preparing for a royal visit
File:Christmas. Morgan BAnQ P48S1P10207.jpg, Morgan's at Christmastime, 1944
See also
* List of Canadian department stores
References
External links
Morgan's history
at Hudson's Bay Company website
{{Hudson's_Bay_Trading_Company,_L.P.
Canadian companies established in 1845
Retail companies established in 1845
Retail companies disestablished in 1973
Defunct retail companies of Canada
Department stores of Canada
Hudson's Bay Company
Landmarks in Montreal