Old Royal Bank Building, Montreal
Encyclopedia
Tour de la Banque Royale (Royal Bank Tower) is a skyscraper
at 360 Saint-Jacques Street in Montréal
, Quebec
. The 22-storey 121 m (397 ft) neo-classical
tower was designed by the firm of York and Sawyer
, and was the tallest building in the British Empire
, and the first building in city taller than Montréal's Notre-Dame Basilica
when completed in 1926.
In 1907 the Royal Bank of Canada
moved its head office from Halifax
to Montreal
. As the building in Saint-Jacob Street turned out to be too small, in 1926 the board of directors of the biggest bank in Canada hired New York architects York and Sawyer
to build a prestigious new building on Saint-Jacques Street. Between 1920 and 1926 the bank had bought up all the property between Saint-Jacques, Saint-Pierre, Notre-Dame and Dollard Streets to demolish all the buildings there including the old Mechanics' Institute and the ten-storey Bank of Ottawa building in order to make space for the new 22-storey building.
In 1962, the Royal Bank moved its main office to another famous Montreal building, Place Ville-Marie
. The Royal Bank still keeps a branch in the impressive main hall of the old building, situated in Old Montreal
. That branch is scheduled to relocate to the nearby Tour de la Bourse
in 2012http://www.ctv.ca/generic/generated/static/business/article1615299.html.
Skyscraper
A skyscraper is a tall, continuously habitable building of many stories, often designed for office and commercial use. There is no official definition or height above which a building may be classified as a skyscraper...
at 360 Saint-Jacques Street in Montréal
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
, Quebec
Quebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
. The 22-storey 121 m (397 ft) neo-classical
Neoclassical architecture
Neoclassical architecture was an architectural style produced by the neoclassical movement that began in the mid-18th century, manifested both in its details as a reaction against the Rococo style of naturalistic ornament, and in its architectural formulas as an outgrowth of some classicizing...
tower was designed by the firm of York and Sawyer
York and Sawyer
The architectural firm of York and Sawyer produced many outstanding structures, exemplary of Beaux-Arts architecture as it was practiced in the United States. The partners Edward York and Philip Sawyer had both trained in the office of McKim, Mead, and White...
, and was the tallest building in the British Empire
British Empire
The British Empire comprised the dominions, colonies, protectorates, mandates and other territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom. It originated with the overseas colonies and trading posts established by England in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. At its height, it was the...
, and the first building in city taller than Montréal's Notre-Dame Basilica
Notre-Dame Basilica (Montreal)
Notre-Dame Basilica is a basilica in the historic district of Old Montreal, in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The church is located at 110 Notre-Dame Street West, at the corner of Saint Sulpice Street...
when completed in 1926.
In 1907 the Royal Bank of Canada
Royal Bank of Canada
The Royal Bank of Canada or RBC Financial Group is the largest financial institution in Canada, as measured by deposits, revenues, and market capitalization. The bank serves seventeen million clients and has 80,100 employees worldwide. The company corporate headquarters are located in Toronto,...
moved its head office from Halifax
City of Halifax
Halifax is a city in Canada, which was the capital of the province of Nova Scotia and shire town of Halifax County. It was the largest city in Atlantic Canada until it was amalgamated into Halifax Regional Municipality in 1996...
to Montreal
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
. As the building in Saint-Jacob Street turned out to be too small, in 1926 the board of directors of the biggest bank in Canada hired New York architects York and Sawyer
York and Sawyer
The architectural firm of York and Sawyer produced many outstanding structures, exemplary of Beaux-Arts architecture as it was practiced in the United States. The partners Edward York and Philip Sawyer had both trained in the office of McKim, Mead, and White...
to build a prestigious new building on Saint-Jacques Street. Between 1920 and 1926 the bank had bought up all the property between Saint-Jacques, Saint-Pierre, Notre-Dame and Dollard Streets to demolish all the buildings there including the old Mechanics' Institute and the ten-storey Bank of Ottawa building in order to make space for the new 22-storey building.
In 1962, the Royal Bank moved its main office to another famous Montreal building, Place Ville-Marie
Place Ville-Marie
1 Place Ville-Marie , formerly Royal Bank Tower taken from its anchor tenant, is a with 47-storey, cruciform office tower built in the International style in 1962, arguably the most distinctive building in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It was built in the 1960s as the headquarters of the Royal Bank of...
. The Royal Bank still keeps a branch in the impressive main hall of the old building, situated in Old Montreal
Old Montreal
Old Montreal is the oldest area in the city of Montreal, Quebec, Canada, dating back to New France. Located in the borough of Ville-Marie, the area is bordered on the west by McGill St., on the north by Ruelle des Fortifications, on the east by Berri St. and on the south by the Saint Lawrence River...
. That branch is scheduled to relocate to the nearby Tour de la Bourse
Tour de la Bourse
La tour de la Bourse is an International Style skyscraper by Luigi Moretti and Pier Luigi Nervi at 800 Victoria Square in Montreal, Quebec, connected by the underground city to Square-Victoria Metro Station...
in 2012http://www.ctv.ca/generic/generated/static/business/article1615299.html.
See also
- Bank of Montreal Head Office, MontrealBank of Montreal Head Office, MontrealThe Bank of Montreal's Head Office is located on Saint Jacques Street in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, across the Place d'Armes from Notre-Dame de Montréal Basilica...
- Molson Bank Building, MontrealMolson Bank Building, MontrealThe Molson Bank Building was built at the corner of St. Peter and St. James streets in Old Montreal as the headquarters of the Molson Bank in 1866 by order of founder William Molson . It was the first building in Montreal to be built in the Second Empire style...
- Tour CIBCTour CIBCLa Tour CIBC is a forty-five-storey skyscraper in Montreal, Quebec. With the communications antenna on the roof, the total height is . The International Style office tower was built by Peter Dickinson, Ross, Fish, Duschenes and Barrett and was the city's tallest building from 1962 to 1963...
- Old Canadian Bank of Commerce Building, MontrealOld Canadian Bank of Commerce Building, MontrealThe Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce Building is a building at 265 Saint-Jacques Street in Montreal, Quebec, Canada.-History:The building was erected in was built in 1906-1909...
- Royal Bank PlazaRoyal Bank PlazaRoyal Bank Plaza in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, is the de facto headquarters of the Royal Bank of Canada. The building shares with the Fairmont Royal York Hotel the block in Toronto's financial district bordered by Bay, Front, York, and Wellington streets....
- RBC corporate offices in TorontoTorontoToronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...