Landmark Building
BANK OF MONTREAL
140 - 8th Avenue SW, Calgary
Designed By: Kenneth G. Rea
Built in 1931
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For an entire century (1889 until 1989) this was the site of the main Calgary branch of the Bank of Montreal. The corner of 8th Avenue and 1st Street SW was the busiest corner in the city, and hence, the most prestigious. The first Bank of Montreal building on this site was a two-storey gable-roofed sandstone structure. Its corner tower echoed a similar tower across the street, at Alexander Corner, now this site of the Hudson’s Bay Co. store.
This second Bank of Montreal building was born of more mature period in the history of an established city. It is one of the best examples of Classical Revival architecture in its purest form in Calgary. The exterior is designed in the “classical temple” style favored by banking corporations at the time. Four storeys high, clad in Manitoba Tyndall limestone, it features a prominent pediment on its 8th Avenue façade. Inside the pediment is a carving of the bank’s crest held by two Native men. A beaver sits on top of the crest, and woodlands and tepees are represented behind the figures. Giant order engaged columns and pilasters with Corinthian capitals support the pediment. Ornate brass doors open onto the only intact neo-classical interior (restored in 1993) existing in Calgary, which features spectacular coffered ceilings, encrusted with 917 ounces of gold leaf. The architect, Kenneth G. Rea, was also responsible for the Montreal Stock Exchange and a total of 61 other buildings for the Bank of Montreal. His signature is inscribed in the granite base of the front façade.
The Landmark Buildings and Places Database draws on the series of walking and/or driving tour booklets produced by Alberta Culture (now Alberta Culture and Community Spirit). The Heritage Community Foundation gratefully acknowledges the support of the Ministry through permission to reprint these materials online. Extracted from Calgary: Stephen Avenue and Area Historical Walking Tour. Alberta Culture, n.d., with permission from Alberta Culture and Community Spirit. Visit the Alberta Culture and Community Spirit for more information.