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Molson’s Bank, St-Henri Branch(4/1905-10/1905) 5001 Notre Dame Street West, Montreal [Saint-Henri], QC, Canada Commercial, Bank [basement, 1 floor, mezzanine level: 2 bedrooms]; stone; composite Client: Molson's Bank Description: The Maxwell brothers designed a series of branches for different banks across Canada: Merchant’s Bank, later Royal Bank, and Bank of Montreal. For these commissions they used a Beaux-Arts style, a language in which William was an expert. The device of using classical elements, such as Ionic columns, recessed transoms, pediments, keystones, architraves and entablatures, confer to these buildings an impressive unity of a style prevalent among financial institutions of the time. This stylistic strategy appeared first in the United States early in the Greek Revival period. As a scheme for banks, it regained popularity around the turn of the century.
The Molson’s Bank branch in Saint-Henri opened in 1905. It is located at the corner of Saint-Rémi Street and Notre Dame Street. The building is placed on an irregular lot and features a corner entrance, a popular solution, since it draws in traffic from both thoroughfares. The building’s corner was chamfered and the main entrance marked, as in the other banks by an over-scaled rendition of the bank’s coat of arms, which was placed inside a broken pediment and supported by two classical columns. The main elevation on Notre Dame Street is three bays wide and surrounded by four pilasters. It stands on a continuous granite base and supports a severe sandstone cornice. The windows of this façade are set between the pilasters, allowing for a long span and proper illumination. A very interesting feature are the low windows between the pilasters. These windows enhance the human scale on the street. They are composed of small pilasters and joined together by a series of pediments for each window.
The ground floor shows the same formula used by architects for these types of buildings. For bank branches located at corners, the client is led to the public room after passing the entrance vestibule. This room is flanked by the manager’s office and the ladies room. The bank’s vault is located at the rear beside the staircase for the mezzanine level. In 1934 the firm of James Thom Co. Ltd. did some alterations to the original layout and converted it into an archive depot. Holdings: Bank (basement, 1 floor, mezzanine level: 2 bedrooms); stone; composite | |
| I M A G E S: Drawings | |
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