Montreal Stock Exchange(1/1903-11/1904)
453 Saint-François Xavier Street, Montreal, QC, Canada
Government, Exchange [basement, 1 floor]; stone; composite

Client: [Montreal Stock Exchange]
Architect: E. & W.S. Maxwell

Description: In the late nineteenth century commissions in Montreal went not only given to leading architects from New York but also to distinguished practitioners from Boston. Important projects like the Bank of Montreal on Place d�Armes (1901) and the Royal Trust Building (1913) were designed by the firm of McKim Mead and White from New York that also designed the Wall Street Stock Exchange. The Montreal Stock Exchange was designed by the American architect George B. Post in 1903. The New York architect was famous for the spectacular Fifth Avenue mansion he had designed for Cornelius Vanderbilt II. Edward and William Maxwell were the supervising architects for this significant Montreal�s landmark. The exchange was located in Old Montreal, on Saint-Fran�ois Xavier Street. It was a practical choice since the concentration of finance was still clustered in this area, close to the harbour and the railway. In 1902, the year before the building began on the stock exchange, the cost of a seat there had jumped from $150 in 1865 to $27,000. The building depicts a Neo-classical style, standing like a Greek temple on Saint-Fran�ois Xavier Street. Its fa�ade is finished in fine cut stone with a colonnaded entrance conveying and image of elegance and solidity. The layout consists of a symmetrical U-shaped composition. The main space, containing the board room, occupied the central portion, whereas the lateral wings were dedicated for the public, the members� coat room, and committee room. The interior of this building was an admirable decoration of wood pilasters, cast iron details for the stairs and gallery, and fluted columns finished in marble. Until the 1930s, the Montreal Stock Exchange was the most important exchange in Canada. Since 1969, it houses the Centaur theatre.

Holdings: Exchange (basement, 1 floor); stone; composite
63 Drawings: 10 ink on linen; 2 ink on paper; 1 pencil on linen; 1 pencil on paper; 2 watercolour on linen; 9 black line; 38 black line on linen
1 Survey drawing: survey plan
1 Development drawing: mechanical
27 Working drawings: floor plans, roof plans, elevations, sections
34 Detail drawings: floor plans, elevations, sections, boardroom, committee room, telegraph room, coat room, corridors, washrooms, entry, electrical, mechanical, drainage, doors, furniture, gallery, fittings, fixtures, finishes, stonework
1 File folder: pamphlet
Comment: Project designed by George B. Post, Architect, N.Y. (1903) with Edward and W.S. Maxwell in charge of the work. Of the above list, 6 detail drawings were done in the Maxwell office.

Comments: Project designed by George B. Post, Architect, N.Y. [1903] with Edward and W.S. Maxwell in charge of the work. Of the above list, 6 detail drawings were done in the Maxwell office.

	I M A G E S: Drawings
Montreal Stock Exchange(1/1903-11/1904) 453 Saint-François Xavier Street, Montreal, QC, Canada Government, Exchange [basement, 1 floor]; stone; composite Client: [Montreal Stock Exchange] Architect: E. & W.S. Maxwell Description: In the late nineteenth century commissions in Montreal went not only given to leading architects from New York but also to distinguished practitioners from Boston. Important projects like the Bank of Montreal on Place d�Armes (1901) and the Royal Trust Building (1913) were designed by the firm of McKim Mead and White from New York that also designed the Wall Street Stock Exchange. The Montreal Stock Exchange was designed by the American architect George B. Post in 1903. The New York architect was famous for the spectacular Fifth Avenue mansion he had designed for Cornelius Vanderbilt II. Edward and William Maxwell were the supervising architects for this significant Montreal�s landmark. The exchange was located in Old Montreal, on Saint-Fran�ois Xavier Street. It was a practical choice since the concentration of finance was still clustered in this area, close to the harbour and the railway. In 1902, the year before the building began on the stock exchange, the cost of a seat there had jumped from $150 in 1865 to $27,000. The building depicts a Neo-classical style, standing like a Greek temple on Saint-Fran�ois Xavier Street. Its fa�ade is finished in fine cut stone with a colonnaded entrance conveying and image of elegance and solidity. The layout consists of a symmetrical U-shaped composition. The main space, containing the board room, occupied the central portion, whereas the lateral wings were dedicated for the public, the members� coat room, and committee room. The interior of this building was an admirable decoration of wood pilasters, cast iron details for the stairs and gallery, and fluted columns finished in marble. Until the 1930s, the Montreal Stock Exchange was the most important exchange in Canada. Since 1969, it houses the Centaur theatre. Holdings: Exchange (basement, 1 floor); stone; composite 63 Drawings: 10 ink on linen; 2 ink on paper; 1 pencil on linen; 1 pencil on paper; 2 watercolour on linen; 9 black line; 38 black line on linen 1 Survey drawing: survey plan 1 Development drawing: mechanical 27 Working drawings: floor plans, roof plans, elevations, sections 34 Detail drawings: floor plans, elevations, sections, boardroom, committee room, telegraph room, coat room, corridors, washrooms, entry, electrical, mechanical, drainage, doors, furniture, gallery, fittings, fixtures, finishes, stonework 1 File folder: pamphlet Comment: Project designed by George B. Post, Architect, N.Y. (1903) with Edward and W.S. Maxwell in charge of the work. Of the above list, 6 detail drawings were done in the Maxwell office. Comments: Project designed by George B. Post, Architect, N.Y. [1903] with Edward and W.S. Maxwell in charge of the work. Of the above list, 6 detail drawings were done in the Maxwell office.
I M A G E S: Drawings
B A C K T O R E S U L T S N E W S E A R C H