Bank of Montreal, Westmount Branch(1903-4)
Greene Avenue and de Maisonneuve Boulevard [Western Avenue], Westmount, QC, Canada
Commercial, Bank [basement, 2 floors, 3 bedrooms]; stone; composite

Client: Bank of Montreal
Architect: E. & W.S. Maxwell

Description: In the fall of 1904, two bank branches designed by E. & W.S. Maxwell were inaugurated in Westmount, a rapidly developing affluent suburb of Montreal that attracted many wealthy families who traditionally lived in the Golden Square Mile. One branch was for the Royal Bank of Canada (593) and the other for the Bank of Montreal. As an earlier branch on Peel Street (286) built in 1909, this Westmount Branch was a two-storey (70’ x 39’) Ohio sandstone pavilion. The ground floor had the banking hall and manager’s office. The attic floor house a three-bedroom apartment for the bank manager. The basement included washrooms, a coatroom and storage. A separate ladies’ room was at the rear of the main banking hall, as the Bank of Montreal prided itself on answering the specific needs of its female customers. The main entrance was placed at the intersection of Western and Greene Avenues, whose façades met in a curve. The entrance was framed by Ionic columns and capped by an imposing sculpted reproduction of the Bank’s symbol, a coat of arms flanked by Native American figures. On the narrower, Western Avenue elevation, two smaller windows topped by broken pediments were repeated on the longer Greene Avenue elevation on either side of three tall windows signalling the main public space behind. Above these central bays, three dormers, again crowned by broken pediments, provided light to the apartment rooms nestled within the hip roof. The model for the sculpture above the entrance was designed by George W. Hill (440), a good friend of the Maxwells, and executed by Henry Green and J. Towne. Inevitably compared with the Royal Branch Building across the street, the bank usually fared less well than the latter, perhaps due to its unimpressive height. The abundance of ornamentation on such a small structure saved it from anonymity but gave it uneasy proportions overall. The Maxwells prepared some drawings for alterations in 1918, but the only change to the building was a floor addition in 1929-1930 (architect unknown). Eventually the building was demolished to make way for a larger contemporary office building that still house the Westmount Branch, Bank of Montreal. See: Sawyer, Philip, ''The Planning of Bank Buildings'' Architectural Review vol. 12, (February 1905): 42; Canadian Architect and Builder vol. 17, (November 1904): 177.

Holdings: Bank (basement, 2 floors, 3 bedrooms); stone; composite
61 Drawings: 44 ink on linen; 6 ink on paper; 6 pencil on paper; 5 blueprints
1 Presentation drawing: ground floor plan
8 Development drawings: stairs, furniture, vault
7 Working drawings: floor plans, elevations, section
43 Detail drawings: banking room, vault, vestibule, entries, structure, stair, mantelpiece, doors, furniture, fittings, entablature, signage, fence
2 Consultant drawings: property plan, structure
5 Photographs: 5 finished exteriors
Comment: 2 drawings by Joseph Rielle, Q.L.S., dated 29/11/1902, are included.

Comments: 2 drawings by Joseph Rielle, Q.L.S., dated 29/11/1902, are included.