In the third weekend of May, historic buildings in Winnipeg open their doors to the public. Aptly named Doors Open Winnipeg, it is often the only chance you have to see some of these buildings. Last year, I absolutely loved visited the Manitoba Legislative Building (the most beautiful building in North America, FYI) and Government House (technically the home of royalty here in Manitoba). This year, I decided to tackle more buildings that I’ve walked or driven by but never gone in. The Bank of Montreal building in downtown Winnipeg was our first stop of the day!
The Bank of Montreal building is located at Winnipeg’s most famous intersection, Portage and Main. It is a gigantic intersection (making it a pain to drive through….), is the windiest intersection in North America, and most visitors to Winnipeg will pass through it at least once. The BMO building was designed by the American architectural firm McKim, Mead and White and was completed in 1913. (He’s the famous architect; yes, that’s right! Sorry, couldn’t help the Ragtime reference. Stanford White is the infamous architect who was shot in 1906 by his lover’s husband.)
It is built in the neo-classic style, and it “combines two ancient structural styles; the exterior is modelled on a porticoed Greek temple with Corinthian columns, whereas the interior resembles a Roman basilica with Ionic coloumns” (“Winnipeg Main Branch” pamphlet, BMO, 2019). It is quite beautiful to look at, and truly stands out in Winnipeg’s downtown.
On the way into the building, I happened to look up and spotted these details on the entrance canopy. Although it seems like people don’t want to pay the money needed to create buildings like these nowadays, it is architectural details like this that make the Bank of Montreal building so spectacular. Quite frankly, it is a regular bank branch. It’s purpose isn’t particularly special or interesting, but the architecture certainly is.
Bank of Montreal Building in Winnipeg, Interior
I would have loved to have a guided tour of the building, but unfortunately, it was just a local history talk. The Roman style interior is quite gorgeous, and I could imagine that it would be a lovely place to work. And I definitely would have loved to go upstairs! “Prior to 1950, the second and third floors of the branch were used as living quarters for unmarried male Bank personnel, who were provided meals, laundry, and maid service.” (“Winnipeg Main Branch” pamphlet, BMO, 2019) However, it was a no-go.
Other than the renovations to turn the living quarters into offices, the building has needed surprisingly few building projects. Given that buildings in that period were made to last, I am not particularly surprised. And although you won’t be invited, they apparently have a fantastic Christmas party for staff. (Seems a bit odd to point it out when the public aren’t invited, but I’m sure it looks beautiful at Christmas.)
Have you been to the Bank of Montreal building in Winnipeg?
Cheers,
The Historian
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