Royal Bank Tower (Montreal) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Royal Bank Tower |
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| Alternative names | Tour de la Banque Royale |
| Record height | |
| Tallest in the British Empire from 1928 to 1929 | |
| Preceded by | Old City Hall (Toronto) |
| Surpassed by | Fairmont Royal York Hotel |
| General information | |
| Type | Office |
| Location | 360 Saint-Jacques Street Montreal, Quebec |
| Coordinates | 45°30′07″N 73°33′34″W / 45.5019°N 73.5594°W |
| Construction started | 1927 |
| Completed | 1928 |
| Height | |
| Roof | 121 m (397 ft) |
| Technical details | |
| Floor count | 22 |
| Floor area | 344,400 sq ft (32,000 m2) |
| Lifts/elevators | 8 |
| Design and construction | |
| Architect | York, Sawyer of New York and Sumner Godfrey Davenport of Montreal (as Chief Architect for the Royal Bank) |
The Royal Bank Tower is a tall building, also known as a skyscraper, located at 360 Saint-Jacques Street in Montreal, Quebec. This impressive 22-storey building stands 121 m (397 ft) high. It was designed in a neo-classical style by architects York and Sawyer from New York. They worked with Sumner Godfrey Davenport, the Royal Bank's main architect in Montreal.
When it was finished in 1928, the Royal Bank Tower became a record-breaker. It was the tallest building in the entire British Empire. It was also the tallest structure in all of Canada. Plus, it was the first building in Montreal to be taller than the famous Notre-Dame Basilica, which was built almost a century earlier.
Contents
The Royal Bank Tower: A Historic Skyscraper
The Royal Bank of Canada first had its main office in Halifax in 1879. In 1907, the bank decided to move its main operations to Montreal. The original building on Saint-Jacques Street soon became too small for Canada's biggest bank.
Building a Landmark
In 1926, the bank's leaders hired the New York architects York and Sawyer. Their job was to design a grand new building nearby. To make space for this new 22-storey tower, the bank bought many properties between 1920 and 1926. They cleared the land, removing older buildings like the Mechanics' Institute and the ten-storey Bank of Ottawa building. This made way for their new, much larger headquarters.
A New Home for the Bank
In 1962, the Royal Bank moved its main office again. This time, it went to another famous Montreal building called Place Ville-Marie. However, the bank kept a branch in the beautiful main hall of the old Royal Bank Tower. This branch was located in Old Montreal. In July 2012, that branch moved once more to the nearby Tour de la Bourse.
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Saint-Jacques street with the Royal Bank building (the tallest), 1935
See also
