1927 – Former Bank of Montreal, Winnipeg, Manitoba

Fine little classical bank building nestled into a block of Portage Avenue. Now the offices of the Downtown Biz association, the building has fine Corinthian capitals on crisply incised pilasters under a simple pediment.

The branch was strategically timed to coincide with adjacent construction of two major sources of potential customers – the Hudson’s Bay Company department store and the six-storey Power Building. Built at a cost of $70,000 by contractor R. N. Wyatt, the structure at 426 Portage consists of brick and steel reinforced concrete. Use of Tyndall stone for the facade reflected a contemporary emphasis on local building materials and the rising national popularity of this product from Manitoba quarries.