Bank of Montreal Building, Renaissance bank building in Downtown Halifax, Canada

The Bank of Montreal Building is a six-storey structure with a sandstone facade, classical pilasters, and bronze doors at the main entrance. The ground floor features marble, brass, bronze, and wood, housing the original banking hall.

The Bank of Montreal opened this Halifax branch in 1931, designed by John MacIntosh Lyle in a Renaissance Revival style. It replaced earlier premises and served as the bank's regional head office. The sandstone facade and bronze doors were meant to convey stability after the 1929 crash.

The carvings on the facade depict animals of the Maritimes, among them bears, geese and cod, alongside Canadian coins set into the frieze. The programme ties the bank's Halifax branch to the fishing and hunting life of the port. Look for the carved heads above the main entrance on Hollis Street.

The Bank of Montreal Building stands at the corner of Hollis and George streets, its bronze doors facing Hollis Street. The banking hall is a working branch, so visitors should expect weekday opening hours and security checks. The surrounding sidewalks are narrow and busy at rush hour.

Look up at the frieze below the roof cornice: it carries carved Canadian coins, a detail tied to the bank's role in national currency. Most passers-by on Hollis Street never raise their eyes to it.