1 James Street North, Office building in Hamilton, Canada

1 James Street North is a five-story office building in Hamilton featuring steel support columns and expansive floor-to-ceiling windows on the plaza level. The structure connects to an underground parking facility and provides direct access to the Lloyd D Jackson Square complex.

Completed in 1972 as the Bank of Montreal Pavilion, the building was occupied entirely by the bank, its original anchor tenant. BMO left in 1997 for Main and Bay streets, and the building stood vacant for almost 18 years. In 2014 McMaster University, told it had to vacate the courthouse it leased from the city, chose the pavilion for its square footage; the Centre for Continuing Education opened on the first two floors in April 2015.

The building's name recalls the Bank of Montreal, its sole occupant from 1972 until 1997. Since April 2015 the McMaster Centre for Continuing Education has occupied the first two floors, while the remaining floors house financial offices. The lobby, with granite floors and a steel-clad elevator bank, connects directly to Jackson Square mall.

The building provides convenient access to a large underground parking facility for visitors arriving by car. Its connection to Lloyd D Jackson Square makes navigation easy and helps orient you to the surrounding downtown area.

Eight large Stelcoloy steel columns segment the glass windows on both the east and west sides of the building, creating a recognizable pattern. This distinctive structural design gives the building a memorable appearance that stands out among other office structures nearby.