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Edmonton Historical Board
Attachment:Significance of the Bank of Montreal Building
(1963)
Summary
At the May 25, 2011, Edmonton HistoricalBoard (EHB) meeting, the
EHB voted toadvise City Council of the historical andarchitectural
significance of the former Bankof Montreal building ( BMO 63 ) at
101Street and Jasper Avenue, and to provideCouncil with examples of
how the existingstructure could be made part of a revitalizedJasper
Avenue through adaptive re-use or incorporation into a larger
redevelopment.
Significance of the Bank of Montreal
Building (1963)1. BMO 63 is a superior example of
Modern architecture, and a landmark inthe development of
downtownEdmonton.
BMO 63 marks the beginning of downtownEdmonton as we know it
today. It was thefirst partnership between Edmontons mostsuccessful
architectural firm, Rule WynnRule, and Oxford, which went on to
develop
much of the citys core, including McCauleyPlaza (now Telus) and
Edmonton Centre.
It was also the first significant undertakingfor Oxford, which
was founded in 1960. Thefirms, under the leadership of
architectGeorge Lord and developer Don Love,designed the Bank from
1961-62. Built in1963, its final form and construction werethe
result of a unique incentive: thebuildings height was made
dependent onOxfords success in leasing the upper floors.
George Lord began with an eight-storeydesign then reduced it to
six. However, thesuccess of the leasing agents pushed theheight to
ten-storeys, making it the thentallest structure on Jasper
Avenue.
Lords design is a landmark in thedevelopment of modern
architecture inEdmonton. It was noted in the Capital
Modern exhibition publication, which
chronicled a very successful Edmonton ArtGallery exhibit of
2007. It features cleanlines from a combination of horizontal
andvertical banding, metal-cased windows, aflat roof and noble
building materials. Themain floor lobbys double-height ceilingsand
vertical windows opened the space toJasper Avenue and 101 st
Street, while theexterior facade still holds the
originalspecially-designed copper lamps.
Aside from a need for minor maintenance
and cleaning, the exterior faade is inexceptional condition and
maintains itsintegrity. The only significant change is theaddition
of tinting to the main floor windows,the result of previous
occupancy by anightclub. If the main floor windows wererestored to
clear glass, minor repairs made,and a revitalized space was
illuminatedwithin, the building would be a modernistbeacon at the
centre of the city.
2. Because the structure dates from
1963, and eligibility for the heritageinventory normally begins
at 50-years of age, the building will not qualify for addition to
the heritage inventory until2013.
If still standing in 2013, its architecturalmerits and
significance in the developmentof downtown Edmonton would likely
lead toit being considered by EHB for recommendation for inclusion
onEdmontons heritage inventory, withconsequent eligibility for
Municipal HeritageDesignation and City grants for restoration.
3. BMO 63 is made of high-quality,valuable materials that will
stand thetest of time.
The building is clad in two primary finishes:horizontal bands of
custom green-glazed
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brick, intersecting with vertical pillars of pinkand black
Morton Gneiss, imported fromMinnesota. The swirling striations in
thestone are oriented to flow upward along thebuildings face.
Morton Gneiss is one of the oldest rocks on
the planet a 3.5 billion year old stone thatwas once granite
before beingmetamorphosed. Popular during the ArtDeco period, it
clads landmarks such asNew York Citys AIG Building, the Adler
Planetarium and the Seattle Exchange.Today, only 8,000 cubic feet
of the stoneare quarried each year, from a single site inwestern
Minnesota.
Potential for the redevelopment andrevitalization of BMO 63
The EHB supports the revitalization of Jasper Avenue, and the
retrofitting andredevelopment of historic building. TheBoard notes
that the BMO 63 building andsite appear well-suited to
redevelopmentand revitalization. Edmontons heritagecommunity would
be pleased to consult withthe buildings owner, architect, builder
andleasing agent should there be a wish toexplore alternatives to
the current proposal.
In that case, in general two approaches are
possible: BMO 63 could either be retrofitted(the interior
replaced and faadepreserved), or the skin of the building couldbe
incorporated into a larger development.
Success stories in other cities include:
In downtown Los Angeles, hotelier AndrBalazs revitalized the
1955 modernistSuperior Oil Building, converting it into aflagship
in the Standard Hotel chain. Theconversion preserved the faade
while
entirely modernizing the interior. Followingthe conversion in
2002, the building wasadded to the United States NationalRegister
of Historic Places.
At left: Modernist officebuildings are beingsuccessfully
preservedand re-developed. InLos Angeles the former Superior Oil
Building(1955) was recentlyconverted into aboutique hotel andadded
to the U.S.National Register of Historic Places.
Another approach would be to integrateBMO 63 into a larger
development atactic that G.E. Real Estates currentarchitects
(Dialog, previously Cohos Evamy)have successfully executed in
Calgary,
where they integrated the historicHollingsworth Building and its
facade intothe tower complex of Bankers Hall, linkingthat citys
past and future architecture.
At left: Bankers Hall inCalgary demonstrateshow an historic
buildingfaade can beincorporated into alarger
redevelopment,preserving differentarchitectural periods for future
generations.
Public reports indicate that the proposeduse of the BMO 63 site
is an undergroundparking lot surmounted by a low-densitystructure
(two to three-storeys) built on thesite.
There is no public information indicating thatthis new building
would re-use the exterior building finishes from BMO 63 or
referenceits architecture. It would decrease thedensity of
development in the core of our city.
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The City of Edmontons Jasper AvenueMain Street Commercial Zone
overlayspeaks to both infill developments and toretrofitting and
preservation of historical
and older buildings.
EHB suggests that BMO 63 may be acandidate for such a
retrofit.
Opportunities to consider
The historical and architectural significanceof BMO 63 and many
similar Modernistbuildings is not yet well-understood in
thecommunity, and may not be known by thecurrent owner, due in part
to the buildings
recent history.
The building has passed through threeowners in the past decade;
the lack of mainfloor occupancy and lack of regular cleaningand
maintenance have obscured thebuildings potential and architectural
merits.
Given the buildings historical andarchitectural significance,
and its potentialfor an adaptive re-use or incorporation intoa
larger development, the Edmonton
Historical Board felt it important that Councilbe aware of the
buildings heritage pedigreeand its importance as a key
downtowndevelopment in the second half of thetwentieth century.
Should it be Councils wish, the EdmontonHistorical Board would
be pleased to beinvolved in any process regarding theexploration of
the historical significance andimaginative reuse of the former bank
of Montreal Building.
Reference photos of BMO 63
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