The BDC Building, 22-storey office tower (91.5 m), is the 6th tallest building in
Hamilton, Ontario
Hamilton is a port city in the Canadian Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Ontario. Hamilton has a 2021 Canadian census, population of 569,353 (2021), and its Census Metropolitan Area, census metropolitan area, which encompasses ...
, Canada. Originally the building was known as the ''IBM Building'' when it first opened in 1972.
The "''BDC''" stands for the
Business Development Bank of Canada
The Business Development Bank of Canada (BDC; ) is a Crown corporations of Canada, Crown corporation and national development bank wholly owned by the Government of Canada, mandated to help create and develop Canadian businesses through financing ...
.
It stands on the corners of
Main Street West and
MacNab Street South.
History and design
Plans for the building were announced on 5 August 1969, and the sod was turned that same week. The building was constructed by Cutaia Investments Limited, a development firm founded and operated by brothers Angelo (1929–1981), Nicholas (1928–2016), and Richard Cutaia (1921–2000). The brothers constructed their first building, the Professional Arts Building, in 1959 at 155 James Street South on the site of their father's grocery store. The expected completion date was late 1970, however, this would end up being delayed to the spring of 1971. Other projects by the Cutaias included Alexandra Square and the Undermount Building.
The building was designed by the firm Roscoe MacIver & Stienstra. The first was led by Stanley Maurice Roscoe (1921–2010), who is remembered best for his design of the new
Hamilton City Hall in 1960.
On 5 November 1970, Mayor
Victor Copps led the topping off ceremony. Following the ceremony, a formal reception was held on the building's seventh floor, where civic officials and guests had champagne and caviar. On Friday, 26 March 1971, IBM began moving into the building, and opened its office the following Monday.
["IBM moves into new tower," ''Hamilton Spectator'', (29 March 1971), 7.]
The BDC is a financial institution wholly owned by the government of Canada. BDC plays a leadership role in delivering financing and consulting services to Canadian small business, with a particular focus on
technology
Technology is the application of Conceptual model, conceptual knowledge to achieve practical goals, especially in a reproducible way. The word ''technology'' can also mean the products resulting from such efforts, including both tangible too ...
and
exporting. The BDC has 80 branches and its
operating structure is divided up into 21 key market areas across the country. The BDC head office is in
Montreal
Montreal is the List of towns in Quebec, largest city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Quebec, the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-largest in Canada, and the List of North American cit ...
.
Images
Image:MacNabStreetBDC.JPG, BDC Building, view from atop of Stelco Tower
Image:BDCBuildingHamiltonA.JPG, B.D.C. Building
Image:BDCBuildingHamilton.JPG, B.D.C. Building, Main Street West
File:BDCbuildingdusk.jpg, BDC Building at dusk
See also
*
List of tallest buildings in Hamilton, Ontario
This list of tallest buildings in Hamilton ranks buildings in the city by height. Hamilton, Ontario, Hamilton is the fifth-largest city in Ontario, Canada. In Hamilton, there are 21 buildings that stand taller than 75 metres (230 f ...
References
External links
Hamilton Skyscraper page- diagramsImage #1: BDC Building
Office buildings completed in 1972
Buildings and structures in Hamilton, Ontario
Bank buildings in Canada
Modernist architecture in Canada
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