The Bank of British North America Building built in the

Italianate The Italianate style was a distinct 19th-century phase in the history of Classical architecture. Like Palladianism and Neoclassicism, the Italianate style combined its inspiration from the models and architectural vocabulary of 16th-century It ...

style was constructed in 1849 for the British Bank of North America,

Newfoundland Newfoundland and Labrador is the easternmost province of Canada, in the country's Atlantic region. The province comprises the island of Newfoundland and the continental region of Labrador, having a total size of . As of 2025 the population ...

's first commercial bank. The building was built after the St. John's fire of 1846 by Halifax architect David Stirling. The British Bank of North America was formed in 1835 and opened its first colonial branch in Newfoundland in 1837, with other branches soon to follow in

New Brunswick New Brunswick is a Provinces and Territories of Canada, province of Canada, bordering Quebec to the north, Nova Scotia to the east, the Gulf of Saint Lawrence to the northeast, the Bay of Fundy to the southeast, and the U.S. state of Maine to ...

Nova Scotia Nova Scotia is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada, located on its east coast. It is one of the three Maritime Canada, Maritime provinces and Population of Canada by province and territory, most populous province in Atlan ...

British Columbia British Columbia is the westernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Situated in the Pacific Northwest between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains, the province has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that ...

Yukon Yukon () is a Provinces and territories of Canada, territory of Canada, bordering British Columbia to the south, the Northwest Territories to the east, the Beaufort Sea to the north, and the U.S. state of Alaska to the west. It is Canada’s we ...

and in

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

. From 1857 to 1894 the building was acquired by the Commercial Bank of Newfoundland and had replaced the original hipped roof with a

mansard A mansard or mansard roof (also called French roof or curb roof) is a multi-sided gambrel-style hip roof characterised by two slopes on each of its sides, with the lower slope at a steeper angle than the upper, and often punctured by dormer wi ...

roof. In 1892 it sustained more fire damage in the fire of 1892, it was of the few structures that survived the devastation. It was reconstructed by William Howe Greene, who had also built the Supreme Court House and Cabot Tower. In 1895 the

Bank of Montreal The Bank of Montreal (, ), abbreviated as BMO (pronounced ), is a Canadian multinational Investment banking, investment bank and financial services company. The bank was founded in Montreal, Quebec, in 1817 as Montreal Bank, making it Canada ...

moved into the building and two years later, the only Newfoundland bank to survive the 1894 Crash, the

Newfoundland Savings Bank Newfoundland and Labrador is the easternmost provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada, in the country's Atlantic Canada, Atlantic region. The province comprises the island of Newfoundland (island), Newfoundland and the continent ...

, moved into the building. Then again in 1962 the Bank of Montreal purchased the Savings Bank and reacquired the building. In 1985 the Bank of Montreal donated the building to the City of St. John's. This style later became popular in Canada. Newfoundland’s first commercial bank from 1849-1857. In the following century the building housed a few other banks. From 1857 to 1894

The Banks of Newfoundland "The Banks Of Newfoundland" is the earliest Newfoundland composition set down in music notation. It was composed by Chief Justice Francis Forbes in 1820 and published in a piano arrangement by Oliver Ditson of Boston. Originally composed as a da ...

, then from 1895 for two years

and Newfoundland Savings Bank from 1697 to 1962 and Bank of Montreal again from 1962 to 1985. At present the building is home to the

College of the North Atlantic College of the North Atlantic (CNA, formerly CONA) is one of the largest post-secondary educational and skills training centres in Atlantic Canada, with a history dating back 50 years. The college has 17 campus locations throughout the province ...

's Anna Templeton Centre established as a non-profit crafts and arts training and education centre. The building was designated a

National Historic Site of Canada National Historic Sites of Canada () are places that have been designated by the federal Minister of the Environment on the advice of the Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada (HSMBC), as being of national historic significance. Parks C ...

in 1990. The

Heritage Foundation of Newfoundland and Labrador The Heritage Foundation of Newfoundland and Labrador (HFNL) or Heritage NL is a non-profit Crown corporation of the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador established in 1984 by the Historic Resources Act (Newfoundland and Labrador), Historic R ...

designated the site a Registered Heritage Structure on May 3, 1991.

External links

History of the Bank of British North America Building by the ''Newfoundland and Labrador Heritage Society''

References

{{NHSC Buildings and structures in St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador Banks established in 1835 1918 disestablishments in Canada Historic bank buildings in Canada Italianate architecture in Canada Rebuilt buildings and structures in Canada Burned buildings and structures in Canada National Historic Sites in Newfoundland and Labrador Bank of Montreal Historic buildings and structures in Newfoundland and Labrador