Saint Jacques Street (, ), or St. James Street, is a major street 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 ...

, Quebec, Canada, running from

Old Montreal Old Montreal (, ) is a historic List of neighbourhoods in Montreal, neighbourhood within the List of municipalities in Quebec, municipality of Montreal in the province of Quebec, Canada. Home to the Old Port of Montreal, the neighbourhood is b ...

westward to Lachine. In 1818 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 ...

built its headquarters on St James, which began the development of the street as a major financial centre. Other financial companies that established head offices on St James included the

Royal Bank of Canada Royal Bank of Canada (RBC; ) is a Canadian multinational Financial institution, financial services company and the Big Five (banks), largest bank in Canada by market capitalization. The bank serves over 20 million clients and has more than ...

Banque canadienne nationale The Banque Canadienne Nationale (; ) was a Canadian bank that existed from 1873 to 1979. The bank was founded in Montreal in 1873 as the Banque d'Hochelaga and began operations the following year. In 1924, the bank renamed itself the Banque Canad ...

, Banque provinciale du Canada, Molsons Bank,

Merchants Bank FleetBoston Financial was a Boston, Massachusetts–based bank created in 1999 by the merger of Fleet Financial Group and BankBoston. In 2004 it merged with Bank of America; all of its banks and branches were converted to Bank of America. Histo ...

, Crédit foncier franco-canadien, Banque du peuple, City Bank of Montreal, Montreal City and District Savings Bank,

Royal Trust Company The Royal Trust Company is a Canadian trust company that was founded in 1892 in Montreal, Quebec. By the late 20th century, it carried out trust, financial, real estate and deposit services in over 100 branches in Canada, the U.S. and overseas. I ...

Crown Trust Company The Crown Trust Company was an Ontario-based firm that operated in most of Canada prior to its collapse in 1983. History In January 1946, the Trust and Guarantee Company Limited acquired Crown Trust. For one year it operated under the name the ...

, and Nesbitt Thomson. Numerous British insurance companies had their Canadian head offices on St James. These included the Life Association of Scotland, Liverpool & London & Globe Insurance, Yorkshire Insurance,

Standard Life Standard Life is a life assurance, pensions and long-terms savings company in the UK which is owned by Phoenix Group. History 1825–2010 The Standard Life Assurance Company was established in 1825 and reincorporated as a mutual assurance com ...

, Colonial Life, Guardian Fire and Life, and

London and Lancashire Insurance The London and Lancashire Insurance Company Limited was founded in 1861, and had become one of the U.K.'s leading fire insurers by the end of the 19th century. A series of acquisitions in the early 20th century took the company into accident and m ...

. Additionally, most financial companies based elsewhere established their Montreal offices on St James. The street is commonly known by two

names A name is a term used for identification by an external observer. They can identify a class or category of things, or a single thing, either uniquely, or within a given context. The entity identified by a name is called its referent. A person ...

, ''St. James Street'' in English (after

St. James's St James's is a district of Westminster, and a central district in the City of Westminster, London, forming part of the West End. The area was once part of the northwestern gardens and parks of St. James's Palace and much of it is still owned ...

, London) and ''rue Saint-Jacques'' in French. Both names are used in English and French, although Saint-Jacques is the most common for geographical reference. St. James Street is usually used in reference to the street's historic importance as a financial district.

History

A main thoroughfare passing through

, the street was first opened in 1672. The portion between McGill Street and place Saint Henri was originally called Bonaventure Street (''rue Saint-Bonaventure''). This name has passed down to

Place Bonaventure Place Bonaventure () is an office, exhibition, and hotel complex in Downtown Montreal, Quebec, Canada, adjacent to the city's Central Station. At in size, Place Bonaventure was the second-largest commercial building in the world at the time of i ...

Bonaventure Expressway Autoroute 10 (A-10) is an Autoroute of Quebec in Canada that links greater Montreal to key population centres in Montérégie and Estrie, including Brossard, Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Granby, Sherbrooke and Saint-Georges (possible). The A-10 ...

, and Bonaventure Metro station, despite the disappearance of their original referents. In the second half of the 19th century and the first half of the 20th century, St. James Street was the centre of Montreal's financial district and where several major English insurance, banking, and trust companies built their Canadian head offices. Prior to

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

, Canadian, provincial, and major municipal governments along with important industries such as the

railway Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport using wheeled vehicles running in railway track, tracks, which usually consist of two parallel steel railway track, rails. Rail transport is one of the two primary means of ...

public utility A public utility company (usually just utility) is an organization that maintains the infrastructure for a public service (often also providing a service using that infrastructure). Public utilities are subject to forms of public control and ...

and

canal Canals or artificial waterways are waterways or engineered channels built for drainage management (e.g. flood control and irrigation) or for conveyancing water transport vehicles (e.g. water taxi). They carry free, calm surface ...

companies obtained most of their capital financing in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

or the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

. At the end of the War, St. James Street grew rapidly and although by the 1920s there were

stock exchange A stock exchange, securities exchange, or bourse is an exchange where stockbrokers and traders can buy and sell securities, such as shares of stock, bonds and other financial instruments. Stock exchanges may also provide facilities for ...

s in

Toronto Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...

Winnipeg Winnipeg () is the capital and largest city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Manitoba. It is centred on the confluence of the Red River of the North, Red and Assiniboine River, Assiniboine rivers. , Winnipeg h ...

Calgary Calgary () is a major city in the Canadian province of Alberta. As of 2021, the city proper had a population of 1,306,784 and a metropolitan population of 1,481,806 making it the third-largest city and fifth-largest metropolitan area in C ...

and

Vancouver Vancouver is a major city in Western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the cit ...

, St. James Street's stock brokerage houses and the

Montreal Stock Exchange The Montreal Exchange (MX; ), formerly the Montreal Stock Exchange (MSE), is a derivatives exchange, located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada that trades futures contracts and options on equities, indices, currencies, ETFs, energy and interest rates. ...

were the most important in all of Canada. At the time of its construction in 1928, the

's new headquarters at 360 St. James Street was the tallest building in the

British Empire The British Empire comprised the dominions, Crown colony, colonies, protectorates, League of Nations mandate, mandates, and other Dependent territory, territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom and its predecessor states. It bega ...

. The St James St. area was also the head office of the Bank of Montreal, and the informal head office of the

Bank of Nova Scotia The Bank of Nova Scotia (), operating as Scotiabank (), is a Canadian multinational banking and financial services company headquartered in Toronto, Ontario. One of Canada's Big Five banks, it is the third-largest Canadian bank by deposits and ...

. It was also home to the major brokerage houses such as

Nesbitt, Thomson and Company Nesbitt, Thomson and Company was a Canadian stock brokerage firm that was founded in 1912 by Arthur J. Nesbitt and Peter A. T. Thomson. The firm was headquartered on St. James Street in Montreal, Quebec.Nesbitt, A. R. Deane. ''Dry Goods & Pic ...

, Pitfield, MacKay, Ross,

Royal Securities Corporation Royal Securities Corporation Limited was a stock brokerage firm founded in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada in early 1903 by John F. Stairs, its first president. The company was the first brokerage firm to be opened east of Montreal, Quebec, the then ...

and others. Some companies, past and present, located on St. James Street are: * 50 : Ottawa Hotel, Montreal * 60 : Versailles Building * 100 :

New York Life Insurance Company New York Life Insurance Company (NYLIC) is the third-largest life insurance company and the largest mutual insurance, mutual life insurance company in the United States, and is ranked #69 on the 2025 Fortune 500 list of the largest U.S. corporat ...

* 105–107 : Royal Trust * 119 :

– main Montreal branch * 201–215 : Canadian Pacific Express * 210–212 :

Yorkshire Insurance Company The Yorkshire Insurance Company was an English insurance company. History The company was founded in 1824, in York, as the Yorkshire Fire and Life Insurance Company. Its objects were initially "to effect insurance against loss by fire and on l ...

* 215 : McMaster Meighen, lawyers * 225 :

National Trust Company The National Trust Company is a Canadian trust company that has existed since 1898. The company was formed by George Albertus Cox and originally was part of a network of financial companies he controlled. In its first year of operations the compan ...

* 231–235 :

Montreal Star ''The Montreal Star'' was an English language, English-language Canada, Canadian newspaper published in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It closed in 1979 in the wake of an eight-month pressmen's strike. It was Canada's largest newspaper until the 1950 ...

* 240 : Guardian Trust Company –

The Dominion Bank The Dominion Bank was a Canadian bank that was chartered in 1869 and based in Toronto, Ontario. On February 1, 1955, it merged with the Bank of Toronto to form the Toronto-Dominion Bank. History The Dominion Bank's charter received royal ass ...

* 244 :

* 249–251 : Jones-Heward Financial Services * 262–266 : Montreal City and District Savings Bank * 265 :

Canadian Bank of Commerce The Canadian Bank of Commerce was a Canadian bank that operated from 1867 to 1961. It merged in 1961 with the Imperial Bank of Canada to form the Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce, which today is one of Canada's Big Five banks of Canada, Big Five ...

* 275 :

Canada Life The Canada Life Assurance Company ( French: ''La Compagnie d'Assurance du Canada sur la Vie''), commonly known as Canada Life (''Canada-Vie''), is a Canadian insurance and financial services company with its headquarters in Winnipeg, Manitoba. The ...

* 278–288 :

Molson Bank The Molsons Bank was a Canadian bank founded in Montreal, Quebec, by brothers William (1793–1875) and John Molson, Jr. (1787–1860), the sons of brewery magnate John Molson. Operations In 1837, the bank opened and issued its first banknotes. ...

* 355 : Merchants Bank of Canada * 360 :

* 388–390 : Sovereign Bank of Canada then Union Bank and Commercial Union Assurance Co. * 393 :

* 437 :

Eastern Townships Bank The Eastern Townships Bank was a Canadian bank that existed from 1855 to 1912. Concentrated in southeastern Quebec, some branches were later opened in western provinces. In 1912, the bank was merged into the Canadian Bank of Commerce. Founding T ...

then the Commercial Union Assurance Co. and the

East of

Place d'Armes Place d'Armes () is a Town square, square of the Old Montreal quarter of Montreal, in Quebec, Canada anchored by Maisonneuve Monument, a monument in memory of Paul Chomedey de Maisonneuve, Paul de Chomedey, founder of Montreal. Buildings that s ...

square, the street was home to two French-Canadian financial institutions, the

Banque Canadienne Nationale The Banque Canadienne Nationale (; ) was a Canadian bank that existed from 1873 to 1979. The bank was founded in Montreal in 1873 as the Banque d'Hochelaga and began operations the following year. In 1924, the bank renamed itself the Banque Canad ...

and the Banque du Peuple, long gone now.Old Montreal Web site
/ref>

Decline

A number chose to gradually move their official head offices to

Toronto, Ontario Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...

, while others shifted all future expansion to Toronto or other major Canadian centres. As a result, the St. James Street financial district has all but disappeared.

Recent history

Montreal - Sud-Ouest - Rue Saint-Jacques

During the 1990s, the

Montreal Expos The Montreal Expos () were a Canadian professional baseball team based in Montreal. The Expos were the first Major League Baseball (MLB) franchise located outside the United States. They played in the National League (baseball), National League ...

baseball club unveiled plans to build a new stadium in downtown Montreal, right off St. Jacques Street, just south of the

Bell Centre Bell Centre (French: ''Centre Bell)'', formerly known as Molson Centre, is a multi-purpose arena located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Opened on March 16, 1996, it is the home arena of the Montreal Canadiens of the National Hockey League (NHL), ...

. When provincial funding for the new building fell through, the Expos did not continue with their plan and sold the property to developers. That stretch of Saint Jacques is now undergoing considerable

gentrification Gentrification is the process whereby the character of a neighborhood changes through the influx of more Wealth, affluent residents (the "gentry") and investment. There is no agreed-upon definition of gentrification. In public discourse, it has ...

. Today, the stretch of St. Jacques Street between McGill Street and

Saint Laurent Boulevard Saint Laurent Boulevard, also known as Saint Lawrence Boulevard (officially in ), is a major street in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. A commercial artery and cultural heritage site, the street runs north west–south east through the near-centre of ...

is still notable mostly for its grand Neo-Classical buildings on the part of the street running through the Old Montreal district. These include

's domed Montreal Main Branch, the former headquarters of

, the

and the Canada Life Insurance Company. More modern buildings include the

Montreal World Trade Centre The World Trade Centre Montreal (in French, ''Centre de Commerce mondial de Montréal'') is a shopping centre, office and hotel complex located in the Quartier international district of Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Completed in 1992 by Arcop, it ...

and the

Stock Exchange Tower 125 Old Broad Street, formerly known as the Stock Exchange Tower and still often referred to as such, is a high-rise office building in London, located on Old Broad Street in the City of London financial district. For over 30 years the Stock Exc ...

. Farther west, St. Jacques Street runs through the residential neighbourhoods of

Little Burgundy Little Burgundy (, ) is a neighbourhood in the Le Sud-Ouest, South West Boroughs of Montreal, borough of the city of Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Geography Its approximate boundaries are Atwater Avenue to the west, Saint Antoine Street, Saint-An ...

Saint-Henri Saint-Henri () is a neighbourhood in southwestern Montreal, Quebec, Canada, in the Montreal borough, borough of Le Sud-Ouest. Saint-Henri is bounded to the east by Atwater Avenue, to the west by the town of Montreal West, Quebec, Montreal West, ...

Notre-Dame-de-Grâce Notre-Dame-de-Grâce (, , ), commonly known as NDG, is a residential neighbourhood of Montreal in the city's West End, with a population of 166,520 (2016). An independent municipality until annexed by the City of Montreal in 1910, NDG is today o ...

and Lachine, as well as the suburb of

Montreal West Montreal is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest in Canada, and the ninth-largest in North America. It was founded in 1642 as '' Ville-Marie'', or "City of Mary", and is now named after Mount Royal, the triple-peak ...

, where it is instead known as Avon Road. Square-Victoria–OACI, Lionel-Groulx and Place-Saint-Henri Metro stations are located on St. Jacques, to the west, it gives access to Autoroute 20 in Notre-Dame-de-Grâce, where it passes through a largely industrial and large-surface commercial district at the top of the Falaise Saint-Jacques. The

McGill University Health Centre The McGill University Health Centre (MUHC; ) is one of two major healthcare networks in the city of Montreal, Montreal, Quebec. It is affiliated with McGill University and one of the largest medical complexes in Montreal. It is the largest hospita ...

superhospital fronts Saint-Jacques in Notre-Dame-de-Grâce.

Buildings of St James Street

The following table shows buildings on St James Street beginning at its origin at boulevard Saint-Laurent. Buildings highlighted in red are demolished.

Bibliography

* George B. Challies and Ross E. Hayes.
St. James Street: A Study of the Development of St. James Street, 1642–1963
'. McGill University School of Architecture, 1963. * Hugh Oddy
''The Royal Trust Co.'' ''Building, 105 St. James Street West: McKim, Meade and White, 1912''
McGill University School of Architecture, 1979. * Adrian Shewchuk.
The Temple Building: 1889–1907, St. James Street
'. McGill University School of Architecture, 1989.

References

External links

{{Streets in Montreal Economic history of Canada Financial districts in Canada Old Montreal Streets in Montreal