Bank of British North America - St. John's, NL
Posted by: 
elyob
N 47° 33.955 W 052° 42.386
22T E 371645 N 5269465
Look for the College of the North Atlantic’s Anna Templeton Centre.
Waymark Code: WM14QJA
Location: Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada
Date Posted: 08/10/2021
Views: 2
The Anna Templeton Centre for Art, Craft, & Design presently occupies the building at 278 Duckworth Street. Opened in 1850, the building was first home to the Bank of British North America, then the Commercial Bank, next the Savings Bank and finally the Bank of Montreal until 1985.
The following text is taken from the plaque on site.
BANK OF BRITISH NORTH AMERICA
This Italianate style building recalls the evolution of banking in Newfoundland. Designed by Halifax architect David Stirling for the Bank of British North America, it opened in 1850 at a time when British investors controlled banking in the colony. Subsequent local ownership by the Commercial Bank (1857-1894) and the Savings Bank (1897-1962) points to a long and vibrant period when Newfoundland investors shaped the colony's financial institutions The Bank of Montreal then operated here until 1985, bringing to a close the building's remarkable 135-year history as a bank.
Cet édifice de style à l'italienne rappelle l'évolution de l'activite bancaire à Terre-Neuve. Conçu par l'architecte David Stirling de Halifax pour la Bank of British North America, l'immeuble a guvert ses portes en 1850, époque où les investisseurs britanniques controlaient les banques de la colonie. Accueillant ensuite des banques locales, la Commercial Bank (1857-1894) et la Savings Bank (1897-1962), il illustre la longue quête des investisseurs terre-neuviens pour façonner leurs propres institutions financières. La Banque de Montréal occupa enfin les lieux jusqu'en 1985, complétant les 135 années de son histoire bancaire.