
Branch snapshot: Glace Bay, Nova Scotia

Bank of Montreal has been helping drive progress in the community of Glace Bay since 1901. In the years following its establishment in the coastal community, the branch transferred its operations from a small, wooden building on Commercial Street to larger premises on Union Street. This photograph captures the two-storey building, adorned with elegant columns and arched windows on the façade.

The year 1951 was a milestone for both Glace Bay, which was celebrating its 100th anniversary of incorporation, and the bank, which was celebrating the 50th anniversary of its arrival in the community. In honour of these birthdays and in anticipation of the erection of a new branch building on the same street, the bank donated the existing branch building to the Cape Breton Regional Library – one of the many ways BMO worked to Boldly Grow the Good in business and life within the community.
While the exterior remained largely unchanged, the interior landscape was transformed. Offices became reading rooms and the sound of adding machines and typewriters was replaced by the sound of hushed voices and turning pages. Nevertheless, this photograph of the repurposed branch shows a Bank of Montreal calendar hanging above the library reference desk, a quiet nod to the building’s roots.