herr2ck: Montreal Trip, pt. 2

August 2025.

Though I had passed over Phillips Square in Montreal while traveling west on Rue Sainte-Catherine in my previous article, this post will focus on the notable buildings that surround it or are nearby.

Hotel Birks

Historic photo of the building. (Maison Birks)

Hotel Birks, a five-star hotel today, can trace its history back to the jewelry company of Henry Birks. Birks opened a boutique on Rue Saint-Jacques in 1879. By the 1890s, his practice had expanded such that he could construct his own building, and he commissioned Montreal architect Edward Maxwell to design a Beaux-Arts flagship store. The existing building was completed in 1894, and an addition was also finished in 1907.

Maison Birks maintained its occupancy of the building, though over the years it was renovated and its luster was dulled. In 2016, the building was purchased by hotelier Jean Salette, and the first floor was restored while the office space above was converted into hotel rooms. A two-story glass addition set back from the cornice now sits atop the building. This work was completed by Neuf Architects in 2018.

I like the rounded corners of Hotel Birks and its copious vaulted windows. This is a pretty early example of Beaux-Arts architecture in North America, too, as more eclectic Victorian revivals were popular at the time. Its ornamentation is confined to oxeye windows and the cornice with modillions and dentils.

Opposite end:

I think the tower thing is from the 1907 addition and probably houses the building’s elevators. The preserved wooden transoms above the windows are pretty special, too.

The coat of blue paint on this wooden door has transformed a formerly iconic and stalwart entrance into something silly:

The interior of this building is absolutely boffo with plaster gingerbread. I unfortunately did not do it the justice it deserved, but I grabbed this shot of the ceiling from the bar:

The Corinthian column is one of the most detailed I’ve seen, with griffins and cherub heads instead of volutes. The coffers between beams in the ceiling have all sorts of crazy patterns, including richly carved corbels and detailed floral patterns.

620 Cathcart

This Beaux-Arts building houses jewelry stores in its base, much like Maison Birks next door. Given that it is in the historic photo of the Hotel Birks building, I would date it to 1900-1910, though its addition was definitively constructed in 1921 based on the datestone. The original base (refer to the historic photo of Hotel Birks above) has been replaced with a Modernist design.

Canada Cement Company Building

Historic photo of the Canada Cement Company Building shortly following completion. (Encyclopedie du MEM)

Luckily, this Beaux-Arts building is better documented than its neighbor. The Canada Cement Company Building was built between 1921 and 1922 by architects Barott & Blackader for the aforementioned company as Canada’s first reinforced concrete office building, and it was also the first building in Montreal with an underground parking garage. Even though the concrete frame was meant to highlight the company’s products, the exterior was still clad in limestone to match the opulent character of the surrounding neighborhood.

I don’t think the Canada Cement Company exists anymore, but the building houses a branch of CIBC on the ground floor.

The entrance uses Ionic columns, but the ones lining the colonnade atop the final two floors are Corinthian. The jutting cornice and differently-cut stone across the facade are also highlights.

Le Square Phillips Hotel

I did find some tidbits about this one, but other info is based on my own knowledge. This hotel was built as a warehouse, known as the Dubrule Building, by architect Ernest Cormier in 1919. My source claims it is in the Art Deco style, but this is pretty blatantly incorrect, as the building has a Beaux-Arts cornice and a very Commercial/Chicago School method of expression. It was converted into a hotel sometime afterwards and continues to operate as such today.

Maison William-Dow

This Renaissance Revival mansion is the last holdout of this area’s formerly residential nature. I have no idea how it escaped the urban planning hubris of the 1950s and 1960s. It was built in 1860 for brewer and businessman William Dow by architect William Tutin Thomas (who also designed St. George’s, among many other buildings). Although the entrance opens to an alley today, the street was originally wider and housed a central square (Beaver Hall Square).

In 1907, the Engineers’ Club of Montreal purchased the house for use as their organization’s clubhouse. Two additions to the original building were made, the first in 1912 by Saxony and Archibald (members of the club) in the Beaux-Arts style, and the second in 1933 by Ross & Macdonald in a more pared-down interpretation.

The Engineers’ Club disbanded in 1979, and the building was used as a restaurant for a few years afterwards. It appears to be for sale today.

The right wing and central projection are part of the original building, while the recessed portion at left is the 1912 addition. Key parts of the Renaissance Revival design include the large pedimented windows, corner quoins, pedimented roof with corbels, and its classical ornamentation. I also like how the dormers puncture the roofline.

A better look at the addition:

The bay window between the two is eclectic and fun, but it does break the harmony of the building a bit. This area has a rougher, more medieval appearance due to its more worn stone and lack of decoration beyond the entrance portal. The roof is also a mansard design with different dormers.

Crane Building

1910s photo of Beaver Hall Square. The Crane Building is at middle. (Walk Montreal)

Another Beaux-Arts design (this area sure loves its classical precedents) at 1170 Place Phillips is the Crane Building, which was built in 1922. The main shaft has a more streamlined appearance with tall, thin window bays and only a subtle cornice: