Progress Report on Metis Renovation of Bank of Montreal Building

The design of new Metis headquarters in the Bank Of Montreal building at Portage and Main had become clearer. It will be very well lit and features both the old architecture and new. The completion date still says 2027 but a work left to do. They have good company because the Fairmont Hotel's $120 million renovation will be complete around the same time.

The truth is hundreds of millions of dollar are being spent up and down Portage Avenue and beyond. Portage Place, The Bay and the former Bank of Montreal building as well as various hotels. It takes a lot of time for big projects. And a heritage building takes a long time to renovate versus a new build. At least the Portage and Main removal of barricades has really opened up the space and even critics have come around to the fact that the traffic is not backed up to Portage la Prairie. 

Step by step things are shaping up even as the issues surrounding encampments, drug addiction and mental health issues loom. Connecting the dots of the developments will be the key to success. At Portage and Main, the Richardson building and the former Trizec building across the street are all getting new tenants. The level of activity is probably the highest it has been in a few decades. It is encouraging that there is so much private investment as well. The government money has been mixed in but none it works without a lot of private cash.

I don't just buildings too much by the renderings. When I first saw the the drawings at the Inn at The Forks, I thought it was too dark and foreboding but it has been a success from the start and looked far better in person. We'll get a better idea of the BMO makeover soon. However, momentum has to be kept up. As so often happens, the focus shifts such as it did with apartment building. Going nearly two to three decades of slow to non-existent starts and zoning that the surpasses a decade or more is crippling. Both the city and the province have been guilty of this. They hoard land, take forever to make decisions and delay year after year. Worse, they let private companies do the same with vacant or underused buildings.

In about 24 months Portage and Main will look quite different. It is already look bright and more open and will soon have new attractions with a museum and spanking refurbished hotel. In future, the city needs to looks at building signage and lighting. We have some spectacular buildings but lighting and pizzazz will go a long way. We can be pretty boring in North America. We only have two video walls at the arena and Portage and Main. And they are low down and nothing like what you see in the UK and in Asia.

The MMF will be increasingly responsible for the look and feel what is downtown and are engaging the best designers and artists to it. Can't wait to see what they come up with next.