That's no bank! A local first, it was a ... revolutionary Semi-Automatic Teller Machine and it opened at the Galeries d'Anjou in August, 1968. The tellers were, um, robots. Okay, okay, they were real people and it was called the Mini Bank, but the shrunk-down concept suggests that the writing was already on the wall for many bricks-and-mortar branches -- more than a decade before bank machines got their foothold in town and real tellers started dropping like midway ducks.
Speaking of banking and BMo and Montreal and 1968 and tellers and firsts, here's an obviously unposed picture from -- get this -- the Bank of Montreal Ladies-only Branch! It was the country's only one of its kind (and so tragically improbable now).
It was
located here at the northeast corner of Sherbrooke and Mountain Streets. Nowadays, the Bank of Montreal is still represented at that location -- by an ATM.
That's no bank! A local first, it was a ... revolutionary Semi-Automatic Teller Machine and it opened at the Galeries d'Anjou in August, 1968. The tellers were, um, robots. Okay, okay, they were real people and it was called the Mini Bank, but the shrunk-down concept suggests that the writing was already on the wall for many bricks-and-mortar branches -- more than a decade before bank machines got their foothold in town and real tellers started dropping like midway ducks.
Speaking of banking and BMo and Montreal and 1968 and tellers and firsts, here's an obviously unposed picture from -- get this -- the Bank of Montreal Ladies-only Branch! It was the country's only one of its kind (and so tragically improbable now).
It was located here at the northeast corner of Sherbrooke and Mountain Streets. Nowadays, the Bank of Montreal is still represented at that location -- by an ATM.
That bank branch was actually on the northeast corner of Sherbrooke and Mountain Street, on the ground floor of the Standard Life Bldg.
ReplyDeleteI had a summer job in that area, and remember seeing all the well-dressed ladies entering the place. I think you had to maintain a minimum balance ($50,000, or more)in your account to get the free tea and cucumber sandwiches. They were hoping to attract the Golden Square Mile, and Ritz-Carleton Hotel crowd.
The branch didn't last long---only a few years.
Thanks for the correction; I had it down for southeast corner of Drummond and Sherbrooke (which was obviously a different BMo branch).
ReplyDeleteCuke sandwiches? Eeeeeewwww!!!!
ReplyDeleteWasn’t the first bona-fide BoM ATM at Windsor Station?
The BMO ATM at Windsor Station was located on the west (trackside) wall, after the main entrance doors, and just before the sliding bar gates to the tracks.
ReplyDelete