Hockey Hall of Fame - A Bank Built for the Cup

Photo: Ian Muttoo, CC BY-SA 2.0 (cropped)

A stop on Toronto Downtown Walk, a free self-guided tour.

Even from the sidewalk, this is one of the most ornate buildings on Front Street. The Bank of Montreal began building it in 1885 to designs by the Toronto firm Darling and Curry, and it served as the bank's Toronto head office until 1949 and as a branch until 1982. Take in the carved stonework and rich detail: a statement of confidence in a city growing rich on railways and trade.

In 1993 the old bank became home to the Hockey Hall of Fame, founded in 1943 and based in Toronto since 1958. Inside, under a stained-glass dome of 24 panels, stands the Stanley Cup, while the original bowl and old rings rest in the bank's former vault.

Every old bank deserves a ghost story, and this one has a legend. Staff and visitors have long told tales of Dorothy, a young teller who died in the building in 1953 and is said to flicker the lights and open doors. Treat it as Toronto folklore, and keep an eye on the upper windows.

Getting here: Walk east through the galleria and out to the corner of Front and Yonge streets.

Did you know?: The dome's stained glass was restored by Andrew McCausland, great-great-grandson of Joseph McCausland, whose Toronto firm made the glass in the 1880s.

Photo op: Cross to the southeast corner of Front and Yonge to fit the whole stone facade in the frame, with the Brookfield Place towers rising behind it.

More on Wikipedia: Hockey Hall of Fame · Stanley Cup · Bank of Montreal

Hockey Hall of Fame - A Bank Built for the Cup

Stops on this tour