A record held for half a century and counting
First Canadian Place
Completed in 1975, this BMO-headquartered tower has held the title of Canada's tallest building for longer than most Torontonians have been alive.
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First Canadian Place was constructed from 1973 to 1975, rising 298 metres across 72 floors in Toronto's Financial District. It became the tallest office building in Toronto and Canada on January 13, 1975, when steelworker Gerry Deschamps bolted the first structural beam higher than the previous record — a title the building has held ever since.
A world-record sign
When completed, First Canadian Place was the sixth-tallest building in the world by structural top, and the tallest anywhere outside Chicago and New York. The Bank of Montreal "M-bar" logo mounted at the top of the building was the highest sign in the world from 1975 until it was overtaken by a sign atop CITIC Plaza in Guangzhou, China, in 1997. The tower remains BMO's Ontario headquarters and underwent a major renovation from 2009 to 2012.
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