Morgan's

Henry Morgan & Company (colloquially Morgan's) was a Canadian department store chain founded by Henry Morgan in 1845. The first store was located in Montreal, and expanded to include 11 stores in Ontario and Quebec before being bought by Hudson's Bay Company in 1960. The stores in Ontario were converted to Hudson's Bay Company stores that year and renamed The Bay in 1965; the remaining Morgan's stores in Quebec were renamed La Baie in 1972.

Henry Morgan & Company
IndustryRetail
FateAcquired by Hudson's Bay Company
SuccessorThe Bay
Founded1845 (1845) in Montreal, Quebec
FounderHenry Morgan
DefunctJune 19, 1972 (1972-06-19)
Headquarters585 Saint Catherine Street West,
Montreal, Quebec
,
Canada
Number of locations
11 (at peak)
Area served
OwnerHudson's Bay Company (1960–1972)

The flagship store was located in the Henry Morgan Building in Downtown Montreal, and remains a flagship property of the Hudson's Bay Company.

History

The first store was opened in Montreal in 1845 by Scottish immigrant Henry Morgan[1] as Henry Morgan and Company at 200 Notre Dame Street (now 404 Notre Dame St. W), then moved in 1852 to 100 McGill Street (now 478 McGill St.; addition at 3-5 St. Joseph, now 610 Notre Dame W., in 1857) and again in 1866 to the north side of St. James Street (Saint Jacques Street) at Victoria Square. In 1891, they built a new flagship store at 585 Saint Catherine Street West in front of Phillips Square.[2] This store opened as businesses were moving away from the old city center and helped to make Saint Catherine Street the principal street for shops in Montreal.

The second store to operate under the Morgan's name opened in 1950 on Queen Mary Road in the Snowdon area of Montreal. Other stores then opened on the island of Montreal, and in several Ontario cities. Ownership of the store was originally split evenly between Henry Morgan and his partner, David Smith. Smith's portion was later purchased by Henry's brother, James Morgan. The store stayed under the ownership and management of the original Morgan brothers and their descendants for over 100 years of business.[3]

Morgan's was purchased in 1960 by Hudson's Bay Company.[4] In 1964, the stores in Ontario were converted to the new name – The Bay.[5] At that point, the Morgan's logo was replaced with a new one with a similar design to The Bay's for the Quebec stores still operating under the Morgan's name.[6] The Quebec stores were converted on June 19, 1972.[7][8]

1945 Commemorative Wedgwood Bowl

In 1945, Morgan's Department Store commissioned a Wedgwood bowl, designed by Keith Murray, to commemorate the store's 100th anniversary in Montreal. Black and white transfer prints on the front and back contrast Montreal as it was in 1845 and in 1945. Relief portraits on each side of Jean Baptiste and John Bull are surrounded by colourful maple leaves, shamrock, rose, thistle, and fleur-de-lis and celebrate the city's French and English heritage. The inside of the bowl is decorated with the coat of arms and motto Concordia Salus (Salvation Through Harmony), colourful maple leaves, and the following English and French inscriptions around the upper rim: "Discovered by Jacques Cartier in 1534, Founded by Maisonneuve in 1642, Decouvert par Jacques Cartier en 1534, and Fonde par Maisonneuve en 1642". The underside of the bowl has the Morgan's and Wedgwood logos and provides the population data for Montreal in 1845 (45,000) and 1945 (1,500,000). This footed bowl measures 12 1/4" in diameter, and is 6 3/4" high.

Legacy

The Morgan's flagship store in downtown Montreal still operates as The Bay.[9] The Montreal locations in the Dorval and Rockland shopping centres are also in operation as The Bay stores, while the one at Boulevard Shopping Centre lasted until September 2018.[10][11] The Queen Mary Road standalone store was shut down in the 1970s, after the chain was renamed. Outside of Quebec, only The Bay at Eglinton Square Shopping Centre remains. All other The Bay stores in Ontario, that were previously Morgan's, have since closed between the 1970s and 2000s depending of the location.

Locations
  • Hamilton
    • Greater Hamilton Shopping Centre
  • Previous logo in 1960
  • Morgan's in 1939, preparing for a royal visit
  • Morgan's at Christmastime, 1944
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See also

References
  1. Hudson's Bay Company. "Our History: Timeline - Acquisitions". Hudson's Bay Company. Retrieved 2012-01-21.
  2. http://www.hbcheritage.ca/history/acquisitions/morgans-of-montreal
  3. Morgan, David (1992). The Morgans of Montreal. ISBN 0-9696676-0-4.
  4. http://www.memorablemontreal.com/print/en/batiments_menu.php?quartier=2&batiment=77&section=Array&menu=histoire
  5. http://www.encyclopedia.com/history/united-states-and-canada/canadian-history/hudsons-bay-company
  6. Hudson's Bay Company. "Our History: Timeline - Acquisitions". Hudson's Bay Company. Retrieved 2012-01-21.
  7. ""Morgan" devient "La Baie" et ouvre un magasin de $6 million Place Versailles". La Presse. Montreal. 16 June 1972. p. B9.
  8. "Morgan devient La Baie". Le Devoir. Montreal. 16 June 1972. p. 16. Archived from the original on 2017-10-17. Retrieved 2017-11-01.
  9. https://montrealgazette.com/montreal+diary+story+behind+montreal+hudson+building/10277347/story.html
  10. https://www.retail-insider.com/retail-insider/2018/9/hudsons-bay-morgans-closed-le-boulevard-montreal
  11. https://journalmetro.com/actualites-saint-leonard/1717763/la-baie-fermera-son-magasin-du-centre-le-boulevard/
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