Description of Historic Place

The Imperial Bank of Canada is a two-storey building situated along downtown Calgary's historic Stephen Avenue Mall. It embodies the Neoclassical architectural style and features a rough-faced sandstone exterior, decorative sandstone shields, a roofline cornice underlined by block modillions, and a parapet.

Heritage Value

The heritage value of the Imperial Bank of Canada building lies in its impressive Neoclassical architectural style and its reflection of the dynamic commercial growth of Calgary at the turn of the century.

Between 1886 and 1887, the I. G. Baker Company collaborated with businessmen John Lineham and Matthew Dunn to erect two adjacent, identical sandstone buildings in Calgary's rapidly developing downtown core. The Imperial Bank of Canada (IBC) acquired one of the two buildings in 1892. Between 1909 and 1911, nationally renowned Toronto architects Frank Darling and John Pearson and locally significant architects Hodgson, Bates, and Beatty radically altered the structure, converting the IBC from a fairly simple building to an impressive embodiment of Neoclassical architectural ideals. Some elements of the original construction still remain, including the interior wall shared with the adjacent building. The Neoclassical style was popular for bank buildings at the time because of its association with the qualities of strength, balance, and permanence. This style is evident in the building's roofline cornice underlined by block modillions, decorative armorial shield designs, and the prominent parapet. Several other Neoclassical features, including the building's symmetry and a columned entranceway surmounted by a pediment, have since been altered or removed. Constructed with rough-faced sandstone and situated along Calgary's historic Stephen Avenue Mall, the Imperial Bank of Canada is an integral part of the city's premier heritage streetscape.

The Imperial Bank of Canada building recalls the frantic commercial growth of Calgary in the years prior to the First World War. The IBC was the first chartered bank to open in Calgary, establishing its presence in the community in 1886. The dramatic transformation of the bank's downtown branch from a frontier building to a bold Neoclassical construction symbolizes the burgeoning population and self-confidence of Calgary during the boom years in the city prior to the First World War. The building's location and impressive architecture attracted some of Calgary's pre-eminent businesses to take up office space on the second floor of the bank. Significant early tenants in the building include the law firm of Sifton, Short, and Stuart. Arthur L. Sifton served as Premier of Alberta from 1910 until 1917 and Charles Stuart was a Member of the Legislative Assembly, an Alberta Supreme Court judge, and the Chancellor of the University of Alberta.

Source: Alberta Culture and Community Spirit, Historic Resources Management Branch (File: Des. 142)

Character-Defining Elements

The character-defining elements of the Imperial Bank of Canada include such features as:
- mass, form, scale, and style;
- rough-faced sandstone exterior;
- flat roof;
- roofline cornice underlined by block modillions;
- parapet with balusters;
- decorative armorial shield designs;
- "IMPERIAL BANK OF CANADA" sign;
- fenestration pattern and style;
- rear addition;
- original interior elements, including some window components.