Description of Historic Place

315 Main Street is a Municipal Heritage Property occupying one commercial lot on Main Street in the Town of Stoughton. The property features a one-storey brick office building built in 1907.

Heritage Value

The heritage value of 315 Main Street lies in its status as the first chartered bank building constructed in Stoughton. The building was purpose-built by the local hardware firm of Doull and Banbury in 1907 to house the Bank of Ottawa, the first chartered bank to be established in the community. One of the earliest brick buildings in the community, the one-storey building was constructed in the Romanesque Revival style. Featuring a central doorway topped by a round arch and an entablature surmounted by several decorative brick arches, the building projects an image of stability with attractive yet conservative styling typical of small banks of the day. The building also represents the changes in the Canadian banking industry during the twentieth-century as four banking institutions acquired the building through corporate merger and established operations in the structure. Centrally located on the main street, the building remains a landmark of the town's business district.

Source:

Town of Stoughton Bylaw 173/82.

Character-Defining Elements

The heritage value of 315 Main Street resides in the following character-defining elements:
-those elements which feature the Romanesque Revival style of architecture, including the rounded window and door arches, symmetrical window openings and decorative entablature;
-those remaining elements which reflect the building's role as a bank, including signage, vaults, furnishings and fixtures.