Description of Historic Place

The Bank of Toronto Building is a Municipal Heritage Property located in the Village of Chaplin. The property features a two-storey, wood-frame building constructed in 1915.

Heritage Value

The heritage value of the Bank of Toronto Building resides in its Classical Revival architecture, a design common to early Prairie bank buildings. This style is exemplified by the wooden pilasters with entablature around the front door and building corners and a three foot parapet with cornice, along the front and side roof-lines. Prefabricated at a woodworking mill in British Columbia, disassembled, shipped by rail to its destination and reassembled, the structure’s symmetry, simplicity and solidity convey a sense of permanence and dignity exhibited in bank buildings of the day.

Heritage value also lies in the building's association with both banking and commerce in the community. Financial establishments brought economic stability to a region and supported its development. Built in 1915, the building served as the Bank of Toronto until 1936 when it became a general store with upstairs living quarters. In 1961 it was used as a Royal Bank and, in 1965, as a Credit Union before it became the Village Office for Chaplin in 1980.

Source:

Village of Chaplin Bylaw No. 85.

Character-Defining Elements

The heritage value of the Bank of Toronto Building resides in the following character-defining elements:
-those features that reflect the Classical Revival style of architecture common to Prairie banks; the symmetrical façade, the wooden pilasters with entablature on both sides of the front door and building corners, and the three foot parapet with cornice along the front and side roof-lines;
-those features that speak to the building’s association with banking, including the front manager's office, and customer service counter, large steel safe and its prominent location on a corner lot.