Description of Historic Place

One of the older commercial buildings on Cloverdale's main commercial street, Dann's Electronics is a two-storey, wood-frame building located on a prominent corner lot. Although obscured by later sidings on its main elevations, the building's original rectangular form, with hipped roof and bellcast eaves, remains evident above a one-storey later storefront.

Heritage Value

Constructed in 1920, this building is significant for its continuous commercial presence on Cloverdale's main commercial street since the time of its construction. Built as a branch of the Royal Bank of Canada in 1920, it is an important example of the type of vernacular bank architecture that predominated in western Canada during the early twentieth century. Drawn up at bank head offices, these designs could be quickly, easily and inexpensively executed across the country in emerging communities. As was common in those days, the Royal Bank included a suite of rooms on the second floor, which were used as living quarters by branch staff. This branch reflected the short-lived optimism, and then the retrenchment, of the post-First World War era. By 1922, the Royal Bank was closing a number of small and unprofitable branches across the country. In Cloverdale, the Royal Bank had not fared well against the more established Bank of Montreal, and Cloverdale was not large enough to support two banks. After three years of operation, the Royal Bank shut down in 1923, and was not re-established in Cloverdale until 1970.

This building is of additional value for its subsequent commercial occupation. The sale of liquor was transferred to the provincial government in 1921, and in 1923 the liquor control board acquired the building for use as a government liquor store, which operated here until 1931. The building was then acquired by Ernest Hugh Dann (1893-1973), an electrical contractor. Ernie Dann, his wife Dorice, and their family lived in the upstairs suite, above Dann’s electrical business. Since 1973, the business has been operated by their son, Alan Dann. Now known as Dann's Electronics, this is a rare example of a long-established family retail operation in Cloverdale.

Source: Heritage Planning Files, City of Surrey

Character-Defining Elements

Key elements that define the heritage character of Dann's Electronics include its:
- corner location on the main commercial street in downtown Cloverdale
- form, scale and massing as expressed by its two storey height and regular, rectangular plan
- shallow hipped roof with bellcast eaves and small repetitive eave brackets
- concrete foundation and wood-frame construction with narrow width, lapped wooden siding (exposed on north facade)
- original facade elements concealed under later claddings
- exterior details such as the red brick chimney
- regular and symmetrical fenestration, including the original double-hung 6-over-1 wooden-sash windows on the side elevation