Banks and Grills

Walking along Pender Street today I glanced to my right and was delighted to see that there was a place I could take photos of this building for the blog.

Built in 1913 this Beaux-Arts Style building was built by the architectural firm Somervell and Putnam for the Montreal based Merchants Bank. The address is 1 West Hastings - now it is known as Pigeon Square and where many of the homeless from the area hang out. When the Merchants Bank moved from its location of 337 Carrall Street in 1913, the business community had began moving westward towards the Granville Street area which makes this location surprising. Especially when you look at the ornateness of the structure.

This temple bank was inspired by the bank structures in Eastern North America. It was built with a steel frame that would permit another four to seven floors to be added to the existing three. However, since the migration of the centre of commerce continued those additional storeys were not needed.

At 152 Hastings Street is the Trocadero Building, a three storey masonry Edwardian commercial style building that was built in 1901.

This was built for the Rogers family in two stages but two different architectural firms: John Edmeston Parr and Thomas Arthur Fee in 1901 then Edward Evans Blackmore and William Blackmore in 1904.

The first tenants in this building were the plumbers, Barr and Anderson, and a bicycle dealer. When the second stage of the building was completed a harness firm moved in. They left in 1913 and were replaced by the Trocadero Grill who resided there for decades.The Vancouver Sausage Company was another long term tenant.

E.Chrystal and Co. did some renovations in 1939. They removed the cornice on the west side and replaced it with a single continuous cornice. Not only were they trying to match the east side of the building with the west side but were also changing the style from the overly embellished  style of the late Victorian era to the more reserved Edwardian style.

The Bank of British Columbia building at the corner of Richards and Hastings Street is an example of the Victorian Italianate style. Built in 1889 to 1891 this somewhat sophisticated style was used to convey an image of prosperity and permanence for commercial buildings in the late Victorian era.

This particular building is a truly elegant version of this style. There is varied articulation of window cases, sill and plat courses, and rusticated ground floor pilasters.

Architect Thomas Charles Sorby and builder George C. Mesher pulled out all the stops for this building. The vaults are elaborate - giving the bank a reputation for being burglar proof - and the interior featured Minton tile floors and glass dividing walls between the banking hall offices.

This building, which has been known as the Rush Building, is a significant surviving representation of the architect's work. The fact that such a prominent builder such as Mesher worked on this building is indicitive of the more sophisticated conditions that did exist at the time.

I don't know if I have covered this next building. I checked and couldn't find it on my list so I am going to show you it now.

Mason's Duplex was built in 1899 by real estate company owner John Mason. He was building other homes in the Mount Pleasant area when he built this one for himself. Crafted in the Queen Anne style with a large bay window and decorative woodwork in the gable end. For the majority of the time that Mason lived here the other half was occupied by George Lasberg. Lasberg was a bartender at the Carter House on Water Street, one of Gastown's original watering holes.

In the 1980s the duplex was raised to bring the original ground floor to street level. Due to the original hilly topography of Strathcona, the location of this house was below street level.

These next photos I took while walking along Pender Street. Or was it Georgia? I don't remember. I liked the effect created by years of the vines growing against the stucco.

You can't see it here but some of those veins are still attached to the buidling. Neat effect, don't you think?

I hope you find the beauty around you.

TAGS:Vancouver, Karen Magill, Mason's Duplex, Parr and Fee,Thomas Charles SorbyGeorge C. Mesher,Beaux Arts,history,

Finance, news and food

It is the year 1912 and Britain is a significant supplier of funds for Vancouver's buildings. Architects Somerville and Putnam designed this Edwardian Commercial style bulding for the  London and British North America Company.

The Haddington Island stone exterior, ornamental iron panels and elaborate cornice protect the interior. Inside one will find an open staircase that runs the full height of the building and has marble treads, cast iron risers and Missisquoi marble wainscotting.

When the London Building was built Marbury Somervell was considered the city's most sophisticated architect.

Next door the London Building, at the corner of Granville and Pender street is the Bank of Montreal building.

W.M. Summerville designed this Second Renaissance Revival temple bank in 1915 for the Merchants Bank. (1915-1916) When the Merchants Bank amalgamated with the Bank of Montreal in 1922 additions were added such as the central entrance and southern half. Architect  K.G. Rea was responsible for work in 1924.

Inside these imposing walls is an even more imposing interior. Marble columns are enhanced by plaster work by local sculptor Charles Marega.

Joseph Segal and family donated this building to the Simon Fraser University and was renovated by Paul Merrick Architects. It opened as SFU' Segal Graduate School of Business in 2005.

Away from finance and onto newspapers and such. Another example of an Edwardian Commercial style building. This one, the Edgett Building, was designed by architect A. Arthur Cox and built in 1911 at the corner of Cambie and Pender Street.

The Edgett Building was built for Frances Carter - Cotton - a Vancouver MLA and newspaper publisher - who had previously had the building across the lane built to house the Province newspaper. Originally this building was home to the 'largest, best and most complete grocery store in the Dominion of Canada' or at least so residents Edgett's - Store of Plenty claimed.

This two storey arched bridge was added in 1924 by the Southam family. The purpose was to join the two buildings as the Province newspaper expanded. In 1998 the Edgett Bulding was renovated to

serve as a home to the Architectural Institute of BC.

This is the buildng the Edgett Building is linked to - the Carter-Cotton building located at Cambie and Hastings.Besides the fact that it was once home to the Province newspaper, I don't much about it. I do know though that there is a plaque commorating Mayor Gerald McGeer's reading of the riot act in 1935.

In April of 1935 a group of unemployed men from the relief camps marched to Victory Square to demand financial assistance from the city. A group of the men went to City Hall to voice their demands. The mayor had them arrested then proceeded to Victory Square to read the riot act to the crowd there and have them disperse. A riot ensued that night when police raided the worker headquarters.  This was a move by McGreer severely fragmented the city and divided the population.

Tomorrow the system is disabling image uploads for a couple of hours due to maintenance. Hopefully everything will go smoothly and I will have no problems with my blog entry. But if I do you will know why.

I hope you find the beauty around you.

TAGS:Vancouver, Karen Magill, Carter-Cotton, Edgett Building,Bank of Montreal,London Building,walk,history,