Photographs by the author, except for the last, of the Douglas Street Facade, which was photographed by Dick Ebert. [You may use these images without prior permission for any scholarly or educational purpose as long as you (1) credit the person who scanned the image and (2) link your document to this URL in a web document or cite the Victorian Web in a print one.]
The Merchant's Bank of Canada, a two storey Beaux-Arts building on the corner of Douglas and Yates Streets (1907) by Francis Mawson Rattenbury (1867–1935). A number of Rattenbury's classical Beaux-Arts designs have disappeared from Victoria's cityscape over the course of the twentieth century, but, apart from The Crystal Gardens, the Legislative Buildings, and the Canadian Pacific Steamship Terminal on the Inner Harbour, two Rattenbury-designed commercial buildings contribute to the city's present-day architectural scene: The Bank of Montreal, Bastion Square (now, The Irish Times Pub) and the Merchant's Bank of Canada at 1225 Douglas Street at Yates Street, still Victoria's chief commercial intersection. The palatial Merchant's Bank building from its completion in 1907 has symbolised the city's vibrant economy.
Left to right: Detail of ornate façade, with the Bank of Montreal's coat of arms, and detail of bevelled corner.
Designed by Rattenbury with lavish Classical Beaux-Arts detailing, and grand interior spaces, the building's façades on two main thoroughfares evoke the sense of longevity and stability long associated with masterpieces of ancient architecture such as the Parthenon in Athens and the Pantheon in Rome; thus, its columns, pediments, and other classical elements were intended to inspire confidence in its customers. It was the most expensive building in the city in proportion to its size when it was built, partly because of the materials and technological innovations that Rattenbury employed: concrete construction and complete stone cladding. The Douglas Street facade features the corporate logo of the Bank of Montreal prominently in the pediment and reiterated in the tympanum above the main entrance. The Merchant's Bank of Canada became another downtown Bank of Montreal in 1922 as the result of a corporate takeover of the multi-branch Canadian icon. The building, constructed by the Victoria firm of Wood and McVicker, exudes stability and grandeur through its monumental facades. Rows of Ionic columns and the beveled corner entrance underscore the building's dominance of this commercial intersection of Douglas and Yates Streets.
"The Douglas Street facade" (1922), photographed by Dick Ebert.
A 1922 extension of its Douglas Street facade by architects Honeyman and Curtis, and a 1945 Moderne Classical addition on Yates Street by Vancouver architect C. J. Thompson are indicative of the City of Victoria's twentieth-century growth and prosperity — and the conservative nature of Canada's highly regulated banking industry.
The character-defining elements of the Merchant's Bank of Canada include:
- the prominent position of the bank on the corner of Douglas and Yates Streets;
- the beveled corner entrance;
- the reinforced concrete construction, and Newcastle Island stone facing;
- the Beaux-Arts detailing of Rattenbury's original design, as seen in the freestanding Ionic columns, the flat roof, the carved ornamentation including lions' heads and garlands, and rounded and triangular pediments;
- the grand proportions of the interior spatial configurations, particularly within the banking hall;
- the 1922 Douglas Street addition, and its extension of Rattenbury's original design;
- the 1945 Yates Street addition, and its sympathetic Classical Moderne interpretation of the bank's original facade. [Source: Canada's Historic Places]
Bibliography
Barrett, Anthony A., and Rhodri Windsor Liscombe. Francis Mawson Rattenbury and British Columbia: Architecture and Challenge in the Imperial Age. Vancouver: University of British Columbia Press, 1983.
Canada's Historic Places. "No. 1485." The Merchant's Bank, Douglas & Yates, Victoria (1907). Formerly recognized 2004/09/01. Web. 27 April 2023.
Ebert, Dick. "Old Merchants Bank of Canada Building in Victoria, Canada." Encircle Photos. Web. 27 April 2023.
Elliot, David R. Rattenbury, Francis Mawson. "Canadian Encyclopedia. Edmonton: Hurtig, 1988. Vol. 3: 1828-1829.
Gregson, Harry. A History of Victoria 1842-1970. North Vancouver: J. J. Douglas, 1977.
"The Legislative Library Statuary." Legislative Assembly of British Columbia. Web. 20 April 2023.
Liscombe, Rhodri Windsor. "Rattenbury, Francis Mawson." The Canadian Encyclopedia. Posted 20 May 2008. Web. 25 April 2023.
Victoria Heritage Foundation. "B. C. Legislative Buildings." Web. 20 April 2023.
Created 27 April 2023