Description of Historic Place

The Bank of Toronto Vault, completed in 1919, is a small brick and concrete structure on a park site in Holmfield. The municipal designation applies to the structure and the grounds.

Heritage Value

The Bank of Toronto Vault, a simple rectangular brick structure on a concrete base, is the sole physical link with the last bank to operate in Holmfield at a time when the community was vying with many others to develop into a large agricultural service centre. The sturdy vault was part of a new wood-frame bank that opened in 1919 only to close by 1922. The vault remained in place as its building served first as a post office, then as a residence. Demolition in 1981 left the vault exposed on its corner location where the bank once anchored a full block of shops and services on a busy main street.

Source: Rural Municipality of Turtle Mountain By-law No. 5-2005, December 14, 2005

Character-Defining Elements

Key elements that define the heritage character of the Bank of Toronto Vault site include:
- its location on a corner lot on the main access road into Holmfield

Key interior elements that define the vault's heritage character and banking function include:
- the small rectangular form, with narrow dimensions but ample headroom
- the thick walls of pale brick in rough mortar set on a raised concrete foundation
- the solid metal vault door with the metal lintel embedded in the brick
- the concrete floor, thick cement-lined walls and wood-lined ceiling reinforced with metal piping