Description of Historic Place

The Union Bank of Canada building is a one storey masonry Edwardian era commercial building, located at the northeast corner of Cordova and Abbott Streets, in the historic district of Gastown.

Heritage Value

Gastown is the historic core of Vancouver, and is the city's earliest, most historic area of commercial buildings and warehouses. The Union Bank of Canada building is representative of the importance of Gastown as the trans-shipment point between the terminus of the railway and Pacific shipping routes, and the consequent expansion of Vancouver into western Canada's predominant commercial centre in the early twentieth century. The construction of this bank is significant as an indication of the speculation and wealth in Gastown during the pre-World War One boom era. Referred to as the 'pioneer bank' of western Canada, the Union Bank followed the railway across the prairies to the West Coast. The Union Bank was the first to provide an extensive branch system throughout the prairies. While it expanded and prospered prior to World War One, the bank suffered during the post-war depression, and in 1925 was absorbed by Royal Bank, reinforcing that bank's western presence.

A handsome example of Edwardian era design, the Union Bank of Canada building is significant for its association with architect Arthur Julius Bird (1875-1967), who established his practice in Vancouver in 1908 and later served as Vancouver City Architect. The prominent contracting firm of Adkison and Dill was responsible for the construction of the bank in 1910-11.

Source: City of Vancouver, Heritage Planning Street Files

Character-Defining Elements

The character-defining elements of the Union Bank of Canada building include:
- spatial relationship to other late Victorian and Edwardian era commercial buildings, in close proximity to the waterfront of Burrard Inlet and the Canadian Pacific Railway yard, with small passageway at rear
- form, scale and massing, as exemplified by its one storey height, flat roof and rectangular plan, with strong, elegant and simple proportions
- corner location with two primary facades
- siting on the property lines, with no setbacks
- masonry construction: pressed brick cladding above a granite base on the two main facades; rear elevation of common red brick with segmental arched window openings and granite sills; and concrete foundations
- central entry on Cordova Street
- projecting corner bays articulated on the two primary facades
- regular fenestration with segmental arched window openings, connected by a running metal cornice, with granite keystones
- projecting sheet metal cornice between windows and roofline
- surviving interior features such as cast plaster detailing