Description of Historic Place

The Thomson Brothers Block is a late nineteenth century, three-storey building situated on two full lots and portions of two additional lots along Calgary's historic Stephen Avenue Mall. Embodying a vernacular architectural style, its exterior facade includes a mixture of dressed and rock-faced sandstone, flattened segmental arches on the second storey, voussoirs on the third storey, and a rounded parapet that features the building's name and date of construction set in relief.

Heritage Value

The heritage value of the Thomson Brothers Block lies in its embodiment of an early, highly decorative style of vernacular architecture in Calgary.

The Thomson Brothers Block was erected in 1893 to house the Thompson Brothers stationary and periodicals shop. The building represents a kind of transitional structure between the simple wood frame constructions of Calgary's frontier period and later, more sophisticated buildings built according to historical precedents and architectural conventions. Built by local craftsmen, the Thomson Brothers Block eschews traditional styles in favour of a lively, vernacular design. With its juxtaposition of rock-faced and dressed sandstone, its lack of unifying lines, and its liberal use of exterior embellishments, the building is one of the best remaining examples of the decorative indulgences of vernacular architecture in Calgary during the pre-World War One building boom. One of the buildings that helped establish Calgary's reputation as the "Sandstone City," the Thomson Brothers Block adds a spontaneity and charm to the streetscape along Calgary's historic Stephen Avenue Mall.

Source: Alberta Culture and Community Spirit, Historic Resources Management Branch (File: Des. 235)

Character-Defining Elements

The character-defining elements of the Thomson Brothers Block include such features as:
- mass, form, and style;
- mixture of rough-faced and dressed sandstone on facade;
- decorative sandstone elements;
- flat-roof;
- ground floor pilasters and capitals;
- large windows on second storey under flattened segmental arches;
- simple dressed stones with incised ornaments between second storey segmental arches;
- third storey voussoirs crowning round arch windows;
- checkerboard pattern of recessing and projecting elements on third storey;
- rounded parapet including numbers "18" and "93" on alternate sides of a central, elevated structure that includes decorative features (including dentils) and "THOMSON BROS BLOCK" set in relief;
- fenestration pattern and style;
- original interior elements, including staircases (with balustrades and newel posts), mouldings, trims, around windows..