Description of Historic Place

The Dominion (Toronto Dominion) Bank building in downtown Calgary is an early twentieth-century, three-storey sandstone and marble building with a terra cotta facade. A modern fourth storey has been added to the building. Its symmetrical front facade, columns and entablature embody the Beaux-Arts style. It is located on the corner of Eighth Avenue and First Street, SE, beside Calgary's Olympic Plaza and on the historic Stephen Avenue Mall.

Heritage Value

The heritage value of the Dominion (Toronto Dominion) Bank building lies in its architectural significance as an example of a large Beaux-Arts building on one of Calgary's historic streetscapes. It also possesses significance for its historical association with the expansion of national banks into Alberta in the pre-First World War era.

The Dominion (Toronto Dominion) Bank building is consistent with the preference for massive and imposing architecture amongst financial institutions during the period of rapid cross-country bank expansion between 1900 and 1914. These heavy features were intended to enhance feelings of stability and solidity about the financial institutions they housed. The Dominion (Toronto Dominion) Bank building was designed by Winnipeg-based architect George W. Northwood. It is a steel beam, reinforced concrete and brick building. Its front (south) and west facades have a sandstone base and are clad in elaborate terra cotta tiles. The rear (north) and east sides of the building show the brick supporting structure. The exterior of the building is designed in the Beaux-Arts style, which was prominent in Canada during the early twentieth century and used for many large governmental, commercial and financial buildings. The aspects of the building that reflect the Beaux-Arts style are its symmetrical front facade, arch, coupled Ionic columns flanked by two engaged columns, pilasters, and cornices. The Dominion Bank building is of particular note because it is the only bank building in Alberta known to have a terra cotta facade, which gives the building the appearance of a marble finish.

The Dominion (Toronto Dominion) Bank building is of historical value for its association with the expansion of national banks into Alberta in the pre-First World War era. The Dominion Bank was formed in 1869 and expanded into Alberta with the opening of a Calgary branch in 1906. The Dominion Bank purchased this lot in 1909 and the building was completed in 1911. The building served as the Alberta headquarters of the Dominion Bank until it merged with the Bank of Toronto in 1951. It is the finest example of a Dominion Bank building in Alberta. The building is situated on Calgary's historic Stephen Avenue (Eighth Avenue) Mall, which is also the site of numerous others of the city's heritage buildings.

Source: Alberta Culture and Community Spirit, Historic Resources Management Branch (File: Des. 248)

Character-Defining Elements

The character-defining elements that define the Dominion (Toronto Dominion) Bank building include such features as:
- robust concrete and brick construction;
- terra cotta tiles and sandstone on the south and west facades;
- brick supporting structure visible on the north and east sides;
- elements of Beaux-Arts style, such as its symmetrical front facade, arch, coupled Ionic columns, pilasters, cornice with modillions, rusticated masonry joints;
- horizontal rustication on the west facade;
- broken cornice on west side over the side entrance;
- entablature bearing "THE DOMINION BANK" sign;
- cornice over the front entryway bearing "19 BANK 11" sign;
- cornice over side entryway bearing "OFFICES" sign;
- location on Calgary's historic Stephen Avenue Mall, along with many other heritage buildings.