1911 – Birks Building, Sparks Street, Ottawa, Canada

Originally commission by Rosenthal jewellers who were taken over by Birk’s during the construction. Birks was a well-known jewelry chain in Canada, that originally started in Montreal, as they expanded across Canada buying local jewellers, added its name to the local store.

“Proposed Rosenthal Building, Ottawa
The accompanying perspective illustrates a pleasing scheme evolved for Messrs. A. Rosenthal & Sons, Limited, of Ottawa, by Messrs. Weeks & Keefer, architects, also of Ottawa. Messrs. Rosenthal will occupy the basement, first floor and half of the second floor. The remaining part of the building will be devoted to office purposes. The proposition being of a strictly commercial nature, and light being available only from the front and rear, it was necessary to have the maximum amount of window area, which could only be obtained by piers and large bays. It was the intention originally to execute the entire front- elevation in light Philippsburg marble and the design here shown was prepared with that end in view, but it has since been changed to terra cotta above the second floor, the marble being retained for the ground floor only. The large bays, cornice and window treatment of ground floor will be carried out in cast iron. The scale of the architectural treatment is large with the detail in French renaissance. The ground floor being used entirely for the sale of jewelry, etc. The store proper will have a double row of polished marble columns and all interior finish will be of quartered white oak with silver gray filler and fittings of silver, to harmonize with the stock. The ceiling and walls will be panelled and modelled in plaster, finished in light shades of gray, picked out with silver. Building operations will be commenced about the 1st of May and finished, it is expected, by December 1st.”
Engineering and Contract Record, April 27 1910

“The new Birks building is a reinforced concrete structure designed to accommodate the business of Messrs. Henry Birks & Sons, Limited, jewelers, who occupy the ground floor, basement and half of the second floor. All floors above the ground floor are devoted to office purposes. The facade of the building is of English terra cotta. Upon the interior the store is finished with moulded plaster ceilings supported by columns of Violet Breche marble, the slabs being 14 feet long in one piece; the floors are finished with marble mosaic, while all fixtures, counters, show cases, etc., are of mahogany. The heating is by the vapor system. All public corridors, toilets, etc., are finished in terrazzo and marble.”
Construction, May 1913

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