1914 – Birks Building, Winnipeg, Manitoba

The former Birks Jewellers building on Portage Avenue has a neo-Egyptian theme of terracotta decoration. Originally built in 1901, it was heavily remodeled as this palazzo for Birks. Birks was a well-known jewelry chain in Canada but has long since vacated its downtown location in Winnipeg. Originally starting in Montreal, as they expanded across Canada, it bought local jewellers, adding its name to the local store – the one in Winnipeg was Birks-Dingwall. The most interesting feature is the side elevation with the stairwell tower and connecting chimney creating and interesting profile to the surroundings. Sadly a poor modern shopfront to street level detracts from the front façade.

The old yellow building has been remodelled above the lower story in terra cotta and stucco, the wall surfaces being in the latter material, while the angle piers and trimmings generally are in the former. It should be noted that there has been no change in the wall openings except at the centre, where the tower has been replaced by regular window units. The wall is surmounted by a projecting cornice in oak. Below the cornice there is a frieze in terra cotta inlay and medallions in the same material occur on the wall below. The colors used in the terra cotta inlays are red, white, butt’ and black, and the heavy dark joint between the pieces is used as far as may be to help out the drawing, as is the lead in stained glass.

The designs for the frieze were made to half full size by Mr. Nobbs, with advice (m the subject matter from Prof. Ramsay Traquair of McGill University. The company carrying out the terra cotta work invented a most into resting method of enlarging by photography the architects’ designs to the full size terra cotta scale.

The frieze on Portage avenue tells the story of the meeting of King Solomon and the Queen of Sheba. The central group represents the monarchs with their attendants, the Queen kneeling in salutation, while King Solomon presents her with a necklace of pearls. At the left hand end of the frieze a ship lies in the harbor of Tyre, while on the right are seen the gates of Jerusalem. Reading from left to right, the first incident shown is the passing of the gifts by the custom authorities at Tyre, Hiram, King of Tyre, being represented as taking toll; next is shown the camel on which the Queen may be supposed to have ridden, preceded by a negro carrying a parrot and an Indian with a peacock. A horse, on the back of which an ape has seated himself, is next in order, and before his groom a gigantic negro carries a tusk of ivory. Th e master of the apes in trouble with one of his charges is the next figure, and in front of him is the Queen and her attendants, already described.

From the other end we see issuing from the gates of Jerusalem part of the guard. Before them are some of the ladies of the court celebrating the occasion with dance and song, while the Rose of Sharon precedes them, borne by two negroes with plumed headdresses led by a body of kilted warriors

The three wise men (the first an historian with his scroll, the second an astrologer with a divining rod and a crystal sphere, the third a speculative philosopher requiring no instrumental aid in his profession) follow the chariot from which the King has just descended to make his gift. while immediately behind the King two of his guard stand at attention. The owl as a symbol of knowledge is shown in a circle immediately behind the monarch, while the “lily of the field” blooms hard by.

On the six medallions between the arched windows on the Portage avenue front are shown the sources of the precious and semi-precious materials used in the jeweler’s art. The turquoise turkish stone), as typical of the semi-precious stones, occupies the first medallion on the left; the second contains an elephant for ivory, and in the third a merman is shown diving for pearls. In the fourth medallion a Kimberley negro seeks the diamond, in the fifth the semi precious materials, tortoise-shell, coral and mother-of-pearl are represented by a wave delivering- its riches on a tropical beach. In the sixth medallion a gnome occupies himself smelting the precious metals.

On Smith street the decorations generally arc of a less significant character. The seventh circular medallion of the series, however, shows a silversmith surrounded by the tools of his craft.
Construction, August 1916

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