1916 – Merchants Bank of Canada, Granville Street, Vancouver, Canada

The Montreal-based Merchants Bank first established Vancouver offices in 1906 at 337 Carrall Street, but this building was completed at 500 Granville Street in 1916. This precisely detailed Italian Renaissance styled bank branch was designed by the firm of Somervell and Putnam. Still extant but now part of the Simon Frazer University downtown campus.

“This building is three storeys high with frontages of 50 and 104 ft. and is of reinforced concrete construction with stone, terra cotta and brick walls. The exterior is of Haddington Island stone backed with brick and terra cotta trimmings, the whole resting on a grey granite base course 5 ft. in height. The stone is very white in color and is (exceedingly well matched by the terra cotta courses, inhere is a projecting stone cornice at the first floor level and a terra cotta cornice at the roof level surmounted by a parapet with hammered copper cresting.

The ground floor windows have ornamental iron frames 19 ft. 6 inches in height by 8 ft. 6 inches in width and are glazed with plate glass. Similar frames are also used for the upper storey windows with cast iron facias at the second floor level. The treatment of these window openings produces the general effect of a building with two high’ storeys rather than that of a three storey structure.

Richly carved stone work encloses the opening of the main entrance. The doors here are of cast bronze and are 12 ft. in height. These doors fold back into pockets in the vestibule in the day time and the service doors to the bank at the inner wall of the vestibule are double-acting. 0ver the entrance doors is a black and gold marble slab is a cast bronze bas-relief of the crest of the institution. The walls and floors of the vestibule are laid in French marble and the whole effect is unusually satisfying and pleasing.

The entire ground floor of the building is given over to banking purposes with the exception of a small area serving as entrance to the stairs and elevator to the upper offices. Tn addition to the ground floor space there are two mezzanine floors situated at the rear, each giving an additional working area of some 450 sq. ft. The upper mezzanine Hoor serves as a guard room while the lower is given over to the stenographers’ toilets and filing space. Provision has also been made in the framing of the building for a future mezzanine floor over a portion of the present working space in the banking room at tile present upper mezzanine level. This mezzanine will allow for an additional working area of 1,300 sq. ft. along the south side of the banking room. Access to same will be obtained by the present stairs to the upper mezzanine, and if will, owing to the banking room ceiling being fully 35 ft. high, be placed 20 ft. above the main floor, and will therefore not materially detract from the present pleasing general effect of the banking room.

In dimensions the banking room is 84 ft. in length by 46 ft. in width, with a clear height of ceiling from floor to the underside of lowest beam of 21) ft. 6 inches. The natural light is excellent, being obtained from eight windows, each with a clear glass area of 8 ft. by 19 ft., and by three skylights in the light court over the south side of the room, which has a total glass area of 250 sq. feet. The colors of the walls and ceilings tend to reflect this light to the best advantage. The walls are of Caen stone of a pale buff shade jointed in courses 15 ft. high; and the ceiling, which is coffered, has been left white. The floor of the banking room is of marble of a pale grey shade with borders and base of a black and gold color setting off the grey. The counter and wainscots are in Botticino marble with Tavernelle panels, and Botticino marble is also used for the pilasters. Both these marbles are of a creamy buff shade and harmonize well the treatment of the wall.

Bronze in antique statuary finish is used for the tellers’ cages, counter screens and other metal work in this room. The cages are a special feature, the upper portions being made of cold drawn steel piano wire, plated in bronze and drawn very tight in a diamond pattern making a strong but light appearing snatch roof cage. The fixtures and the wainscot of the working space is of quarter-sawed white oak finished in a grey shade in tone with the other materials.”
Construction, April 1918

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