1918 – Merchants Bank of Canada, Georgetown, Ontario

The building has had a varied history. The bank occupied the building until it was closed in 1943, and afterwards the property was used by the Town Council as municipal offices. It was purchased by the Royal Bank in 1947, and housed the Georgetown branch until 1973 when the bank relocated across the street. Now commercial space.

“Georgetown being in a district noted for its limestone, it was felt that the new building for the Merchants’ Bank should be of this local stone, especial^ because it was to be purely a banking house, without office space. The shows a dressed stone base with coursed ashlar walls, of Georgetown stone, the cut stone work, however, being buff Indiana limestone. The sloping roof is covered with green slate, with copper cornice and cresting; the upper roof is flat, felt and gravel The main floor is fire proof, combination long span hollow tile and concrete, the rest of the framing is wood. The whole of the front portion is used for a large banking room the ceiling height being IP feet. The walls are stucco, tinted a warm grey The vestibule has marble floor and base, the public space of the bank has terrazzo floor, marble mosaic border, and verde antique marble base, the working space green linoleum. The bank fittings and furniture are birch, stained dark mahogany. Provision is made for the convenience of safety deposit box customers.

At the rear in a mezzanine are two staff bedrooms and bathroom which were furnished complete under architects ‘ direction. Water comes from the town’s water system, but since there are no sewers, a septic tank was installed to treat sewerage before discharging into town drains.

The building proper cost about 40 cents per cubic foot, and complete with equipment about 46 cents per cubic foot.”
Construction, December 1919

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