The building gets its name by having been built in 1897 by John Burns for F.S.
Barnard and J.A.
Mara. The architect, an obvious fan of the Queen Anne style, was local architect, Arthur Hodgins.
This building was originally home to Merchant’s Bank of Halifax, and later the province’s first branch of the Royal Bank. This came about when the Merchant’s Bank of Halifax, in order to avoid confusion with the Merchants Bank of Canada, adopted the name "The Royal Bank of Canada" in 1901.
See more Royal Bank history.
From the Nelson Heritage Register, 2011, number 55, page 88:
Description
The Mara-Barnard Block is a decorative, two-story castiron and masonry building mid-block on the north side of Baker Street in Nelson, B.C.
Value
The Mara-Barnard Block is important for its historical and aesthetic values, particularly for its contribution to the Baker Street streetscape through its elaborately detailed facade.
Constructed in 1897, he Mara-Barnard Block is important for its relationship to well-known local builders and businessmen. It was designed by Arthur Hodgins architect, a local surveyor and civil
engineer who began his career in Nelson supervising public infrastructure projects beginning in 1890, including the government wharf and street grading for the growing city.
The building was constructed by John Burns for F.S. Barnard and J.A. Mara. Mara was at one time the president of the Columbia & Kootenay Steam Navigation Co. Ltd. Although non-residents, their investment reveals the importance of Nelson’s promising future as the Queen City. The personnel offices of the Canadian Pacific Railway occupied the building beginning in 1900.
The building is important for its early construction date and as the home of the Merchant’s Bank of Halifax, later the province’s first branch of the Royal Bank.
The building’s lavish high Victorian-era style contributes substantially to the interest of the streetscape. While its front facade is symmetrical, it exhibits the exuberant detailing and embellishments typical of a Queen Anne commercial building. Its form is important both for its front facade materials, its design,
and its detailing, as well as the two bay windows, the only ones remaining in Nelson’s downtown.
Character Defining Elements
Site and Landscape
¶ Location as part of the Baker Street streetscape
¶ Zero setback from front and side properties
Form
¶ Queen Anne architectural style
¶ Tripartite vertical division with two wider portions flanking a narrower central portion
¶ Rectangular massing and appropriate scale for the street
¶ Glazed retail front with recessed entries and transom windows
Materials and Details
¶ Cast iron store front
¶ Two-coloured brick detailing
¶ Brick columns
¶ Four-paned bay windows with decorative pediment
¶ Original Merchant’s Bank of Halifax vault