Below is information on the building, found in a Halifax Heritage Advisory Board document which dealt with its potential demise.
The document, presented to the Halifax Regional Municipality (HRM) for consideration on February 24, 2014, contained a proposal by a major developer concerning the city block on which the Commerce Bank Building stands. The proposal was to gut a substantial portion of several buildings on the block, retaining the front three metres or so of each building as a heritage facade, behind which two 22 storey towers would be built. This document is the only one we've found so far concerning the project. For the Commerce Bank Building, however, due to its landmark status in the streetscape, it was proposed that it be left largely intact and the tower be built over it.
Three years have transpired since we visited and four years since the proposal was entertained by the HRM. The proposal seems to have died on the vine as nothing has changed on the block in the intervening years. Today at least part of the building has been taken over by
. This seems to us a fitting repurposing of a former bank building. After all, bankers are supposed to be straight shooters, too.
Bank of Commerce, 5171 George Street
The Bank of Commerce building, located at 5171 George Street, was designed in a classical-revival style. Built as a banking establishment in 1906 to the designs of Albert Kahn and Ernest Wilby, this building served the Bank of Commerce until 1977, at which point it was adapted for use as offices and a restaurant. The building is designed in the style of a Greco-Roman temple, an expression of both power and stability. The design features four free-standing Ionic columns, framing a recessed entranceway, and supporting a monumental pediment. The façade is entirely composed in granite, a suitably noble material that relates well to its context, specifically to Province House.
The Bank of Commerce is a landmark structure that benefits a prominent location with direct views of Province House. The Bank’s classical design, in the style of a Greek temple, expresses both the power and stability of the banking sector. The design is attributed to the Detroit firm of Albert Kahn Architect, with Ernest Wilby Associate. Best known for his contribution to North America’s industrial architectural heritage, Albert Kahn is sometimes referred to as the Architect of Detroit owing to his design of several automotive plants and countless other buildings in and around that city. Perhaps less well-represented are his designs for university buildings, office towers and private commissions such as banks, private residences and mausoleums.
While Kahn expressed a clear interest in historically-styled buildings, it is unclear what his level of involvement would have been in the firms’ smaller, more classical commissions in Canada. At the time the Bank of Commerce was commissioned, Kahn was collaborating with British-born architect Ernest Wilby, a talented designer in his own right. Many of their Canadian commissions, largely in the Windsor area, were jointly attributed to Khan as architect and Wilby as associate. It seems likely then, that “Kahn may have delegated the smaller Canadian commissions to [Ernest] Wilby, who contributed much to the designs for banks, residences and commercial projects in the Windsor area.
Indeed, the Halifax branch of the Bank of Commerce is nearly identical to the branch they designed for Walkerville, Ontario around the same time. Appropriate to its prestigious location, the building’s exterior is composed entirely in granite, a suitably noble material given the purpose and context of this building. While not designated, the interior of this building is largely original and intact and features fine workmanship, and use of materials and detailing. The Bank of Commerce is perhaps the most publicly recognizable of the five buildings in question.
Character Defining Elements:
• Prominent position as a corner building facing Province House;
• Three-storey, granite block constructed building designed in the Classic Greek Revival style with a ‘Temple front’ with
substantial entablature and pediment carried by paired Ionic columns on massive granite plinths;
• Flat roof with over hanging eaves and a stone bracketed cornice, and rooftop balustrade/parapet;
• Granite steps leading to the main entry which has massive wooden doors framed by pilasters and a narrow frieze with relief carvings and a dentilled cornice. Main entry is set within a two-storey, recessed centre bay framed by chamfered pilasters and a voussoir lintel with keystone;
• Windows on the front elevation flank the central bay, with central ganged windows at the second and third floors;
• The side elevation is five bays wide with three center bays recessed and framed by engaged columns and pilasters;
• First floor windows on the side elevation are large, recessed hung windows with decorative hood mouldings;
• Second floor windows smaller and paired, while the third floor windows triplicate and smaller again;
• String course between the second and third floors;
• Temple front entablature is carried around side elevation;
• Rear addition: 1 storey, granite addition with large recessed hung windows with a flush sill and flat arch above. The addition has a flat roof with a simple cornice and parapet.
From the Halifax Regional Municipality, Attachment E