This recognized federal heritage building was opened in 1922. From that time it was Ottawa's main branch of the Canadian Bank of Commerce. In 1961, the banking corporation became part of a larger entity, the Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce (CIBC). Until November 2019, this was a busy branch of the CIBC (branch 00006).
The rear wall of the building at 119 Sparks Street is near the rear wall of the building at 100 Wellington Street, the former embassy of the United States of America. Together, the two buildings (119 Sparks and 100 Wellington) have become the Indigenous Peoples House, a joint project between the Assembly of First Nations (AFN), the Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami (ITK), the Métis National Council (MNC) and the government of Canada.