MERCHANTS BANK OF CANADA
The Merchants Bank of Canada Building, also known as the Flat Iron Block, is the most recognizable and treasured building in the Town of Lacombe. Designed in the BeauxArts tradition of architecture, the building is an excellent example of the influence of the Edwardian-era on western Canadian architecture. The Merchants Bank, an early financial institution, first opened in Lacombe in 1901, however, construction began on a permanent building for the company in 1903. Completed in 1905, one year prior to the fire that would destroy much of the downtown of Lacombe, the Merchants Bank stood as a sophisticated and unique building in a community that was beginning to grow and flourish.
The Merchants Bank, was a successful company and the first bank in the Town of Lacombe; it merged with the Bank of Montreal in 1922. The Bank of Montreal continued to occupy the building until 1967.
This is a rare example of a commercial building following the style of the 1902 Fuller Building in New York. While buildings of this shape were constructed in North America in the late nineteenth century, the Fuller, more commonly referred to as the Flatiron Building, is considered by many as the prototype of buildings of this type, so named for their distinctive triangular shape that resembled a flat iron. The basic design of the building is typical of the dominant architecture preferred by financial institutions of the time, to convey a sense of power, security and reliability to customer's and competitors alike. Hogle & Davis were the architects for the Merchant’s Bank, and designed a number of branch banks throughout the country between 1904 and 1919.
Despite its different uses, the Merchants Bank building has always been an important structure in the community. For many years, the town’s water pump was located outside the building, making it an important gathering place for the local people.
From the Lacombe Municipal Heritage Survey