Built in 1911, the Dominion Bank building is a fine example of an Edwardian temple-inspired bank in the Beaux Arts style. The east and north sides of the building have facades of architectural terracotta, while the west and south sides are red brick (currently painted white).
Winnipeg architect George William Northwood (1876-1959) designed the Domininon Bank building. He was very prolific, and designed two other buildings for the Dominion Bank, but this is the only design of his in Calgary. Although the north (bank) side of the building has some striking similarities to the 1912 Molson's Bank building just two blocks to the west (
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The building was designed with office space on the second and third floors that can be rented to other businesses. There is a separate, very distinctive, entrance on the east side for those offices.
From 1911 until 1951, this was the main Calgary branch of the Dominion Bank. In 1951, the Dominion Bank merged with the Bank of Toronto to become the Toronto-Dominion Bank (now TD Bank). TD Bank is one of Canada's "Big Five" banks. This was a TD Bank branch until 1986.
Architects Raine Finlayson Barrett & Partners had their corporate offices here from 1982 to 1987. They added a mansard fourth floor before moving there in October 1982. (From the ground, the fourth storey appears to be a large skylight, but there is a solid roof on top of the slanted, windowed walls.) This architectural firm also designed Calgary's large Arts Commons complex (formerly known as the EPCOR Centre for the Performing Arts) and the 1982 Calgary International Airport.
Since 1994, the main floor has been home to Teatro Restaurant. A former office area was transformed to become their private dining room, the Opera Room, with its own entrance.
Another tenant provides space for events and conferences (the building is across the street from the TELUS Conference Centre).
The east side of the building has had some more recent minor alterations. They include two long, narrow balconies immediately above the restaurant, and an separate half-round balconet, also on the second storey.
REFERENCES and FURTHER READING
Sanders, Harry M. Historic Walks of Calgary, "Dominion Bank Building (Teatro Restaurant)", pp. 30-31. Red Deer Press: Calgary, 2005. (
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Mawson, Thomas H. “Dominion bank building, Calgary, Alberta.” [photo c. 1912-1913] University of Calgary Digital Collections. (
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Archiseek. 1911 - Dominion Bank, Calgary. (
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Jackson, Alison. “Toronto-Dominion Bank, Calgary”. [1966 photo] Calgary Public Library Williams & Harris Shared History Centre. (
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Manitoba Historical Society. Memorable Manitobans: George William Northwood (1876-1959). (
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Church, Sarah, and Irfôna Larkin. Updated by Andrew Mcintosh. "Arts Commons", 19 Aug 2015. Canadian Encyclopedia.
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AREA Canada Archives of Exemplarity in Architecture and the Built Environment. "Calgary International Airport". (
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