Excellence Of Design, Detail, And Style Make This Bank Of Nova Scotia Building, Designed By Renowed Toronto Architect John Lyle, One Of Calgary's More Exceptional Structures. Built In 1930, The Facade Is Divided Into Three Bays By Four Fluted Pilasters Resting On A Base Formed By The Ground Floor. These Support An Entablature With Frieze, Surmounted By A Plain Parapet. These Classical Features Are Enhanced By Extensive Relief Ornamentation, In A Style Which Might Be Termed Art Deco, Which Reflects Canadian Themes. Above The Three Large Windows Are Panels Which Depict The Cattle, Wheat And Oil Industries. Fine Decorative Bronze Work Complements The Design. The Flat Roof Features What, For Many Years, Was The Largest Skylight In Calgary. Many Of The Elements Are Reminiscent Of Lyle's Bank Of Nova Scotia Erected On Ottawa's Sparks Street In 1922. The Steel-And-Concrete Structure Is Faced With Tyndall Limestone. The Bank Building Was Designated A Provincial Historic Resource In 1981. (1982)
In The Early 1990S, The Building Was Converted Into A Discotheque, Called "the Banke". (1991)
The Discotheque Was Closed And, With The Assistance Of The Stephen Avenue Heritage Area Society, The Restoration Of The Building's Facade Was Undertaken In 1997. In 1998, The Bank's Fine Art Deco Style Interior Was Restored With The Alberta Historical Resource Foundation's Assistance. (1998)
Earn 10 points!
Photo: Image from Google maps.