After The Canadian Pacific Railway Arrived At The Site Of Fort Calgary In 1883, The Tiny Community Outside The Fort Quickly Expanded And Soon Became A Regional Metropolis. In 1893, It Became The First Incorporated City In The North West Territories. Within Its Downtown Core, A Number Of Business Blocks Sprang Up, Including One Owned By Mathew Dunn And John Lineham On Stephen Avenue, Constructed Of Sandstone And Brick During 1886-87. It Was Built Adjoining To And In Conjunction With A Store Owned By I.g. Baker And Co., The Firm That Had Been Contracted To Build Fort Calgary In 1875. The Rough Sandstone Facades Of Both Buildings Were Identical.
In 1890, Lineham Bought Out Dunn And Became The Sole Owner Of What Became Known As The Lineham Block. Lineham Was A Wealthy Rancher Who Also Represented Calgary In The North West Territories Legislative Assembly From 1888 To 1891. Among The Earliest Tenants In His Calgary Business Block Were The Imperial Bank Of Canada And The Bank Of Montreal, The First Two Federally Chartered Banks In Calgary, Having Arrived There In 1886. In 1892, While The Bank Of Montreal Located Elsewhere, The Imperial Bank Purchased The Western (I.g. Baker) Half Of The Complex From The Hudson's Bay Company (Which Had Acquired It A Year Earlier), And Expanded Its Operation. Bank Records Show An Expenditure Of 32,000 Dollars For Construction Work On Its Calgary Building In 1892. It Is Assumed That This Would Have Been For The Expansion And Restructuring Of The I.g. Baker Portion Of The Complex, Although The Exterior Appears Not To Have Been Altered. The Expansion Gave The Bank Extra Office Space To Lease. Among The Early Tenants To Do Business There, Was The Legal Firm Of Sifton, Short And Stuart, Which Included Two Of Alberta's Future Premiers, Arthur Sifton (1910-17) And Charles Stuart (1917-21).
As Calgary Continued To Grow After The Turn Of The Century, The Demand For More Banking Services Grew As Well. The Calgary Albertan Reported On February 28, 1911 That 'the Imperial Bank Last Summer Improved Its Premises To The Extent Of Over 30,000 [Dollars].' With Smaller Alterations In Later Years, The Bank Would Continue To Occupy The Premises Until The Rapid Commercial Expansion Of Calgary During The 1960's Necessitated Another Facility. In 1977, The Structure Was Designated A Provincial Historic Resource.
The Historical Significance Of The Imperial Bank Building, Tying In Directly With The Lineham Block, Lies In Its Direct Association With The Frantic Commercial Expansion Of Calgary During The Years Prior To World War I. It Is Significant Also In Its Association With Two Of Alberta's Outstanding Political Leaders Of The Early 20Th Century, Arthur Sifton And Charles Stuart. It Is Also An Excellent Example Of A Sandstone Building And It Has Considerable Architectural Merit.
Earn 10 points!
Photo: Image from commons.wikimedia.org (https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/77/Imperial_Bank_Building_Calgary.jpg)