1907 - Bank of Hamilton

“Bank buildings in Hamilton, as a rule, are models of architectural skill, and the new Bank of Hamilton, now nearly finished, is one of the handsomest in exterior and interior in the Dominion,”

          “A Handsome Structure : The New Bank of Hamilton Now Nearly Ready for Occupancy”

          Hamilton Spectator June 12, 1892.¹

          Situated on the southwest corner of James and King streets, facing Gore Park, the head office of the Bank of Hamilton was a major addition to Hamilton’s stock of financial buildings in the city’s downtown core.

          Constructed of Connecticut brownstone, with a sand-polished surface, the building, designed by architect Richard A. Waite of Buffalo, New York,  was of the Italian renaissance style.

          Highlighting the exterior of the building was a wealth of carvings in stone, executed in low relief and treated in the modern Italian style of the day.

          A major feature of the Bank of Hamilton’s design was its strikingly imposing main entrance:

          “The doors and woodwork of the vestibule are of San Domingo mahogany, the walls of Low’s art tile, with a heavy dado of brownstone. The ceiling is of Numadian marble of reddish cast, blending handsomely with the rich, red mahogany, and is divided into panels.”¹

                The real eyecatcher of the large banking room was its ceiling. Over 35 feet above the tellers’ counters, the ceiling was painted a golden color with sea green ornamentation. The panel moldings and ornamental stucco work were painted ivory white, picked out with lines of orange-red, and gold.

          The Spectator reporter, obviously most impressed, concluded that “there is nothing like this ceiling in Canada and its effect is superb.”¹

                Above the principal banking room were the president’s office, the chief cashier’s office and apartment and “a handsome for the exclusive use of women, fitted up with a check counter and other conveniences.”¹

                After a series of financially successful years just after the turn of the century, the directors of the Bank of Hamilton decided to enlarge their head office.

          The original 1892 building’s rooms were retained for the exclusive use of the Bank of Hamilton’s employees. However, to make a much more profitable use of the prime location and King and James streets, it was decided to construct a large office building above what was already there.

          Local architect Charles Mills was given the task of designing the alterations to the Bank of Hamilton’s presence, turning the three story structure of Richard Waite’s design into a modern skyscraper.

          In an article appearing in the Hamilton Spectator on January 19, 1907, the new Bank of Hamilton was lauded as surpassing “anything of the kind, not only in Hamilton, but anywhere else in Canada. The Owners of the building – the shareholders of the bank – can boast of having the most up-to-date office building as an asset that possibly could be imagined.”

          The tenants of the offices above the banking rooms were provided with all the most modern conveniences available for office buildings of the day. For example, there was a vacuum air cleaning device to clean out every office at night. Each office had a wash basin, supplied with hot and cold water, plus a movable quarter-cut cabinet for hanging coats and hats. Each office also was provided with a mirror on the back of the door to the hallway, and a combination vault to store valuables.

          An attraction to potential tenants was the means of access to all floors of the building. Two 30 horsepower Otis-Fensom elevators, run by electricity, were installed.

In case of the electricity from the Cataract Power Company being temporarily interrupted, a storage battery of large capacity was available to run the elevators :

“This provision has not been provided for anywhere else in the city. Tenants will appreciate this every much, as great inconvenience has happened in other buildings through elevators stopping.”

Another innovative feature of the building was the manner by which the offices and main entrance of the building were locked. One key could unlock the main entrance door any of the toilet rooms in the building. The same key would unlock the tenant’s office door, but no other office door in the building.

Fire escapes were constructed on the west side of the building :

“So that should a panic arise from smoke, the occupants are not dependent for their safety by getting down the main staircase.”

As for ventilation in general, the Bank of Hamilton office building had a large Sturtevant fan on the roof which brought fresh air down through pipes to every office and hallway in the building.

Another feature of the building, new to Hamilton but already commonplace in the United States, was the method of numbering the offices in the hundreds For instance, the offices on the fourth floor would start with the number 400 :

“It, at once, appeals to the tenant that room 409 sounds infinitely better than room 49, thus the reason for using this style of numbers.”

On the top floor of the building, a lunch room was provided for the use of tenants, while on third floor a bath room was provided “so that tenants can get a refreshing bath at any time if they so desire.”