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Anchoring the corner of Jasper Avenue and 100 Street NW since 1954, the Imperial Bank of Canada Building possesses hallmarks of the Modern Classicism architectural style. Since renovated and renamed the World Trade Centre Edmonton, the highly symmetrical steel-framed structure is relatively restrained in its ornamentation, with an unadorned cornice and simple quoins wrapping around the building's edges. Surprisingly, a number of Art Deco-inspired graphics are found on the exterior, including relief airplanes and trains positioned above the corner ground floor window openings. A symbol of the the bank's presence at the site since 1891, the building was designed by architects Arthur J. Everett of Toronto and Rule, Wynn and Rule of Edmonton, and includes Indiana limestone and black granite cladding.
While the building has been a stalwart contributor to the streetscape for over 60 years, it replaced a Classical Revival style structure that served as the third home for the Imperial Bank of Canada in Edmonton. The first financial institution in the city and the first bank branch to open between Calgary and the Arctic Circle, the 1907-built edifice was constructed of Tyndall limestone from Manitoba and sandstone sourced from Calgary, its three storeys were framed by a front portico supported by four large columns. Designed by architect J. Percy Barnes of Johnson & Barnes, the west facade is defined by four flat pilasters.
The bank wasn't the only occupant of the building. It was housed on the main floor, while the second floor gave way to a multitude of legal firms, with the basement level leased by the Canada Permanent Mortgage Company until 1910. Seven individual bedrooms and three bathrooms were spread across the third floor for the bank clerks working in the building.
With its entrance elevated above Jasper Avenue, the bank was an imposing presence at the intersection. Evoking a sense of grandeur and affluence, the building preceded Edmonton's explosive growth that would turn the city into a regional economic powerhouse. Though it would increasingly become inadequate as the institution grew, with plans drawn up for a replacement structure. A temporary Quonset hut would temporarily house the bank while the structure was demolished in 1950.
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