Historic Sites of Manitoba: Canadian Bank of Commerce Building (107 Richhill Avenue, Elkhorn, RM of Wallace-Woodworth)

Link to:
Managers | Photos & Maps | Sources

This two-storey building in Elkhorn, in the Rural Municipality of Wallace-Woodworth, was built for the Canadian Bank of Commerce. It opened in October 1912, replacing the bank’s original branch that opened in 1903 and destroyed by fire in March 1912. In order to keep up with demand for new branches in western Canada, the bank approached its architect, Darling and Pearson of Toronto, to design a series of three simple but solid buildings that could be easily replicated. The plans were then sent to the BC Mills Timber and Trading Company of Vancouver for prefabrication and delivered by rail when ordered by the bank. It is thought that 70 of these structures were erected in western Canada between 1906 and 1912. This is a rare example of the bank occupying one of these buildings into the 21st century. In January 2017, it was announced that the branch would close on 18 August 2017.

Managers

Period	Manager
1903-1904	E. M. Saunders
1904-1929	Rowland Henderson Brotherhood (1871-1952)
1929-1941	S. Dunbar
1942-1945	?
1946-1951	C. F. Ronnie
1952-1954	J. A. Courts
1955-1959	A. J. Alley
1960-1962	S. A. Newman
1963-1965	G. A. Richards
1966-1969	W. Davis
1970-1972	J. L. Matchett
1973-1975	B. E. Stevenson
1975-1976	E. J. Clayton
1976-1981	Mrs. G. Neild

Photos & Coordinates

Canadian Bank of Commerce building (November 1982) Source: John Everitt Rear view of the Canadian Bank of Commerce building (1987) Source: John Everitt The former Canadian Bank of Commerce building after its closure (October 2017) Source: George Penner Site Location (lat/long): N49.97509, W101.23849 denoted by symbol on the map above

See also:

Manitoba Business: Canadian Bank of Commerce

Sources:

Steel and Grass Roots, 1882-1982: History of Elkhorn by Elkhorn and District Historical Society, 1982.

BC Mills kit Bank of Commerce in Elkhorn Closing, West End Dumplings by Christian Cassidy.

“Future of building central issue at Elkhorn CIBC meeting,” The World Spectator (Moosimin, Saskatchewan), 6 February 2017.

The B.C. Mills Prefabricated System, Canadian Historic Sites: Occasional Papers in Archaeology and History No. 14, Parks Canada.

We thank John Everitt, George Penner, and Jordan Makichuk for providing additional information used here.

This page was prepared by Gordon Goldsborough and Christian Cassidy.

Page revised: 19 February 2023

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