Tuesday Treasures

 Tom hosts Tuesday's Treasures.

August 2026 - St. John's NL

I was curious about this building in St. John's.

Thank you to Rostrose for pointing that I had missing adding any information Google found!

The building was constructed around 1913 following the Great Fire of 1892, which destroyed most of downtown St. John's and its surrounding structures. In the aftermath, the city enforced strict building regulations requiring new downtown commercial properties to be constructed with "fireproof," inflammable materials. 

As a result, 205 Water Street was initially built as a solid concrete warehouse owned by the Baine Johnston Company, a prominent local general merchandise firm.

Between its initial construction and 1925, the property transitioned from industrial use to a financial institution when it was acquired and converted into a branch for the Canadian Bank of Commerce. 

To reflect its new status and prestige, the building's exterior facade was upgraded to feature its current monumental Classical Revival architectural details, including the large iconic columns and grand arched windows.

City tax records from 1946 document its structural composition as a mix of brick, terra cotta, and concrete. It continuously operated as a bank branch for decades under various institutions, most recently housing an HSBC bank branch before transitioning to a vacant commercial property available for lease.

The property was formally designated as a Municipal Heritage Building on July 21, 1989, by the City of St. John's. It is highly valued for its rarity in design compared to its neighbors and stands out as a unique piece of early 20th-century fireproof commercial architecture along one of North America's oldest streets.