“The Union Bank Building, situated on Wellington Street opposite the Parliamentary Precinct in Ottawa, is a sturdy, modestly scaled stone structure. The Union Bank Building was built in 1887-88 to the designs of Ottawa architect F. J. Alexander. The building is currently owned by the United States Embassy, and is soon to be acquired by the National Capital Commission.

“The Union Bank represents the last vestige of Wellington Street’s late 19th century status as Bankers’ Row, when its south side was lined with richly ornamented banks, clubs and financial institutions in the Second Empire and Richardsonian Romanesque styles. Since the turn of the century, the older financial institutions have gradually been replaced with much larger government office buildings that are predominantly Beaux-Arts in style. As such, the Union Bank Building provides a tangible link with Wellington Street's commercial past and is a physical record of the earlier building typologies which once characterized it.

“A unique yet compatible element of the streetscape lining the Ceremonial Route, the building also has a historical link with the Parliamentary Precinct by virtue of its architect, who designed the fence enclosing Parliament Hill and the interior of the Library of Parliament.”

Information derived from the Canadian Register of Historic Places.

Credits and Sources:

Information derived from the Canadian Register of Historic Place