Historic Sites of Manitoba: Bank of Hamilton Building (395 Main Street, Winnipeg)

Designed by Winnipeg architect John Danley Atchison and constructed between 1916 and 1918, this building was one of four major banks on “Bankers’ Row” along Main Street. It was the last major office building erected during the city’s early boom period, and served as the Manitoba headquarters of the Bank of Hamilton which merged with the Bank of Commerce in 1923. This plaque is mounted on the northwest corner of the building. Restoration of the building was given a Conservation Award by Heritage Winnipeg and the structure is a municipally-designated historic site.

Employees of the bank from branches around Manitoba, killed during military service in the First World War, were listed in an Appendix of A History of the Canadian Bank of Commerce, Volume 3, 1919-1930 published in 1934.

Bank of Hamilton Building

Bank of Hamilton Building (June 2014)
Source: Gordon Goldsborough

Bank of Hamilton commemorative plaque

Bank of Hamilton commemorative plaque (2009)
Source: City of Winnipeg

Site Coordinates (lat/long): N49.89699, W97.13851
denoted by symbol on the map above

Bank Employees who were First World War Casualties

Name

Occupation

Service

Rank

Birth Date

Death Date

George Baird
[Pilot Mound]

Bank Clerk

27th Battalion, Canadian Infantry

Private

22 October 1895

26 September 1916

Reginald Stellwagen Black
[Manitou, St. John the Baptist Anglican]

Bank Manager

27th Battalion, Canadian Infantry

Lieutenant

27 May 1886

6 November 1917

Gilbert Edward Cooper
[Next of Kin, Stonewall Masons, St. Matthews Anglican, Stonewall]

Bank Clerk

16th Battalion, Canadian Infantry

Lance Corporal

24 March 1892

25 January 1916

David Edmond

Bank Clerk

Royal Flying Corps

Cadet

1893

11 November 1917

Stephen Ernest Shortliffe
[Stonewall]

Bank Clerk

43rd Battalion, Canadian Infantry

Lance Corporal

25 December 1892

26 October 1917

James Clifford Stewart
[Miami]

Bank Clerk

16th Battalion, Canadian Infantry

Private

28 October 1895

9 October 1916

Joseph Huskuldur Thompson
[Cartwright]

Clerk

78th Battalion, Canadian Infantry

Private

30 April 1896

9 April 1917

Norman Cleland Treleaven
[Killarney, Killarney School]

Bank Clerk

43rd Battalion, Canadian Infantry

Private

4 February 1898

8 August 1918

Robert Stewart Whiteford
[Roland]

Clerk

Lord Strathcona’s Horse (Royal Canadians), Royal Canadian Armoured Corps

Lance Corporal

26 February 1895

30 March 1918

See also:

Memorable Manitobans: John Danley Atchison (1870-1959)

Manitoba Business: Bank of Hamilton

Historic Sites of Manitoba: Municipally Designated Historic Sites

Sources:

A History of the Canadian Bank of Commerce, Volume 3, 1919-1930 published 1934.

Bank of Hamilton Building (395 Main Street), City of Winnipeg Historical Buildings Committee, September 1982.

Information for this page was provided by The City of Winnipeg’s Planning, Property and Development Department, which acknowledges the contribution of the Government of Manitoba through its Heritage Grants Program.

This page was prepared by Gordon Goldsborough and Darryl Toews.

Page revised: 18 July 2022

Historic Sites of Manitoba

This is a collection of historic sites in Manitoba compiled by the Manitoba Historical Society. The information is offered for historical interest only.

Browse lists of:
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Inclusion in this collection does not confer special status or protection. Official heritage designation may only come from municipal, provincial, or federal governments. Some sites are on private property and permission to visit must be secured from the owner.

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