166-168 E Pender St

This two-storey brick building was built by Townley and Matheson in 1925. It is significant for demonstrating the high civic value placed on heritage conservation in Chinatown. When the original building was renovated in 1991 to accommodate the Bank of Montreal, it was decided to retain and restore the historic facade. A year later, new signage was given a traditional design to further respect the character of the neighbourhood.

This is one of the few 1920s buildings along this side of East Pender that did not follow contemporary commercial styles. Instead of building tall and narrow, they adopted a wider, more conservative design. The second-storey windows and cornice might be mistaken for being two decades older, were it not for the Art Deco-inspired recessed panels below the windows.

Source

Canada's Historic Places

More information

http://www.historicplaces.ca/en/rep-reg/place-lieu.aspx?id=7804&pid=0