London Building

The London Building (1912) was designed by the prominent architectural firm of Somervell & Putnam.

This firm had also designed such significant commercial structures as the adjacent Bank of Montreal, the Seymour Building, the BC Electric Building and the Birks Building, which once stood at the corner of Georgia and Granville.

The London Building is a carefully detailed example of Edwardian Commercial Neoclassicism with its embellished cornice, decorative coursing and medallions at the upper levels, and its richly-ornamented iron storefront at street level. The building is clad in Haddington Island stone with marble trim.

The original banking hall on the main floor was a monumental space in its double-height proportions. The understated detail in the moulded plasterwork of the coffered ceilings and floral ornament to the column capitals reinforced this grandeur.

The main entrance and lobby areas have been modernized. Partial enclosure of a mezzanine to the west wall and Pender Street altered the original configuration of this space.

Source

City of Vancouver

More information

http://former.vancouver.ca/ctyclerk/cclerk/020122/ph1.htm