|
The Great National Land Building,
located at the corner of Church, Chapel and Commercial Streets, is the
downtown Nanaimo real estate office for 30 plus Coast Realty Nanaimo realtors.
The original Bank of British
Columbia was at this location and was taken over in 1901 by the
Canada Bank of Commerce.
In 1913, the Dominion Real Estate
Company drew up architectural drawings for a new Canadian Bank Building. The building's brick exterior and terra
cotta included an entry way with four large columns.
The building's exterior, from its lavish use of expensive facing materials to
its awesome columns, exudes confidence and authority.
In 1930, a fire started in a nearby
stable and quickly spread to 10 buildings, completely devastating them. The
bank endured little damage because of the brick construction.
In 1963, the Frontier Land Corporation
purchased the building and in 1974 Great National Land purchased the property.
In 1975, the City of Nanaimo designated the building as a Heritage building.
Church and Chapel Holdings Ltd.,
who purchased the property in 1993, did a entire renovation that was
finished in 1997. Great attention to detail
has resulted in a building that is historically
accurate, functional, architecturally beautiful and safe with repaired brickwork and terra cotta.
Coast Realty Group re-opens the
doors of the Great National Land Building to be the hub of the downtown Nanaimo
real estate activity.
|
