Branch snapshot: Lacombe, Alberta

BMO has been driving progress in Lacombe, Alberta for 125 years, since the opening of a branch of the Merchants Bank (merged with BMO in 1922) in 1901. The branch’s first manager, R.F. Taylor, had advertised that they would be open for business on February 28, but accommodation proved hard to come by. In order to remain true to his word and help members of the community, Taylor conducted business from a hotel room during the branch’s first ten days of operation.

This unconventional location would be the first of three temporary premises occupied by the Lacombe branch. For the next 18 months, the branch took up residence in the backroom of Lacombe’s first schoolhouse on Barnett Avenue (50th Avenue) before moving to larger premises on Railway Street (Highway 2A). The branch remained there until 1904, when business was moved to Lacombe’s Flatiron Building.

Designed in the Edwardian Classical Revivalist style by architects Morley Hogle and Huntley Ward Davis, Lacombe’s Flatiron Building is the oldest flatiron building in Alberta. Narrow pilasters were installed on both sides of the triangular building to emphasize its height. An ornate segmented pediment, reminiscent of a scallop’s shell, crowns the entryway. The grandeur of the building inspired trust in branch customers, who could be assured that their funds would be safely deposited with the bank.

The Flatiron Building was occupied by BMO until its relocation of branch premises in 1967. It is now the Flatiron Building Museum, operated by the Lacombe and District Historical Society.