The Bank of Nova Scotia broke the mold for Winnipeg banks.

Winnipeg’s Main Street financial district was crowded by the 1900s, and the Bank of Nova Scotia’s 1899 location was being overshadowed by bigger and more elaborate structures. In 1908, they were one of the first banking companies to make the jump away from Main Street, re-settling on Portage Avenue.

Their new lot, while small, cost a record $125,000 in Winnipeg’s inflated real estate market. Designed in the Baroque Revival style by architects Darling and Pearson, the building features a curved facade, corner dome, and decorative window. Corinthian columns run the length of the building. Inside, the banking hall boasted a wealth of expensive materials including marble and mahogany detailing.

In 1930, the bank purchased the lot next door for $250,000 and architects Jordan and Over added a seamless expansion matching the bank’s original facade.

The financial growth Winnipeg had enjoyed for decades slowly collapsed from the 1930s to the 1950s, and many long-standing banks, including the Bank of Nova Scotia, abandoned their old Winnipeg headquarters. In 1984, the Government of Manitoba bought the building for $350,000 and undertook a $2.9 million renovation. It reopened in 1987, newly named the A.A. Heaps building.