Thursday Doors – December 10, 2015

Note: Thursday Doors is a weekly feature allowing door lovers to come together to admire and share their favorite door photos from around the world. Feel free to join in on the fun by creating and sharing your own Thursday Doors post each week between Thursday morning and Saturday noon (North American eastern time) by using the blue link-up button below. 

The Bank of Nova Scotia – Downtown Halifax

How many places in this world do you know would allow people into a bank to take pictures during business hours?

Of course Honey and I are very polite and always ask permission first, but my camera and I have been shooed away in other lovely bank buildings here in Montréal and other cities on a number of occasions for ‘security reasons’.

Security concerns are understandable I guess, which is why up to now the only bank that has ever allowed me to take pictures inside their doors is The Bank of Nova Scotia on Hollis Street in downtown Halifax.

At first I thought it was because of my honest-looking face 😉 or the fact that we just don’t look like bank robbers, however the security guard told us that because of its heritage building status, tourists come in almost daily to take pictures of this lovely 6-story sandstone structure and its bronze and brass doors.

Exterior bronze door

Built in 1931 this branch situated at 1709 Hollis street was meant to be the new headquarters for what at the time was the fastest growing, and now 3rd largest, of Canada’s Big Five banks.

It was designed by Irish-born Canadian architect John M. Lyle who back in the day was one of the leading proponents of the beaux-arts style. Lyle not only designed the building but also the fixtures, furniture, carvings, and of course the doors:

The entire main floor interior is clad in marble, brass, bronze and wood, with design elements such as castings, carvings, paintings, and frescoes that depict plant, animal, and ocean life representative of Canada’s Atlantic coast and Nova Scotia’s rich heritage and history.

The place harkens back to a time when banks were considered pillars of the community rather than profit centers, and spared no expense at putting their prestige on display as a way to gain the confidence of their customers. Perhaps that was part of what they were trying to accomplish by building this place at the height of the great depression.

I guess I was so surprised by the fact that they actually allowed us in just to admire and take pictures that I felt a little self-conscious about it. I didn’t want to overdo it and overstay our welcome so I really didn’t take as many shots as I should have.

If you ever make it to downtown Halifax, Nova Scotia on a weekday during banking hours, you may just want to take a peek inside this place and admire it yourself:

As always, thanks for looking 🙂

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