Old Town Office

Eastend's Old Town Office is a Municipal Heritage Property located at 102 Maple Avenue South in Eastend. The designation applies to a two-storey brick building on Eastend's main street.

The heritage value of the Old Town Office resides in its important role in community life, originally as a bank and subsequently for public offices. Settlers and land speculators began to move to the region with the completion of the railway and Eastend's incorporation in 1914. It was during this period of rapid settlement that chartered banks began to establish branches in strategic locations throughout western Canada. Constructed by the Union Bank in 1920, this red brick building eventually became the Royal Bank when the Union and Royal banks amalgamated on September 1, 1925. Competition among the banks led to the Royal Bank closing its doors in Eastend on April 20, 1932. After ceasing operations as a bank, the property continued to serve as a public building, housing a post office until 1962 and, later, the administrative office for the Town of Eastend and the Rural Municipality of White Valley No. 49.

The heritage value of the Old Town Office also resides in its architecture. The bank's red brick exterior, white cornice, and symmetrical facades are indicative of the Georgian Revival architectural style. The style worked well for two-storey office buildings giving the building a dignified presence at a reasonable cost.

Source:

Town of Eastend Bylaw No. 304/87.

The heritage value of the Old Town Office resides in the following character-defining elements:

-those architectural elements that reflect the building's original use as a bank including the walk-in safe and the red brick exterior, white cornice, and symmetrical façade that evoke a sense of permanency and security;

-those elements that speak to its prominence in the community such as the building's location on Eastend's main street.