{"id":330,"date":"2012-10-11T20:23:22","date_gmt":"2012-10-11T20:23:22","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.richmondheritage.ca\/?p=330"},"modified":"2019-02-10T20:24:41","modified_gmt":"2019-02-11T01:24:41","slug":"george-brownbankorange-lodge-building","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.richmondheritage.ca\/index.php\/george-brownbankorange-lodge-building\/","title":{"rendered":"George Brown\/Bank\/Orange Lodge Building"},"content":{"rendered":"

3550 McBean St.<\/strong><\/p>\n

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George Brown’s Store – illustration from Map of Carleton County – Walling 1863<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

This building was constructed\u00a0 in the mid nineteenth century when commercial traffic on McBean St. was at its height and the village was bustling. George Brown, a former village reeve operated a store here in 1860\u2019s.\u00a0 Little is known about the usage of the building in the last three decades of the century, but in 1900 the Brown Brothers, James & Robert, (no known relation to George) were operating a store at this location, and subsequently moved their business next door.\u00a0 In 1905, the Bank of Ottawa opened its doors in the newly renovated building and in 1928 it became a branch of the Bank of Nova Scotia. In 1923, members of Loyal Orange Lodge (#151) purchased the building; since that time, the upper floors have been used for lodge meetings and social gatherings. In 1970 the bank moved to a new building further north on McBean St. <\/p>\n

The land patent for lot 9, the west side of McBean St. was granted to Samuel Purdie in 1832. Edward & Margaret Malloch played an important role in the early history of the property.\u00a0 The Mallochs had moved from Richmond to Bytown in 1840 but continued to maintain a close association with the village. Edward had started his career as a village merchant but soon turned to land speculation and owned thousands of acres in various parts of Carleton County. Margaret had come to Richmond in 1818 with her parents Sergeant-Major Andrew Hill and Maria Hill, both of whom were entrepreneurs of note, owning the Masonic Arms Tavern, where the Duke of Richmond spent his last night before his death in 1819.<\/p>\n

In 1856, the Mallochs sold the land to George Brown an established village merchant. The 1851 Census had listed him as a merchant living in a 1 1\/2 storey frame house next door on lot 8.\u00a0 During the 1850’s Mr. Brown was also a village councillor and reeve (1858).\u00a0 It seems that he built his store some time before 1863 and that he and his family lived on the second storey.<\/p>\n

Records indicate the return of the land to the then widowed Margaret Malloch, in 1869.\u00a0 In 1887, it became the property of Margaret McKenna whose family owned it until 1923.<\/p>\n

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Brown Brothers’ store 1900
courtesy GTHS<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The picture on the right shows the Brown Brothers\u2019 store at the turn of the century. A rear addition had already been built, but the configuration of the doors remained true to the original sketches.<\/p>\n

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Note absence of door in front right corner & new doors on the side<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

In 1905, the building\u00a0became the location of the first bank in the village, the Bank of Ottawa.\u00a0 To accommodate the bank\u2019s vault, the right hand door, which had provided access to the upper levels, was removed and a new entrance was placed on the north side of the building.<\/p>\n

Mr. Collis Lewis a descendant of Colonel George T. Burke, Captain John Bower Lewis and Dr. Collis was the bank\u2019s first customer. He was impressed with banking, became a teller and ended his career as a manager of the branch in this building.\u00a0 He, like other managers, lived in the rear extension.<\/p>\n

After 1923, the upper floors were used exclusively for Orange Lodge activities except for a few months in 1924, when public school classes were held on the second floor because the school had been destroyed by fire.<\/p>\n

In 1928, after the amalgamation of the Bank of Ottawa and the Bank of Nova Scotia, the bank became a branch of the latter.<\/p>\n

Ten years later, one of the most exciting moments in village history, and Mr. Lewis\u2019s life, occurred at the bank.\u00a0 On July 19, 1938, three masked men robbed the bank, and a number of bullets flew past Mrs. Lewis as the robbers fled.<\/p>\n

The bank moved to a new building further north on McBean Street, in 1970.<\/p>\n

The upper floors continue to be the site of Lodge meetings and social gatherings, while the first floor has been used for a variety of purposes and is presently (2012) a video store.<\/p>\n

Architecture:<\/strong><\/p>\n

The George Brown Building, built by James Scott, a local stone mason, carpenter and joiner, displays most of the general features of Classical Revival Architecture including a gable roof, quoins (or cornerstones), returned eaves and general symmetry.
\nThis 2 1\/2 storey stone building has a full basement. The exterior walls are two feet thick fashioned from coursed limestone with a natural finish. Fine cut ashlar quoins highlight the four corners. An ogee window, with its pointed arched top, is located in the central dormer.<\/p>\n

A wooden octagonal cupola is centered on the roof. All its windows have four panes of glass. Although local folklore insists that the cupola was used as a lookout for marauding Algonquin Indians, it is, in fact, a common architectural detail of the time.<\/p>\n

Sources:<\/strong><\/p>\n