from the front between 1910 and 1920. The
Merchants Bank of Canada was the first
bank in Lacombe. Formed in 1901, the bank initially rented out a room in a local
school. Unfortunately, when bank workers arrived to their temporary location, they found it hadn't been fully constructed. In consequence, the bank then rented a room in the local Victoria hotel, where the bank operated shortly for over a week. There is little documentation as to where the bank was located in between the time of the hotel and the opening of its permanent home in the flatiron building. According to "the Merchant Bank (Flat Iron Building) was certainly Lacombe's most sophisticated and commanding structure. Designed in the
Beaux Arts tradition of classically-inspired architecture, it cost $30,000 to build in 1904. The design, however, set this structure apart; specific classical features includes the giant order
pilasters or simulated columns which run through the second and third stories, a
cornice along the top of the structure and scallop-shaped hood over the main entrance. The three-storey "flatiron" building is unique in the Town of Lacombe and the oldest of three such structures built in western Canada." Fortunately it was built to be fireproof; in 1906 all other buildings on its block were destroyed by a fire. In 1922, the Merchants Bank of Canada was absorbed by the
Bank of Montreal. The Lacombe branch of the Merchants Bank became home to the Bank of Montreal's local branch until 1967. It was designated a
Provincial historic site of Alberta in 1990. In 2001, the building was privately bought and extensively renovated. The renovations were completed in 2003. The flatiron building now serves not only as a museum, but also as a private residence and corporate offices. == The Flatiron Building and the Lacombe Museums ==