Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce Building
464 Sherritt Avenue,
Lynn Lake

Designation Date: May 26, 1992
Designation Authority: The L.G.D. of Lynn Lake
Present Owner: The L.G.D. of Lynn Lake

Among the many commercial services that developing communities in Manitoba required, the local bank was vital. Manitoba communities were flooded with eastern banks, with now-forgotten names like the Bank of Hamilton, the Dominion Bank of Canada, the Bank of Hochelaga. Such institutions provided security (for their customer’s deposits) as well as opportunity (in the form of loans). While banks built in small communities were invariably small, they were not always modest; indeed, a few were quite grand buildings. The Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce in Lynn Lake is an interesting departure from typical bank architecture. It is wood (rather than brick), and its form (especially the gambrel-shaped roof) makes the building appear more informal, even friendly. Built in the 1930s to serve the town of Sherridon, it was moved to Lynn Lake in 1953, hauled the 260 kilometres over a winter ice road. The bank has seen several new uses since its closure in the 1970s. It is known to most local residents as "Fergie's," named for a former owner who combined the unlikely functions of a trucking firm, candy store and hairdressing salon in it. The building is now being developed as part of the community's museum complex.