Manitoba Municipal Heritage Site No. 24

Royal Bank Building
72 - 3rd Street,
Roland

Royal Bank Building
Designation Date: July 11, 1989
Designation Authority: Roland (R.M.)
Present Owner: Roland (R.M.)

The Royal Bank Building, originally a branch of the Bank of Hamilton with employee living space on the upper floor, is significant as an early rural financial institution that was vital to the development of the agricultural community around Roland. The structure’s masterful, elegant design flows from the image the bank wished to display, using dignified materials, such as brick, in a straightforward composition to portray progress, prosperity, stability and security, qualities that could both attract and reassure customers. The building’s angled corner not only gave it a distinguishing, identifiable feature, but also facilitated access for prospective customers from the two fronting streets. The building now holds the Roland 4-H Museum, which recalls the community’s role in initiating rural boys and girls clubs across Canada, beginning in 1913.