Vignettes
/ The Exchange
District
/ Albert
Hammond Building
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William J. Hammond, was a hat merchant who had come from
Toronto in 1896, moving his millinery store from Main Street
into his new building on Albert Street in 1902. The
east side of Albert Street was underdeveloped because of
a skating rink kept there by Alexander McIntyre, until
he built the McIntyre Block in 1898.
Designed by architect J.H.G. Russell, the early Hammond Building
was only two storeys of brick with wood beam and post construction
built at a cost of $14,000. In 1905, a further two
storeys were added and leased out as sample rooms to manufacturer’s
agents. In 1907, more space was added to the north
side at a cost of $35,000, with the final addition made in
1909. The piecemeal additions clearly show that not all involved
in the designs were sympathetic to the original design. A
fire gutted most of the interior in 1909 and of the 52 original
suites, only 25 were renovated.
