17-27 Bank Street

 townhouses, 1850s construction, Italianate style (architecture)

A row of six 3/4-story Italianate residential buildings originally completed together in 1857. Although there have been varied alterations over the years, they were built as a unified row.

The original appearance of these houses is best seen at Nos. 25 and 27. Three stories in height, with full basements, they are constructed of brick, with stone trim. No. 27 has a rusticated basement, while that of No. 25 is smooth-stuccoed. They have the typical high stoop of the period embellished by handsome cast iron stair and areaway railings displaying a wreath or circle motif, a favorite with the Victorians. The entrance doorframes have heavy moldings and lead to deeply recessed doors framed by rope moldings. Also characteristic of the period are the gracefully curved "eyebrow" lintels over the segmental-arched entrance door frames, as well as the French windows of the parlor floor. The houses are crowned by projecting bracketed roof cornices.

No. 23 is similar to its neighbors to the west, except that an additional story was added later in the early 1900s, together with a delicately detailed roof cornice with carved brackets and paneled fascia board.

The next house, No. 21, has been completely altered as a result of conversion, first for the use of the Christian Reformed Church in 1893, and later as the headquarters for various political clubs. The stoop was replaced by a basement entrance and the windows are modern steel casements. A new white brick front, making use of medieval elements of design, has extended the height of the building to four stories, terminated by a roof parapet which is level with the cornice of No. 23.

The next two houses, Nos. 17 and 19, were also part of the row of 1857, as may be seen by comparing them with No. 23. They have been raised in height to four stories. No. 19 has no roof cornice, merely a stone coping. Although No. 17 has been well maintained, it has been extensively modified by the elimination of the stoop in favor of a basement entrance and the addition of a fourth story, crowned by a bracketed cornice. The window lintels all have "eyebrow" cornices above them.