Apparently, when this monumental building was completed in 1931 it was the largest, in terms of square footage, anywhere in the British Empire.  It was constructed in three stages.  The cornerstone was laid in 1914 and the first stage was completed in 1918. The construction culminated in the addition of the 24-storey tower in 1931.  The building’s website explains that, “The building consists of a steel framework with exterior walls of Stanstead granite backed by brick and faced with terracotta. Terracotta tile construction was used extensively, in the form of a flat arch construction for the floor system as well as in the construction of all interior partitions.  The impressive Banking Hall employed very noble materials; Italian rose Tavernelle marble on the walls, Levanto marble on the counters, Syenite stone on the large Corinthian columns, black Belgian marble for column and wall bases, pink Tennessee marble on the floor, brass on all doors, railings and grills and gilded ornaments on the ceiling panelling of the mezzanine and on the terracotta capitals of the large columns.”