Designed by architect Joseph Vincent Downes (born Dublin 1891) whilst within the practice of McDonnell and Dixon Architects Dublin. It was completed in 1931 for Bank of Ireland in an Art Deco style and was known by the people of Belfast as “the White Bank". At the time it was noted as “frankly modern in design” and “the best modern building in Belfast". Clad in Portland Limestone it is five storeys tall and notable as an early build design which uses steel frame structural support. It comprises three bays along North Street and four bays on Royal Avenue, meeting at a chamfered corner. This rises as a tower above the main body of the building, with vertical stonework fluting to the face of the tower, and a square clock. The tower is topped with a copper-clad domed roof. Many other original features survive, including elements of the banking hall, windows and metal signage. Above the door there is a carved stone panel of the mythical Greek Goddess Medusa who also features on BOI notes since 1928. The building has been closed to public since the bank closed in 2005. In 2012 the building was headline news in Belfast when the “Take Back the City” element of the Occupy Belfast movement took over the building for a period of time. Having changed ownership a number of times, the building was purchased by Belfast City Council in 2021 and will be restored as part of plans for Belfast Stories, a new visitor attraction due to open in 2029, that will tell the stories of the people and the place. This project will be underpinned by a hugely ambitious programme to gather stories and oral histories including those relating to the building and immediate area. A number of local artists have captured the essence of the building through song, art and design.    

Address
92-100 Royal Avenue, Belfast, BT1 1DL Antrim, United Kingdom