Brewster Transport Co. Building. This unique 1939 structure, designed by prominent Alberta architects Fordyce and Stevenson, is of the "Art Moderne" style, an offshoot of Art Deco. It is characterized by a sleek, streamlined appearance wih rounded corners and stripped of detailings. This look was a deliberate architectural backlash against the "clutter" of earlier Victorian styles. The parapet is stepped and its corners curved. The original portion of the building forms the southwest corner. Additions were also made in the 1960's and 1980's. The Hudson Bay Company occupied the building from 1940 to 1948. In 1948 eleven rooms were created on the second floor as overflow accomodation for the Mount Royal Hotel. Also in 1948, the building was used as a hub for local taxicab drivers and became offices for Brewster Transport, a local sightseeing and tour company. The Brewster family came to Banff in 1886. Two sons, Jim and Bill, started a business in 1892 shuttling Canadian Pacific Railway guests between the train station and the Banff Springs Hotel in tally-hos, and operating backcountry horse trips. After 1915, when motor vehicles were finally allowed in the park, the company began road tours with Packard touring cars, sightseeing buses, and later, deluxe motor coaches.
