Interesting comparision, note the clock and done on the older picture, which are now gone, but also note that an extra floor was added at some point !

This monumental edifice should be open to the public, and should be full of shops and restaurants. It could link the moribund Sparks Street Mall with the market. It should also have been used for the new underground transit item. It is in the heart of the city and has been closed to the public for half a century. What a nonsensical tragedy.