Building Heritage Newsletter – March 2004 1

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The Whyte Avenue Fire - A New Building Rises From the Ashes

A year ago on March 11, 2003, a major fire destroyedseveral buildings including two historic resources on

the northeast corner of Whyte Avenue and 104 Street. Thesebuildings housed nine businesses, including Alberts Res-taurant, Southside Sound, New York Bagel Cafe andCarol’s Sweets. Many Edmontonians felt the devastationand loss of these buildings and businesses and expressedtheir grief with cards and flowers at the site. Once the hotembers cooled and the site was cleared, everyone wonderedwhat would their beloved corner on Whyte Avenue and104 Street look like in the future?

As the architects’ drawings show, the façade of com-mercial block that formerly housedSouthside Sound and CC on Whyte willbe re-constructed as per origi-nal design. Next to this façadeis the new entrance to the up-per floors, which acts as a tran-sition area between “what was”and “what is new”. The new por-tion has been designed using the

Above: Whyte Avenue Elevation • Below: 104 Street ElevationPhoto credit: Cohos Evamy Architects

Aftermath of the devastating firePhoto credit: David Holdsworth

Development Criteria as outlined in the Strathcona AreaRedevelopment Plan. The architects have incorporated bothhorizontal and vertical elements in the new design by usingstrong cornices at the street level as well as at the top orparapet level. The storefronts and entrances have incorpo-rated the historic pattern of recessed entries, transom glaz-ing and large display windows with bulkhead panels below.The storefronts will also be built with reclaimed brick fromthe original buildings. The upper windows are of the“punched” design with double-hung windows.

Construction is scheduled for completion this summerwith tenants opening their businesses in August.

Robert Geldart, Principal Heritage Planner

Building Heritage Newsletter – March 20042

Edmonton has been the home forMuslims since the beginning of

the 20th century. By the 1930s, anumber of families were establishedin the area and together these pioneersdiscussed their problems and workedto strengthen their lives and Edmon-ton’s Middle Eastern culture. At onemeeting, it was suggested that thebuilding of a mosque would offer pos-sible solutions to their problems, butthe task was large and daunting.

Through perseverance and dedi-cation, however, the challenge wasconquered, and on May 15, 1938, theenthusiastic Muslims received theirbuilding permit. When constructionwas soon halted by financial shortages,the determined pioneers beganfundraising once again and sufficientfunds, from Muslims and non-Muslimsalike, were collected and constructionof this important part of Edmonton’shistory began again.

The official inauguration, held onDecember 12, 1938, saw the openingof Canada’s first mosque, theAl Rashid. On that day, Edmonton’sproud Muslim pioneers honouredwhat they had built – a foundation forIslam in Canada, and an essential com-ponent of Edmonton’s cultural devel-opment.

THE MUSLIM PIONEERS OF EDMONTON, BUILDERS OFTHE AL RASHID MOSQUE

Edmonton HistoricalBoard Recognition

Awards 2003

Since 1975, the EdmontonHistorical Board has honouredpersons or groups who havemade substantial, voluntarycontributions to the City ofEdmonton by contributing tothe history of the City orencouraging the gathering,retention or promotion ofinterest in the history ofEdmonton and its surroundingdistrict.

(Above) TheMuslim Pioneersof Edmonton,c. 1940

(Left) The AlRashid Mosque,c. 1939Photos supplied byRichard Awid

• Ahmed Ali Awid• Sam Mohamed

Jomha• Saaid Tarrabain• Mahmoud Saaid El

Hage Ahmed• Kasim Halat• Hassin Ali Yaseen• Mohammed Fyiath• Mohamed Teha

Jomah• Ali Esmil Tarrabain• Hilwie Hamdon• Saaid Amerey• Mimi Darwish• Darwish

Mohammed Teha• Mohamed Nogedi

Charter Members listed in the incorporation of theArabian Muslim Association, registered on January 4, 1938

• MariamMohamed Teha

• Ali Hamdon• Kasim Mohamed

Awid• Mohamed Ali

Hamdon• Mohamed Saaid

Tarrabain• Ali Omer• Mohammed

Ahmed Assiff• Mahmed Sulih• Nejib Ali El

Hadjar• Rkia Mahmoud

Saaid El HageAhmed

• Margaret Ali ElHadjar

• Vira SamuelJamha

• MohamedMostafa Halat

• MohamedHassineHejmeldeem

• Ali Awid Amerey• Kalil Rahall• Mahmoud

MohamedTarrabain

• Mohamed AliShadhey

Building Heritage Newsletter – March 2004 3

Seated, left to right: Dr.Amtul Padsha,Dr. Lila Fahlman,Razia Jaffer, KarenHamdon, Soraya ZakiHafez.Standing, left to right:Evelyn Hamdon, Dr.Amathul Danial,Mahmuda Ali, NargisZaver, Fatima Dalal,Mumtaz Ebrahim,Nasim Kherani.Absent: Dr. ZohraHusaini.Photo supplied byRichard Awid

THERESTORATIONDEPARTMENTOF THE ALBERTAAVIATIONMUSEUM ANDLEARNINGCENTRE

When the AlbertaAviation Museum Asso-ciation moved into theirpresent location in thehistoric Hangar 14, theRestoration Depart-ment came into beingand with it, the preser-vation of Edmonton’srich aviation heritage.

Since 1989, the Res-toration Department of the AlbertaAviation Museum and Learning Cen-tre has actively restored the valuableaircraft that represent Alberta’s historyin the sky. Through the restoration ofnumerous aircraft, the Restoration De-partment has captured the spirit ofthose who over a century have flownout of Edmonton and Blatchford field.It offers for future generations exam-

Alberta Aviation Museum Associationvolunteers

Photo credit: Ed Pywell, 2001

THE CANADIAN COUNCILOF MUSLIM WOMEN(EDMONTON CHAPTER)

The Canadian Counci l ofMuslim Women, incorporated in1982, has a number of objectives,one of which is to contribute to Ca-nadian society the knowledge andideas of Muslim women for thebenefit of all Canadians. One of thegreatest benefits the Council hasprovided, was the preservation andrelocation of Canada’s first mosque,the Al Rashid, built in Edmontonin 1938, to the city’s historical FortEdmonton Park.

For a number of years, the AlRashid Mosque stood vacant on111th Avenue, as the local Muslimcommunity’s religious functionsmoved to a new location. Often therewas talk that the mosque would be

destroyed so that a new developmentcould take place in its location.

This did not, however, come to passas, in 1988, the Canadian Council ofMuslim Women (Edmonton Chapter),spearheaded an enormous four-year taskof relocating and restoring the mosque.

Through their tireless dedication,Canada’s first mosque and apriceless piece of Edmonton’shistory was saved and can now beviewed and remembered as apriceless living part of Edmontonand Canada’s history.

ples of aircraft that have graced Ed-monton’s skies, including those carryingmail, freight and emergency suppliesthroughout a developing province, orthose used during the British Common-wealth Air Training Plan of the 1940s,when Edmonton was, for a short time,one of the busiest airports in the world.

The work involved in restoring air-craft to pristine museum pieces is time

consuming and requires skill and dedi-cation. Only through the team of tire-less volunteers and under thoughtful di-rection can this enterprise exist. It is atribute to the spirit of adventure thatcharacterizes Edmonton’s history inthe sky.

Building Heritage Newsletter – March 20044

THE HERITAGECOMMUNITYFOUNDATION

The Heritage Community Foun-dation is a charitable trust that linkspeople with heritage through discoveryand learning. Its priorities are the de-velopment of online learning resources,creation of experiential learning oppor-tunities for children and youth, researchinto aspects of our history as well asbuilding sustaining support for herit-age. The Foundation was established byMuseums Alberta in July 1999.

Alberta Source - www.AlbertaSource.cais the gateway to the Foundation’s col-lection of online learning resources.The websites provide easy access to thehistorical, natural, cultural, scientificand technological heritage of Edmon-ton and Alberta and are developed inpartnership with heritage institutionsand organizations, the media and oth-ers in Edmonton and throughout theprovince.

The Foundation defines heritagebroadly to embrace landscapes, build-ings and streetscapes, objects andrecords, as well as stories – all of thetangible and intangible things that helpto define Edmontonians. It is a vitallink between the expert and the ordi-nary citizen and helps to bring to lifeEdmonton’s past.

LEGACY,ALBERTA’S CULTURALHERITAGE MAGAZINE

Legacy, an award-winning independ-ent magazine launched in 1996, containsstories about the ways in whichAlbertans create, celebrate and preserveour rich, enduring and diverse culturalheritage. Its mandate is to share with itsreaders the distinctive aspects of the es-sence of what gives the people of ourcommunities their sense of place. Withinthis mandate, Edmonton, its history andthose striving to preserve it are well rep-resented.

Alberta writers and photographersexplore architecture, special places andevents, and historic and contemporaryarts. For example, in the past year, thepages of Legacy have invited readers todiscover Edmonton’s remarkableAmiskwaciy Academy, which strives tohonour Aboriginal traditions whileachieving academic excellence. Theyhave revealed the ongoing saga of theEdmonton Symphony Orchestra as itfaced new challenges on its 50th anni-versary of bringing the joy of music toour community. Legacy’s feature storieshave also described the value of historicbuildings in Edmonton’s neighbour-hoods, as well as the little-known storiesof the immigrants who have lived withinthem. In doing so, Legacy has helped tobring to life and preserve Edmonton’srich and diverse, cultural past.

Honouring Alex Mair

The City of Edmonton and theEdmonton Historical Board are

pleased to honour Alex Mair by nam-ing a portion of 108th Avenue the AlexMair Way. The Alex Mair Way is lo-cated in front of the Prince of WalesArmouries between 104th Street and106th Street. The new sign showing avintage radio symbolizes Alex Mair's as-sociation with radio broadcasting.

Alex Mair was a quiet giant whotouched everyone he met with hiswarmth, humour and style. This re-markable individual, who had an un-canny way of lighting up a room withhis manner and presence, was born inEdmonton in 1926 and lived here hisentire life.

Alex attended the University of Al-berta, graduating with a degree in civilengineering in 1948. Soon after, hefound work with the City of Edmontonengineering department, but did not for-get his interest in writing. Eventually,the lure of writing drew him away fromhis engineering career.

Along with his work with CBC,Alex found time in 1967 to help organ-ize and launch the Radio and TelevisionArts program at N.A.I.T. In 1978, hebegan writing a daily column for theEdmonton Journal and in the early1980s, started submitting weekly col-umns to Real Estate Weekly. Over thenext twenty years, he published hun-dreds of articles and several books in-cluding a history of the EdmontonPolice Service and the very successfulGateway City.

People fortunate enough to hearhim speak listened attentively while helovingly retold the tales of our past. Hispassing in 2001 left a gaping hole in thehearts of those fortunate to have calledhim friend and in the city he loved.

The EdmontonHistorical Board 2003

Building Heritage Newsletter – March 2004 5

The east elevation also has a two-storey projecting window bay, with thebay extending through the foundation.The front of the house has a veranda withslender, slightly tapered piers supportingthe upper level porch. The piers and postsare filled with simple, crafted wood rail-ings, posts, caps and bracketing. All deco-rative features including mouldings andspindle fluting remain. An indication thatdecorative wood bracketing existed be-tween the piers has been noted. Thesehave been replaced with replicated brack-ets true to the patterns manufactured bythe Winnipeg Window and Door Com-pany in 1912-14 and commonly used atthat time. The base of the veranda is cov-ered with wooden square lattice commonto the period. The rear porchis similar to the front, but doesnot extend the width of thebuilding. A brick chimneyprojects from the top of theroof.

Despite its varied use overthe years, the interior of thehouse has remained intact andis complete with originalmillwork, including five paneldoors, wainscoting, the stair-well construction, mouldingsand trim. Almost all of the origi-nal fir and maple flooring re-mains as do the fireplace andgrill work.

Edmonton HistoricalBoard PlaquesSelection 2003

Since 1974, the EdmontonHistorical Board has placedplaques on buildings and sitesof historical significance in theEdmonton area to informowners and users of theimportance of the site orbuilding and to help remindeveryone of the history of ourcommunity.

SARAH MCLELLANRESIDENCE

This home, constructed by TomLeake, was built in 1913 and then

valued at $4500. It is one of the origi-nal, unaltered structures still remainingin the neighbourhood. Sarah McLellanimmigrated from Scotland in 1906 andpurchased the lot from Laurent Garneauin 1907. He was the Métis farmer whoowned most of the land on which theUniversity of Alberta and the Garneaucommunity are now located.

This residence is a larger versionof the four-square architectural stylehome with Arts and Crafts characteris-tics. Its design is one of a simple, hippedproperty. It features a hipped dormerwindow on each elevation in the roof,with the north and south dormers con-taining two sash windows, while the eastdormer contains a smaller casementwindow. The windows on the remain-ing elevations are sash windows, withnotable casings and corniced crowning.The walls are sided at ground level incedar lap siding and the upper level inplain cedar shakes. The two are sepa-rated by a timber board belt course, overwhich the shingles slightly project. Thefront, upper elevation has a decorativepattern in the shingles enhanced by theuse of diamond-shaped shingles. A friezeboard under the eaves joins the wallsand roof.

From 1916 to 1922, the house was usedas a nurses’ residence for the nurses workingwith WWI casualties at the military hospitalthat was located where the University of Al-berta Hospital stands today.

Apart from loss of some detailing tothe veranda, the original exterior and in-terior character of this building is intact.The Sarah McLellan Residence providesa strong visual reminder of the originalresidential character of the area now fac-ing huge development pressure.

WEST JASPER PLACESCHOOL DISTRICT #4679

On 15 March 1935, it was decidedthat the Stony Plain School District be

West Jasper Place School, 1948Photo credit: City of Edmonton Archives

The Sarah McLellan ResidenceCredit: Drawing by Eroca Hunter, 2001

continued on page 6

Building Heritage Newsletter – March 20046

divided into two districts; oneto be called West Jasper PlaceSchool District #4679.

In July of that same year, acontract went to the lowest bid-der to build a five-room school ata cost of $12,600, to be com-pleted in 48 days. Enrolment inthe new school was 135 pupils,with five teachers. There was asteady increase in pupils overthe years, with 1946 showingan enrolment of 735. Due tothe increasing enrolment, twoadditional buildings were con-structed to the west of the origi-nal school. The first was builtduring World War II and later,a two-storey building was con-structed to house the highschool. The school continued toprovide education until itsdemolition in 1980.

The plaque is placed incommemoration of the estab-lishment of West Jasper PlaceSchool District #4679. Grati-tude is expressed to all of theoutstanding principals anddedicated staff as well as paststudents, parents, residents andofficials of West Jasper Place.

Education continues to beprovided at this site through theGrant MacEwan College Cen-tre for the Arts, a fine buildingand an excellent place of learning.

HULL BLOCKThe Hull Block was built by William

Roper Hull who was born in Englandand came to Canada with his brotherJohn in 1873. They became involved ina number of businesses, including thecattle industry and the construction ofseveral buildings in Calgary. Hull builtthe Hull Block in 1914 at a cost of$35,000. Plans for this building wereprepared by architect Edward CollisHopkins and called for a bath brick andwhite cast cement exterior. The contrac-tor was Dunlop Johnson ConstructionCompany.

Hopkins’ design tends toward Ed-wardian Classicism or classic revival, apopular style for commercial blocks of

the time. Elements of the style includea projecting pressed metal cornice, adecorated parapet with keystone andinscription (Hull Block), storefrontcornice with dentils and ornamentalkeystones above the windows. EdwardHopkins was Alberta’s first ProvincialArchitect, appointed in 1905. He waslater involved in the design of someof Edmonton’s most prominent land-marks including the Prince of WalesArmouries (1915), now home to theCity of Edmonton Archives.

This building has remained muchthe same over the years, except forthe main floor businesses and theirsignage. For more than 40 years, themain floor was home to pharmacies.The resurgence of Chinatown in the1990s brought new life to the build-

ing with Chinese tenants occu-pying the main floor.

The Hull Block has beendesignated by the City of Ed-monton as a Municipal HistoricResource.

BALFOUR MANORBalfour Manor began life as

Fire Hall No. 4, built by theCity of Edmonton in 1911-1912, to serve the developingwest end. The fire hall was builtto accommodate horses andhorse-drawn equipment but wasclosed in 1921 due to “motori-zation of the department”.Thereafter, the building servedfor a time as a garage, a resi-dence and a home/office for amail contractor. In 1935, it wasthe location for the Midland BusLines garage. During the timethat the building was used as abus garage, apartments were oc-cupied on the upper floors.

In 1939, the building wasremodelled and modernizedby Edmonton contractorJoseph N. Cote, and the newten-unit apartment opened inAugust as Balfour Manor. Itcontinues as an apartmentbuilding to the present day.

Balfour Manor is remark-ably intact with respect to its

structure and fabric, and represents thebuilding as it was remodelled in 1939.All outside doors have been replaced butinterior features of interest remain:original windows, doors, hardwoodfloors, kitchen and bathroom fixtures,living room light fixtures, fireplace/heater, stairs/banister, outside basementstairs, coal chute and some originaldecorative door letters. The original fur-nace, reputedly the second oldest in theprovince and verified to 1911, is still inoperation, although no longer using coal.The main floor is reinforced, reflectingits original use for storage of heavyequipment and horses. The original brickpavements for the fire hall still remainunder the front lawn.

The EdmontonHistorical Board 2003

Hull Block, 1916Photo credit: Glenbow Archives

Edmonton Fire Department, Fire Hall No. 4, c.1914Photo credit: City of Edmonton Archives

Building Heritage Newsletter – March 2004 7

The Imperial Bank of Canada Building Now Designated

The story of the Imperial Bank ofCanada began in 1891. It was the

first bank to come to Edmonton andconducted business at this location forthe next 70 years in three different build-ings. In 1892, Imperial Bank of Canadamoved from 102nd Street and rented acorner section of a building located onJasper Avenue and 100th Street. Laterthe bank bought the structure and lotfor $10,000. The bank’s second build-ing was built in 1907-08. It was a grandclassical revival structure featuring anentrance portico by giant columns threestoreys tall elevated on one-storey highplinths. The scale of the of the bank,with its columns, its stone staircase andwrought iron entrance doors, dwarfedpedestrians and established a very pow-erful presence on Jasper Avenue. Thebuilding survived until the boom daysof the late 1940s when the ImperialBank decided a modern structure wasneeded. And so it came down in the fall

of 1950 and the site was prepared forits architectural successor. The newbuilding was designed by Imperial Bankarchitect, A. J. Everett with the Edmon-ton firm, Rule Wynn and Rule as asso-ciate architects. The building permitwas issued in 1951 and listed W.C. WellsConstruction of Edmonton as the con-tractor. The $950,000 project called fora four-storey structure of structural steeland reinforced concrete. It was to beclad with white Indiana limestone abovea base of black crystal-flaked granitearound doors and windows.

But a shortage of structural steelbrought by national defense departmentregulations controlling the supply ofstructural steel halted construction withjust the basement and the main floorcomplete and so the branch officiallyopened July 20, 1952 as a one-storeybuilding. Flanking the name plates onthe south and west upper walls of thebank were the bas-relief designs indi-

cating the era of rail and airprogress.

It wasn’t until 1953 that theproject resumed and the top storiesof what became a seven-storeybuilding were completed in thespring of 1954 at a cost of$1 million. Noteworthy design ele-ments include the metal spandrelsbetween the windows with thebank’s logo and the quoins and pi-lasters stylized as bands of rectangles.Indiana limestone and black gran-ite provide the bank with a sleek geo-metric silhouette.

In 1961, the Imperial Bank ofCanada merged with the CanadianBank of Commerce and thecompany with assets of $4.6 billion,became the Canadian ImperialBank of Commerce (CIBC). Thebuilding served as a CIBC branchuntil 2000, when it was closed andoperations merged with the banks’rejuvenated and historic mainbranch at Jasper Avenue and101st Street.

The Edmonton Chamber of Com-merce, the new owners of the Imperial Bankof Canada successfully designated the “A”listed building as a Municipal HistoricResource on February 24, 2004. Theformer bank will be restored and rehabili-tated by the Edmonton Chamber of Com-merce to become the World Trade Center,as a member of the World Trade CentersAssociation. The exterior of the buildingwill be carefully restored to meet the re-quirements of the provincial “Guidelinesfor the Rehabilitation of Designated His-toric Resources”. A partial floor on thecurrent roof level is proposed that will havesome visual impact on the exterior of thebuilding. The architects, HIP Architectsand David Murray Architect state that allnew work will be designed to be compat-ible with the character of the original build-ing, reflecting a “Late Modern” architec-tural character.

Reprinted in part with permissionfrom Lawrence Herzog, 2003

(Left) The Imperial Bank ofCanada in 1954Photo credit: Provincial Archivesof Alberta

(Above) The second buildingin 1908

Photo credit: CIBC Archives

Building Heritage Newsletter – March 20048

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WE WOULD LIKE TOHEAR FROM YOU!

Please send your responses to:

The Heritage PlannerCity of EdmontonPlanning and Development Department5th Floor, 10250-101 Street NWEdmonton, AB T5J 3P4or visit our website at:www.edmonton.ca/planning

HISTORIC RESOURCESREVIEW PANEL - 2004

• Bert Yeudall, Chair• Catherine Garvey• Linda Affolder• Ken Tingley• David Murray• Dorothy Field• Leslee Greenaway• Johanne Yakula• Leslie Latta-Guthrie• Robert Geldart/David Holdsworth

This newsletter is produced in partnership with the Edmonton Historical Boardand the City of Edmonton Planning and Development Department

Trees of Distinction

The Register of Historic Resourcesin Edmonton is the list of buildings andstructures within Edmonton that are eli-gible for designation as Municipal His-toric Resources. The Register also con-tains Appendices which do not form partof the familiar “A” or “B” lists, but listother resources which have historic andarchitectural significance.

The Appendices are used to raise theawareness of these resources in order to en-courage their maintenance and preserva-tion, and include 28 landscape features. Forexample, elm trees located in the boulevardand median along 97th Street between111th and 118th Avenues are listed, as arethe petrified log and Stark oak on theProvincial Museum of Alberta grounds.In North Garneau the famous oldGarneau Tree planted in 1874 is included,as are the American elms on 85th Avenuebetween 109th and 110th Streets. TheHolowach Horse Chestnut tree as shownabove is also included.

A formal process to amend the Regis-ter has been established by the Planningand Development Department through theassistance of the Edmonton HistoricalBoard. Those having new information onhistoric resources are invited to forward itfor possible inclusion in the Appendix. Forfurther information, contact the HeritagePlanners at 496-6123 or 496-5281.

Ken Tingley

The Holowach Horse Chestnut tree10049-106 Street

Photo credit: City of EdmontonPlanning and Development

This Old Edmonton House Public Seminar Series

The “This Old Edmonton HousePublic Seminar Series” is running

again this spring. The series wasoversubscribed in 2003 and it isanticipated that it will be just as popularagain in 2004.

The series aims to provideparticipants with enough basicinformation to ask contractorsappropriate questions related to therestoration or upgrading their homes.The objectives are to protect the historicalcharacter of the house while allowingsufficient modern upgrades suitable fortoday’s living standards and todemonstrate that good restoration ratherthan modernization can also achieve thesame goal.

The speakers provide a broadoverview of the subject matters in

informal sessions, while enabling specificproblems to be dealt with in the questionand answer sessions. This givesparticipants a basic understanding andpossibly, in some cases, a specific optionto pursue.

The workshops cover foundations,walls, roofs, mechanical systems, plasterwork, windows and doors, interior décor,etc. If you would like further informationplease phone David Holdsworth at496-5281 or through email at:david.holdsworth@edmonton.ca

Check the City of Edmonton websitefor the latest postings at:www.edmonton.ca/planning_dev/planning_policy_services_branch/heritage/index.html

David HoldsworthHeritage Planner

Guest speakerJohanne Yakulapresentinga talk on historicinterior designPhoto credit:City of EdmontonPlanning andDevelopment