Feature Article

WALKING INTO STRATHCONA'S PAST

Written By: Lawrence Herzog
Published By: Real Estate Weekly
Article © Copyright Lawrence Herzog
2008-05-01

Strathcona was put on the map in 1891 when the Calgary and Edmonton Railway Company completed its line from Calgary to a terminus south of the banks of the North Saskatchewan River. Despite pressure to cross the river and end the line at Edmonton, the company wanted to monopolize the benefits of future land sales and so created a new settlement they called South Edmonton.

The aim was to create a new commercial centre that would overtake Edmonton. Property was purchased from landowners, rails were laid and the first train arrived in August 1891.

The new link to the outside world brought prosperity, thousands of new settlers and the promise of a great future. The railway put up the first buildings along 103th Street and Whyte Avenue including the railway station, section house, engine house and hotel, called Edmonton House (now the Strathcona Hotel).

The risktakers did the rest, starting businesses and building buildings that bore their names: Ross, Douglas, Gainer, Tipton, Richards and many more that, a century later, are now the backbone of Whyte Avenue's historic district.

Strathcona was incorporated as a town in 1899 and named after Lord Strathcona, a pioneer fur trader and clerk whose real name was Donald A. Smith. Born in Scotland in 1820, he become Hudson's Bay Governor, Member of Parliament, railway financier and Canadian High Commissioner. When he was elevated to the peerage by Queen Victoria in 1897 he chose the title Strathcona, Gaelic for broad valley and the river Coe that ran through his Scottish property.

Strathcona grew and prospered in the early days of the 1900s until it amalgamated with Edmonton in 1912 and development shifted to the north side of the river. That's one of the reasons today's Strathcona boasts such an amazing stock of vintage buildings making it a virtual time capsule of the community's early, vibrant years.

Lace up your walking shoes and go for a glorious early May wander with this trusty column as your walking tour guide.

Begin at the southwest corner of 105th Street and Whyte Avenue, named after a Calgary and Edmonton Railway Company official.

Strathcona Public Building, 10510 Whyte Avenue

This Edwardian Classical Revival building was built by the federal Department of Public Works between 1911 and 1913 as Strathcona's Post Office and offices for Customs and Inland Revenue. While Edmonton's version of the same building design was demolished more than 35 years ago, the Strathcona version was saved and declared a Provincial Historic Resource in 1985. It now functions as a public market.

Travel east along Whyte Avenue to the corner of 104th Street

Tipton and Hulbert Blocks, 10355-63 Whyte Avenue

Well-known contractor R.A. Hulbert built both blocks in 1911 and 1912 and the Tipton Block, erected first, was bought by J.G. Tipton & Sons for $40,000 in 1912. The Hulbert Block must have been built before the sale of its companion because they share an internal staircase. The Tipton Block was renovated by the Old Strathcona Foundation in 1979 at a cost of $400,000.

Continue east along the Avenue.

Gainer Block, 10341-43 Whyte Avenue

John Gainer didn't know much about the butchering trade when he arrived on one of the first C & E Railway trains in 1891, but he knew opportunity and so set up shop on Whyte Avenue. Business was good and by 1902 he built the Gainer Block. His venture "John Gainer and Company, Butchers and Pork Packers" became one of western Canada's largest meatpacking companies.

Princess Theatre, 10337 Whyte Avenue

When it opened in 1915, the Princess Theatre was said to have the largest stage in western Canada. Early fare included high-class musical vaudeville and musical concerts and the Princess remained the only theatre south of the river until 1940. When television arrived in the 1950s, the lobby of the Princess was converted to retail use for more than 15 years.

Strathcona in the 1920s through Depression and the years of the Second World War remained largely unchanged, as citizens and entrepreneurs held steady. They were hoping for a return to the boom days before the First World War and before development shifted to the north side of the river.

Cross 103rd Street and travel south 50 metres.

Canadian Pacific Railway Station, 8101 103rd Street

Separate waiting rooms for men and women and a smoking lounge were the talk of the town when the station opened in January 1908. Built for $24,000, it replaced a modest wood frame station that had been constructed in 1891.

Return to the northwest corner of Whyte Avenue and 103rd Street.

Strathcona Hotel, 10302 Whyte Avenue

Built in 1891 by the Calgary & Edmonton Railway Company as the Hotel Edmonton, it ranks as the oldest wood frame commercial building on Whyte Avenue. The hotel was part of a cluster of buildings in its new settlement called South Edmonton that included the hotel, a railway station, section house and engine house.

Originally the rectangular wood frame building had 45 guest rooms, a dining room and beer parlour. Business was good, and beer baron William Sheppard expanded "the Strath" in 1907 and again in 1913. The Strathcona Hotel was declared a Registered Provincial Historic Resource in 1976, its 85th birthday.

Walk north on 103rd Street and turn west on 83rd Avenue

Fire Hall #1, 10322 83rd Avenue

Built in 1910 when fire engines were horse drawn, this fire hall served as stable, a garage for the engines and a dormitory for the firemen. Standing 77 feet high, the cupola-topped tower housed the hall's alarm bell and a drying rack for the fire hoses. Today it is the only surviving fire hall from this era in Edmonton, and one of a very few left in Alberta.

Go north on lane at west side of Fire Hall #1.

Orange Hall, 10335 84th Avenue

This wood frame home to the Loyal Orange Lodge No. 1654 was built in 1903 on land bought for $150 that year. Inside its hardwood flooring, wainscotting and stage with podium and carved wooden arch, is virtually unchanged in 100 years. Today the Strathcona Orangemen operate primarily as a benevolent association, raising funds for various children's charities.

Because of the well-preserved interior, Orange Hall was used in 1980 as the set for a documentary on the life of Alberta women's rights activist Emily Murphy. During Prohibition, the Strathcona Hotel served as the Westminister Ladies College.

Further west beckon the homes of many of the early pioneers the Shepard Residence at 9945 86th Avenue, the Bard Residence at 10544 84th Avenue, the McLean Residence 10454 84th Avenue and many more.

Information for this article compiled with the assistance of the staff at the City of Edmonton Archives, the Old Strathcona Foundation and the Old Strathcona Business Association.