Landmark Building
THE LEMARCHAND MANSION
11523-100 Avenue, Edmonton
Designed By: A.M. Calderon
Built in 1909
','Lemarchand Mansion', 'Source: District of Oliver, Edmonton Historical Walking and Driving Tour <br />(© Alberta Culture and Community Spirit)'); "Lemarchand Mansion")
The Lemarchand Mansion is one of the most beautiful apartment buildings of its age in Edmonton. After all, René Lemarchand’s ambition was to erect an apartment building which would be “un des plus luxueux dans le genre au Canada” – one of the most luxurious of its kind in Canada. And so it was. Designed by the Winnipeg architect A.M. Calderon and built between 1909 and 1911, the Lemarchand Mansion cost between $140,000 to $200,000. It was spectacularly sited, and established the West End as an affluent neighbourhood and prestigious address.
The interior was elegant: the entrance had bevelled and stained glass, marble flooring, oak paneled walls, and a brass-hooded fireplace. Many special conveniences and comforts were provided, including one of Edmonton’s first elevators, and an on-site coal degasifier that produced natural gas for cooking and heating. The H-shaped plan eliminated light shafts – all rooms had an exterior window. Electric dumb waiters made the deliver of groceries or packages easy, and each suite had one or two fireplaces. Concrete floors and brick walls made the building as soundproof and fireproof as was then possible. All this luxury came with a price tag: suites rented for $40 to $100 a month, at a time when a workman’s wage was about 50 cents an hour.
The exterior of the Lemarchand Mansion is worthy of its interior. The block has four storeys, the upper three of which are red brick. The lower floors are brick covered with cement-based parging to resemble stone. Details include contrasting keystones, an ornate cornice, iron balconies, pillars and pilasters, and triangular pediments. The influence of the French classical revival Beaux-Arts Style can be seen in the grand entry. The first storey portico is surmounted by decorative horizontal bands of the contrasting stone and brick. The third and fourth storeys have columns which rise two storeys to another pediment.
The Lemarchand Mansion was a contrast to its setting. Not far away was virtually uninterrupted wilderness, yet this was an essentially urban type of housing. In Europe and some North American cities, apartments provided a polar alternative to the single family detached house. The Lemarchand Mansion, with its five, six, and seven room suites, introduced this alternative to Edmonton. It was intended to appeal to upper-income families, not just the couples and singles most apartments cater to. René Lemarchand came to Edmonton from Paris at the urging of his brother Alphonse, curate of St. Joachim’s. When he arrived in 1905, René was prosperous and no longer young. He had been a butler, and allegedly made his fortune from a strange inheritance: a collection of straight razors willed him by his eccentric Parisian employer, who had used a new one every day. Razors could be expensive, and most men owned only a few in their lifetime. One of Lemarchand’s ventures was “The Finest Fruits and Fancy Goods Store in Edmonton” selling, among other things, French and English razors. After 1906, he sold his store and invested his money in real estate. An enthusiastic booster, Lemarchand secured funds from the Paris Waiters’ Union, L’Union des garcons de Café, to build this apartment block. After WWI, Lemarchand visited Edmonton infrequently before his death in Paris in 1921.
The Lemarchand Mansion suffered predictably during the Great Depression in the 1930s. Lower suites were converted to offices after WWII, but many long term tenants stayed on. In 1977, the building was designated a Provincial Historical Resource, and a $4.5 million restoration was undertaken. The most significant exterior change was the replacement of the original double-hung windows with single pane sealed units. Today, the Lemarchand Mansion has been entirely converted to offices and shops.
The Landmark Buildings and Places Database draws on the series of walking and/or driving tour booklets produced by Alberta Culture (now Alberta Culture and Community Spirit). The Heritage Community Foundation gratefully acknowledges the support of the Ministry through permission to reprint these materials online. Extracted from Historical Walking Tours of Downtown, 2004, Centennial edition of the brochure. Planning and Development Department, City of Edmonton, and Alberta Community Development., 2004, with permission from Alberta Culture and Community Spirit. Visit the Alberta Culture and Community Spirit for more information.