Landmark Building
A.M. CAMPBELL STORE
5415 -50 (formerly Barnett) Avenue, Lacombe
Built in 1913
'); "Campbell Residence")
Alexander M. Campbell, known to his friends as Sandy, came to Lacombe around the turn of the century. By 1904 he had opened a wood frame, false-fronted general store on Railway (now 47A) Street next to the original Corner Business Block. After the flatiron block fire of September of 1906, when his first store was completely destroyed, Campbell went into partnership with E. Titsworth and bought out Burdick and Blair, owners of the "Leading Store". It was only two months after the fire that Campbell bought the property on which this house stands, but over six years passed before he built the home in 1913.
As a successful businessman and, at various times, a member of the town council and board of trade, Campbell was a prominent member of Lacombe society, and his home reflects his status. Built on a grand scale in the popular Queen Anne Style, the house had a varied roofline, fancy fishscale shingles in the gable ends and proportions which emphasized the vertical over the horizontal – all features typical of the style. Although the house now serves as a multiple rather than a single dwelling, few changes are evident from the exterior. Most notable from the front of the building is the change made to the front porch.
Formerly an open verandah with doric columns supporting a ballustrated balcony above, the porch is now glassed in and covered by a bellcast roof in the same style as the main roof of the house. Despite this alteration, the original character of the home remains.
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 and Driving Tour: Lacombe. Alberta Culture and Multiculturalism Historic Sites Service and the Maski-Pitoon Historical Society of Lacombe, n.d., with permission from Alberta Culture and Community Spirit. Visit the Alberta Culture and Community Spirit for more information.