Heritage Community Foundation Presents
Alberta Online Encyclopedia

Landmark Building

A. YOUNG DRUGSTORE, 1903

210 24 th Street, Fort Macleod
Built in 1903

A. Young Drugstore

The A. Young Drugstore was the first brick commercial block on Fort Macleod's main street. The second storey was initially rented to Dr. Forbes and Dr. Bruce, while the main floor housed the drugstore. A small circulating library was also a unique feature of the store. Arthur Young came to Fort Macleod in 1896 to establish a drugstore after receiving his degree as a pharmacist from the University of Manitoba. He moved his drugstore into this building on October 8, 1903, and operated from there until 1911 when Young began selling insurance for the K.A.Y. Insurance Company. The store was bought by A. D. Ferguson in 1912. Since then, the building has housed many commercial businesses.

This two-storey brick building was constructed in 1903. Close inspection of the building will reveal that much attention has been paid to the detailing. Of particular note is the decorated entablature over the first-storey windows crowned by finials at both ends. Other distinctive features include the simple wood cornice above the secondstorey windows, the cement sills and brick voussoirs, and the decorative corbelled brickwork immediately below the roofline on the north elevation. The four, small round windows with brick voussoirs above the cornice on the second storey contribute to this visually interesting building.

The front elevation has been altered to include the doorway on the northeast corner which once belonged to the Cowdry Brothers Bank Building to the east. Over the door is a radiating voussoir and above that, a bull's eye window, with radiating voussoirs and keystones. The storefront and interior of the building have been altered somewhat, but the interior has maintained its pressed metal ceiling, a skylight and symmetrically molded trim with corner block.




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 A Walking/Driving Tour of Fort Macleod’s Historic Downtown & Residential Area. Alberta Culture and Multiculturalism and Fort Macleod Provincial Historic Area Society, n.d., with permission from Alberta Culture and Community Spirit. Visit the Alberta Culture and Community Spirit for more information.


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