Edmonton is a very young city when compared to other major urban centers in Canada. On November 7, 1904, by ordinance of the North West Territories Legislature, this small town of 8,350 persons became a city.

This city of just over a million celebrated its centennial recently – and at a time when optimism for the future runs very high. The Alberta economy is in good shape and prosperity abounds, but prosperity is a double - edged sword. What it gives it can also take away. Edmonton‘s history is rife with the effects of boom and bust cycles on the city and nowhere is this more evident than its effect on its architecture.

 In the few years before it became an official city, Edmonton was in a serious growth mode. The population explosion was fueled by the Canadian government’s successful immigration campaign. Thousands of European settlers came to the west for the lure of free land to farm. Western Canada became the leading exporter of wheat for the world and the city prospered. Land speculators drove the price of land to equal that of major North American cities. On Jasper Avenue land sold up to $10,000 per lineal feet for street frontage. By 1913 all that changed. A worldwide depression, dropping wheat prices, a major recession in eastern money markets, and the bankruptcy of the Canadian Northern Railway turned the boom to a bust. Within months thousands of people lost their homes. Land values plummeted.  World war 1 followed, so it was some time before the city recovered .

Then in 1947 oil was discovered in Leduc ( a small town outside Edmonton), and it signaled the beginning of another boom period. This time however, the commodity was oil and gas – not agriculture. The city’s population took another quantum leap and many new communities were formed to keep up with the housing demand. Real estate speculators began to redevelop the older downtown areas and block after block of pre WW1 buildings met their demise at the hand of the wrecking ball in order to make way for tall glass and chrome high rises.

It became very clear to its citizens that they were losing precious architectural history and several local groups were formed in a effort to slow down the devastation created by short sighted politicians. The last straw was the Tegler Building – its destruction, much televised and covered by the media, became a symbol of the loss of the city’s history. The local groups joined forces and the Society for the Protection of Architectural Resources in Edmonton , also known as SPARE was born. In its 20 + years it became the voice of the buildings under threat of demolition. Its membership did just what other such groups do: lobbied local and provincial government, published newsletters, held rallies, kept the public in touch with what was happening through the media and presented awards to those individuals or corporate citizens that chose to preserve their building rather than demolish it. 

In 1993 the City of Edmonton hired consultants to assess what remained of Edmonton’s architectural resources and create its first Historic Resources Inventory. Although the criteria created occasional points of contention, nevertheless it was a step in the right direction. Owners of the buildings so noted were eligible for funding for restoration as long as they agreed to have their buildings officially designated as a historic property. Today, this inventory has grown to include many other noteworthy buildings not originally included on the inventory’s list. Applications are presented to the Historic Resources Review Panel who makes recommendations for the inclusion (or not) of the building in question to the Historical Board who is an “arm” of the city council.

Edmontonians continue the effort to preserve their architectural past by creating their own neighborhood groups. Heritage areas such as Strathcona, Highlands, Garneau, Groat Estates, Westmount and Beverly, (to name just a few) all have very active members that act as sentinels when their area is under threat. They publish and sell books on the history of their area. Their pride is good for all Edmontonians. There is absolutely no reason why the city’s past cannot walk proudly alongside its bright and prosperous future. 

Johanne Yakula lives in Edmonton. She was president of SPARE for 7 years and is currently on the board of the Historic Resources Review Panel.

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