Featured Articles - Modern Surprises

Architectural historian Trevor Boddy has written rather dramatically: "Alberta is marked more by the functionalist forms and philosophies of modernism than any other place in the world" (Modern Architecture in Alberta, 1987). A year ago, I would have had no idea what this statement meant or why anyone might say such a thing.

But that all began to change last summer, when I signed up for an Edmonton Historical Week tour. Architect David Murray and historian Marianne Fedori promised to show us buildings that represent the "design influences during the building boom of the 1940s and 1950s," and to give us an "appreciation for the architectural accomplishments of the post-war period."

Our tour bus made its first stop across the street from the Milner Building (10030 104th Street), designed by a major Edmonton architectural firm of the era, Rule Wynn Rule. I had been inside the Milner building several times. But, as Murray began describing the aesthetic features of what is one of Edmonton's earliest "high-rise" towers (1958), I realized that I had never really looked at it before. Murray drew our attention to the use of horizontal lines in the design. He pointed out the asymmetrical podium with black marble columns on the ground floor, the vertical sunshade louvres and the street arcade with plaza landscaping. This structure is beautiful, I thought. It's not at all just another boring, box-shaped structure, as I had always assumed.

Since then I have learned that "modern" buildings in Alberta are often a blend of many styles and influences coming out of Europe (like Corbusier) and the United States (such as the prairie style of Frank Lloyd Wright and others). The typical elements include an asymmetrical balance of parts in combination with strong horizontal elements such as ribbon windows and thinly proportioned canopies. Flat roofs, large expanses of glass, and windows that turn a corner are common in these buildings. Exterior stucco with minimal texture was frequently used, but the stucco was often combined with much more expensive exterior materials such as limestone, granite, and marble—sometimes all on the same building. When brick was used, it tended to be yellow rather than the more traditional red. Glass block panels were also very popular.

Describing Alberta's fine collection of modern architecture, Fedori says, "It's remarkable how pure the forms are and how the styles are so directly translated." Murray notes as well how luxurious the finishes often are. The designs are deliberately simple, he says, but "they aren't as bare-bones as many people think."

How well many of the buildings on our tour illustrated their words.

The building that is now a Boston Pizza at 10620 Jasper Avenue was constructed in 1947 as the Burrows Motors automobile showroom. Designed by Rule Wynn Rule in the International Bauhaus style, it incorporates horizontal windows and several other horizontal features, along with an upper corner window and a large expanse of glass on the ground floor.

The Massey-Harris Ferguson farm implement showroom, 10616 103rd Avenue, now a Healy Ford dealership, was constructed in 1947, and William G. Blakey was the architect. Its International style includes horizontal framed windows with horizontal stone window bands, large expanses of glass and open columns. A flagpole is attached to the building at one end, as an asymmetrical component of the building's structure.

The 1952 Paramount Theatre at 10233 Jasper Avenue is one of Murray’s favourites. The architects, Stanley and Stanley, used expensive materials, including Tyndall limestone, marble, and granite. The asymmetrical design includes a strong vertical sign element that is contrasted with the horizontal, projecting roof. The entrance has an angled canopy, exposed columns, and a hint of a zigzag design.

The yellow brick Ellis Building, 10123 112th Street, built in 1954, is a good example of Bauhaus-inspired design, with its industrial windows wrapping around the wall corners and an asymmetrical entrance with vertical elements.