today's history lesson
More Strathcona pioneer homes
by Lawrence Herzog
It's Our Heritage | Vol. 26 No. 33 | August 21, 2008
The Duggan residence. Photo by Dave Robb
They came from near and far to help grow the new settlement at the northern end of the Calgary & Edmonton Railway. The entrepreneurs who arrived in the 1890s and the first decade of the 20th century gave birth to the early businesses in what was first known as South Edmonton. In 1899 it was incorporated as a town called Strathcona, after Lord Strathcona, a pioneer fur trader and clerk whose real name was Donald A. Smith.
Many of the earliest settlers saw opportunity and opened businesses and helped Strathcona grow and prosper. The boom times lasted through the first dozen years of the new century, until Strathcona amalgamated with Edmonton and development shifted to the north side of the river. Many of those who came to the frontier settled in Strathcona, and an amazing stock of the houses they built survive as a virtual time capsule of the community formative and vibrant years. Here’s a look at a few of them. Davies Residence, 10606 - 84 Avenue
Arthur Davies arrived in Strathcona in 1895 and soon started a grocery store. Like many other early entrepreneurs, he found success in real estate investments. He was elected to Strathcona council and served as mayor, first in 1905 and again in 1911, when he played an important role in Strathcona’s amalgamation with Edmonton.
The house he built in 1909 was designed in the Queen Anne Style, and is embellished with classical details. At the front of the residence, a wooden porch with Tuscan columns supports a second-storey balcony. Twin two-storey bow windows are on the east side, another typical Queen Anne style feature.
Duggan Residence, 10515 Saskatchewan Drive
Even in 1907, Saskatchewan Drive was an exclusive address, and it was where Strathcona’s elite chose to locate their homes. John Joseph Duggan was one of those. Duggan was joined by such neighbours as John Gainer, proprietor of Gainer Meats and the Gainer Block; J. Douglas of Douglas Brothers and the Douglas Block; and R.R. Buchanan, manager of the Bank of Commerce.
John Duggan arrived in Strathcona on one of the first trains in 1891, and quickly set to work building his fortune. He managed the town’s first lumber yard, established its first rail yard, speculated in real estate and ran several firms. The house he built in 1907 cost $8,000, which was a substantial amount of money at the time.
He chose a Queen Anne styled design, and its restrained classical detailing is evident in the wooden front porch with Doric columns that support a verandah roof and balcony, and quoins and keystones in the two round attic storey windows. A tall, hipped roof with two projecting gables completes the front facade.
Duggan was elected as mayor of Strathcona in 1902 and 1903, and from 1908 to 1910. He lived in the Saskatchewan Drive residence until 1931. During World War II it was converted to a duplex, and was restored to its original condition in 1978 by the Alberta Association of Architects. In 1982, the J.J. Duggan Residence was designated a Provincial Historic Resource. O'Brien Residence, 10311 Saskatchewan Drive
While everyone else was building their homes out of brick. S.Q. O'Brien chose wood for his bungalow. Perhaps it's because O'Brien operated a lumberyard. He constructed his home in 1918 but then left Strathcona under a cloud, accused of attempting to corner the lumber market.
Even so, he was at the leading edge of a trend, both for the building material and the style of his home. He built it at a time brick was on the way out for residential construction. By the end of the 1920s, bungalows were beginning to appear in neighbourhoods throughout the city.
O’Brien arrived in Strathcona in the late 1890s, and worked as a teacher. In 1901, he established a lumberyard at 103rd Street and 80th Avenue.
Compared with the formal classical revival styles of residential construction, the “California Bungalow” used rustic finishes such as singles, random rubble masonry and art glass windows to create an informal effect. Other common bungalow elements evident in the O’Brien Residence are shed roof dormer windows and a large verandah.
In 1982, the O'Brien Residence was designated a Registered Historic Resource.
Sheppard Residence, 9945 - 86 Avenue
When William Henry Sheppard left Ontario and headed west in search of adventure and opportunity, he was just 15 years old. He worked on the railroads, and then as a contractor and a hotelier before arriving in Strathcona in 1894.
Soon afterwards, he opened the Hotel Raymond and then, in 1986, expanded his operations by buying the Strathcona Hotel. His success in the hospitality business soon paved the way for other ventures and making the beer he already sold seemed a logical way to maximize profits. So he purchased brewing equipment, built a brick plant in 1904 and formed the Edmonton Brewing and Malting Company.
He was elected to town council six times beginning in 1899 and was chosen as mayor of Strathcona in 1906. Sheppard’s house, built in 1911, was a large, dignified classical revival style structure designed to reflect his leading status in the community.
One interesting feature that sets this house apart is a semi-circular bow of the front porch. The columns of the porch support a large second floor balcony, and a widow’s walk tops the pyramidal roof.
The Sheppard Residence was designated a Provincial Historic Resource in 1981.
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