A 123-year-old historic building in Banff National Park has two-foot thick walls
A building that is more than 120 years old has a fascinating history, and it’s perched near a very popular tourist attraction in Banff National Park.
Constructed in 1902 by architect Ralph Edwards, the Sulphur Mountain Weather Station is perched on the top of an exposed ridge at the peak of Sulphur Mountain and overlooking the Banff townsite.
The Sulphur Mountain Weather Station, also known as the Sulphur Mountain Observatory, is a small, plain, one-storey, stone building with a hipped roof. The Recognized Federal Heritage Building designation is confined to the building’s footprint.
Environment Canada/Parks Canada Western Regional Office
The Sulphur Mountain Weather Station is associated with the collection of climatological data for the Meteorological Service of Canada.
The data collected at the station made a significant contribution to the knowledge of the climate of the Canadian Rockies and was part of an effort launched by the federal government to promote tourism in Banff National Park and to provide information for visitors. It is also associated with Norman Bethune Sanson, who was the meteorologist in charge of the weather station.
Russ Heinl/Shutterstock
Looking at the makeup of the building, it’s touted as having “very good functional design, good construction and quality materials and craftsmanship.” It is comprised of a one-storey massing with a hipped roof, and its two-foot-thick walls are constructed of local limestone.
Parks Canada says the reason for the designation, which came on Dec. 22, 1986, is that it is an example of a vernacular meteorological observatory.
“Built solidly of local materials to provide shelter and house weather recording instruments, the modest building has withstood the elements despite its location on an exposed ridge of Sulphur Mountain overlooking the Banff townsite,” the federal agency stated.
If you are on the hunt for more neat history in our province, this massive 110-year-old structure in Alberta was once a world record holder, and a Calgary mall that sits on the site of an old drive-in movie theatre.