Two sites in Edmonton, including a historic park in one of the city’s oldest neighbourhoods and a 110-year-old home, have been declared Municipal Historic Resources by City Council.
Windsor Park North Park, located in the heart of Windsor Park, is now Edmonton’s 200th historic designation. The 1.57-hectare (3.88-acre) park is known for its ornamental landscaping, mature elm trees, and prominent sunken garden, which has also served as an impromptu athletic field since 1956.
The site will receive a matching grant of $75,000 to support future rehabilitation work.
Building a neighbourhood
Following the Second World War, Edmonton began designing neighbourhoods as “neighbourhood units,” featuring curving streets and centrally located park spaces intended to serve as community gathering places. Windsor Park became the city’s first comprehensively planned neighbourhood unit, centred around North Park.
The park benefited from then Parks Superintendent Alexander “Sandy” Patterson’s dream of creating elm tree-laden roads throughout the city. Today, the city is home to one of the world’s largest concentrations of mature elm trees, including 40 surrounding Windsor Park North Park. The site also features at least 27 species of trees and ornamental shrubs.
The original park design, created by former City Architect Robert Falconer Duke, included plans for a circular ornamental fountain at the northern end of the Sunken Garden and Great Lawn. However, Windsor Park residents voted against constructing the fountain in April 1956.
Several original features remain intact today, including the Sunken Garden and Great Lawn, low masonry retaining walls and steps, original iron drainage grates, portions of the original fencing and granular walking paths.
Elizabeth Bell Residence
City of Edmonton
Council also approved the designation of the Elizabeth Bell residence, making it Edmonton’s 201st Municipal Historic Resource.
Elizabeth Bell immigrated to Canada with her husband, John, and daughter Eunice in 1889. After being widowed, she purchased the Bellevue-area lot in 1912 and was living in the home with her daughter and son-in-law by 1916.
By 1917, the home was listed as vacant after Bell remarried and relocated to the Grande Prairie area. The residence’s current owner has lived in the home since 2008, its longest continuous occupancy.
The one-and-a-half-storey home features a steep gable roof with a small shed dormer on the north side. The residence is clad in wooden clapboard siding on the main floor and wooden shakes on the upper floor.
The owner will receive approximately $59,000 in grant funding to support restoration and rehabilitation work.