A historic and iconic building in south Edmonton is selling for $3.6M

An iconic and historic building in Edmonton’s Strathcona neighbourhood is for sale, and it could be yours for a pretty penny.

The Strathcona Garage is a two-storey, red-brick building built in 1912. Located at 10505 81st Avenue NW, it’s currently listed on the market as a receivership sale for $3,600,000.

According to the Alberta Register of Historic Places, the garage is heavily associated with the early automobile industry in Edmonton. It’s also significant as an “excellent and increasingly rare” example of an early twentieth-century building designed specifically for the auto industry.

Michael C. Parsons/NAI Commercial Real Estate Inc

The Strathcona Garage served as an automobile dealership, garage, and repair shop from when it was built until 1943. During this period, automobiles evolved from luxury items that only the rich could afford to mass-produced products accessible to a broader range of people.

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The north side of the building was designed to showcase the latest automobiles, serving an exclusive few customers. On the east side, the design reflects its use as automobile storage and repair. The second floor housed apartments, a rare feature of this type of building.

Renderings included in the listing show potential development that could come to the Strathcona Garage.

Michael C. Parsons/NAI Commercial Real Estate Inc

Michael C. Parsons/NAI Commercial Real Estate Inc

“The Strathcona Garage is thus associated with the growth and development of a technology that fundamentally transformed the lives of Albertans in the first half of the 20th century,” the Alberta Register of Historic Places writes.

Michael C. Parsons/NAI Commercial Real Estate Inc

“The building also contributes significant architectural and thematic variety to the Old Strathcona Provincial Historic Area, one of the province’s most significant heritage districts.”

According to the real estate listing, the building’s 17,600 square feet can accommodate a wide range of commercial uses, and city grants are available potentially for property restoration, rehabilitation and future maintenance.

It sure is a stunning building, and we’d love to see someone breathe new life into this iconic piece of Edmotnon’s history.

What would you like to see in this building? Let us know in the comments.