City of Lacombe Historical Walking Tour
City of Lacombe Historical Walking Tour
Our tour of historic Lacombe starts with its oldest standing building: The Michener House, located at 5036 - 51st Street.
Built in 1894, The Michener House gets its name from its most famous resident: former Governor General of Canada Roland Michener, who was born right here in 1900. At that time, it served as a parsonage for a Methodist church that once stood immediately to the south. In 1984 the church was torn down, but the house was preserved as a museum by the Lacombe and District Historical Society. There's a plaque with more information on the east side of the house and from Victoria Day weekend to Labour Day weekend you can tour the restored interior. Pause now and resume when you're ready to continue.
From the Michener House, head south to the end of the block and turn left on 50th Avenue. About halfway down this block you will come to what is known as The Denike Block at 5012 - 50th Avenue.
This entire half block used to be occupied by the Victoria Hotel, the first two-storey hotel in Lacombe, built in 1894. It and several other buildings to the north burnt to the ground in the fire of 1911. The area was rebuilt shortly after with the structures you see now.
C.R. Denike opened Lacombe's first jewellery store about two blocks west of here in 1907. By 1913, business was booming along with the Town and he put up this building to meet demand. Many a doe-eyed bride-to-be stood on this very spot eyeing the sparkling jewellery in the display window. Meanwhile, the Town Registrar Perry Pratt worked diligently upstairs, recording the Town's births, deaths and marriages. Read the plaque here for more information before moving on to the east.
The next building to the east is the McLear Block, located at 5006 to 5010 - 50th Avenue. The first part of this is actually known as the McLear Annex. We're not sure if this was a surveying mistake or simply an afterthought, but it makes for an interesting addition. Its first resident was F.S. Lewis's real estate office, followed by the aptly named Cozy Barbershop. Next door, in the west side of building proper, was a popular pool hall. But when the First World War broke out in 1914, pool was blamed for low moral standards among impressionable young men and the tables were forced into the basement. Watt and Hay's Gent's Furnishings moved in and occupied this space until 1990. Next door was McDermid's Pharmacy, which moved in the mid-80s after over 60 years of continuous operation. Next we'll continue on to the corner lot.
This impressive building, at 5002 - 50th Avenue, was the home of the Royal Bank of Canada from 1914 to 1988. After two major fires in Lacombe in 1906 and 1911, the challenge facing banks here was to convince people that their money was safe. So while other Royal Bank branches were built of wood, the Lacombe outlet was given a more solid appearance, including a large banking room and two-storey vault. Upstairs were tellers' quarters and - for a time in the ‘40s - the offices of Doctors Hynes, Stewart and Locke. Now we'll round the corner and head north on 50th Street.
The first building here - 5002 - 50th Avenue - started out as Folis' Pharmacy in 1920. By 1925, however, it was purchased by W.C. Sweet and became known as Sweet's Pharmacy. The store had a large variety of merchandise, including plenty of treats for children, but the real action was in the alleyway along the south side of the building. Here, there was a weight scale which told your fortune. Walter Baines would set up his outdoor popcorn stand when the weather was nice and Santa also made appearances in this space at Christmastime. Next up is 5010 and 5012 - 50th Street, known as the Puffer/Chung Block.
William Puffer ‘s butcher shop and Hop Chung's laundry stood side-by-side here from 1900 until they burnt down in the fire of 1911. The cooperative business owners decided to rebuild a single but divided building, which is what you see now. Puffer was Lacombe's first MLA from 1905 to 1917 and was instrumental in bring the Federal Research Station to town. Chung, meanwhile, was one of the first Chinese residents of Lacombe. Let's keep heading north to the Ben Cameron Studio at 5014 - 51st Street.
For 55 years, Ben Cameron documented the people, places and events of Lacombe through photography in the studio that operated here. Photography was just in its infancy when he started and involved working with bulky equipment, explosive powder and delicate glass. His work is now considered of high historical significance today. The next stop is 5016 - 50th Street - the former Lacombe Safeway location.
In 1928 Lacombe became home to the first Safeway store in Alberta. It was also the first business in town not owned by a local resident, with the exception of the banks. The California-based Safeway company was one of the first to use architectural branding, constructing all their early shops in the same Spanish-influenced style seen here. Moving on to 5020 - 50th Street, we now come to the Hotson Block.
George Hotson was a community band organizer, a member of town council and avid horse racer and is responsible for the building before you now. In 1903 he moved two other buildings from downtown to this space and then built a continuous facade across the front. It was restored in 1990. Next door to the north is The Lacombe Globe at 5022 - 50th Street.
One of Lacombe's longest-running businesses, The Globe was founded in 1900 by J.D. Skinner. In 1905, the newspaper was bought by Charles Halpin, whose claim to fame was that he was a guard to Louis Riel in a Regina jail. Be sure to read the plaque here for a taste of the many interesting stories that surround The Globe. Our final stop on this side of the street is 5024 - 50th Street, known as the Owl Store.
Built in 1911, it originally looked much like the Puffer-Chung building and housed a billiard hall and S.M. Murray's General Store. In the 1930's it was re-finished with stucco and an art-moderne design. With its new look, it served as home to a grocery store, a health food store and a gospel book store, but each time it kept the same name: Owl Store. Now let's carefully cross the road and head back south a bit to 5013 - 50th Street to The Old Billiard Hall.
This building was almost lost when the Rex Theatre to its north was torn down. Since the two structures shared a common wall, the Old Billiard Hall started to lean and was condemned. Fortunately, a new building was re-constructed to the north, saving this place. It originally housed a harness shop, but the introduction of the Model T led to the downfall of that industry and a billiard hall moved in. The billiards room ran from 1919 to 1980, while other gambling and meetings went on upstairs. You can be sure at least one unfortunate person lost their farm in a poker game here. Next we'll head south and onto 50th Avenue again. Turn east and stop at 4918 to 4922 - 50th Avenue.
A man named M.J. MacLeod built this large wood building in 1896 and called it The Leading Store. In 1902 it was completely covered in brick and expanded. The shop itself introduced Lacombe to the concept of the department store, organizing its offerings into sections such as hardware, grocery, dry goods and clothing. Continue on now past the alley to 4910 and 4912 - 50th Avenue - a building known primarily as M & J Hardware.
This space served as Lacombe's first hardware store, started up in 1894 by George Reid and operated by Norman Morrison from 1901 to about 1965. Reid also served as Lacombe's mayor from 1917 to 1920. The original wood building was moved one block north in 1905 where it later served as Lacombe's first hospital. A new brick building was erected in its place the next year and in 1912, the first Ford motorcar garage was added in the back. Gas pumps were added in the front in 1915. The next building down - at 4906 and 4908 - 50th Avenue was the site of the Lacombe Post Office.
The first post office in town was located east of here, in a cabin built by Jacob Dolmage. This was also the second ever house in Lacombe. In 1895, a proper building was constructed on the west side of this lot by William Burris - the town's first postmaster and later - in 1902 - its first mayor. In 1920, after determining that the old wood building was a fire hazard, this current brick structure was put up. Since then, the post office has moved several times and a variety of businesses have occupied this space. At the end of this block - at 4902 - 50th Avenue - is Lacombe's first brick building: the Day Block. Note that there is no plaque at this location.
Built in 1903, it has since been covered with stucco, but you can still see the outline of the brickwork in the upper part of the facade. The lower level has played home to many different businesses over the years. Upstairs was Day's Opera House, which hosted plays, concerts, banquets, and in 1907, Lacombe's first movie. Most popular of all, though, was the annual Robbie Burns Night, complete with bagpipes, haggis, the "bonny knees" contest and poetry readings. We'll round the corner now and head north on 49th Street to the Blacksmith Shop Museum at number 4920.
By appointment and on special occasions, this blacksmith shop is open to the public where you can see firsthand the work that took place here. It's the oldest operating blacksmith shop in Alberta, originally built in 1902 and restored as a working museum in 1991. In the early days, blacksmith shops were amongst the largest businesses in town, along with stables and hotels, but the advent of the motor car gradually caused the blacksmith shops to give way to garages. Next we'll backtrack south, then cross 50th Avenue to the south side of the street. Our first stop is the Corner Business Block at 4913 to 4919 - 50th Avenue.
This entire block is known as the Flatiron Block, the reason for which we'll get to soon. The story of this area is exemplified in the unfortunate timeline of McDermid Drugs. McDermid Drugs first occupied this space in 1904 until a fire started in the kitchen and destroyed most of the block. McDermid moved his business across the street and a new building was erected in 1907. In 1911, the Victoria Hotel fire forced McDermid to move again and he came back to this spot. Less than a decade later, it burnt to the ground again. McDermid was not a lucky man. The first floor of the current building went up in 1928 and the second floor was added in 1947. We'll head west now to 4923 - 50th Avenue: the Urquhart Block.
One of Lacombe's first stores - D.G. Stewart, General Merchant - originally occupied this space, but like those around it, it burnt down in the 1906 fire. The following year, Andrew Urquhart bought the property and built a department store here. It continued on in this role until it was purchased by Jack Kanngiesser Sr. in 1954, who still owns it today. Next door to the west is the Adelphi Hotel site - we'll head there now, but don't look for a plaque here, as none is posted.
Lacombe's first hotel, the Albion, was built here in 1894. It was purchased by A.T. Inskip in 1901 and renamed as the Metropolitan before burning down in 1906. Undaunted, Inskip bought more land in the block and rebuilt the hotel in an Italian renaissance style. Renamed the Adelphi Hotel, it was a high-end place known for its sophisticated dining. An annual ball and a fiddling contest called the Inskip Cup were other popular reasons for visiting. Continuing west to 4929 - 50th Avenue, we arrive at the former site of the Union Bank of Canada.
When the Union Bank built this building in 1910, it was one of the largest financial institutions in Canada. It was the last building to go up on this block, completing the feel of the street. The Union Bank merged with the Royal Bank in 1925 and this space has served other purposes since then. Let's move on to the corner building at 5005 - 50th Avenue - the Merchants Bank of Canada.
Also known as the Flatiron Building, the unique architecture of this structure has made it Lacombe's icon and surely Lacombe's most photographed location. It is a classic example of Edwardian architecture and stands as one of the few remaining flatiron buildings in Canada. It was constructed in 1903 and was the only place on the block to survive the fire of 1906. It originally housed the Merchants Bank until the institution was purchased by the Bank of Montreal in 1922. In 2001 it was extensively renovated and re-opened as a first-class interpretive centre. If you're here during open hours, make sure you stop in for a visit. Once you're ready to move on, cross the street to the west and then back southeast to the small Fraser-MacDonald Agency at 4709 - 49C Avenue.
The Fraser-MacDonald Agency was a real estate and insurance company, formed by Jessie Fraser and Allan MacDonald. This building was constructed in 1920 and appears much as it did then, including several interior features. At one time it also served as offices for Trans Canada Airlines, which later became Air Canada.
This marks the end of the historic walking tour. Thank you to the Lacombe and District Historical Society for its support and extensive background information on each location. You can purchase a detailed booklet about this tour from the Society at a variety of locations throughout town.
