Alberta Register of Historic Places

Ukrainian Farmers' National Home of Taras Shevchenko

Smoky Lake, Near

Other Names:

Highland Community Hall of Barch
Highland Hall at Barich

Statement of Significance

Description of Historic Place
The Ukrainian Farmers’ National Home of Taras Shevchenko in Barich is a 1933 rectangular one and one-half storey hall built of fieldstone by Ukrainian homesteaders in the rural crossroads community of Barich, located approximately 15 km north of the Town of Smoky Lake in east central Alberta.

Heritage Value
The Ukrainian Farmers’ National Home of Taras Shevchenko in Barich is significant as a rare example of a once common social and cultural institution within the Ukrainian bloc settlement of east central Alberta, and as an excellent late example of a fieldstone structure serving the Ukrainian community.

Built in 1933, the Ukrainian Farmers’ National Home of Taras Shevchenko is an excellent example of the community halls that emerged as essential features of Ukrainian bloc settlement in east-central Alberta during the interwar years. The halls were modeled on an existing Ukrainian institution (reading clubs) but adapted to meet the particular social and cultural needs of Ukrainian settlers in Alberta. The hall in Barich reflects this process – it was used as a library and meeting place for political discussions, but it also served as the community’s social hub, hosting dances, dramatic productions, concerts and various celebrations. The timing of the construction is significant and typical of Ukrainian community halls in east-central Alberta, most of which were built in the 1920s or 1930s. Halls were often the last community structures built in Ukrainian-Albertan crossroads settlements after the post office, church and school – as such, they reflect the growth and stability of Ukrainian settlements in Alberta after World War One. In the case of Barich, this relationship to the historical development of the community is communicated by the hall’s close proximity to the St. Peter and Paul Russo-Orthodox Church and cemetery, as well as to the surrounding landscape. Overall, the building’s siting, design and extant historic features strongly communicate the social and community life of Ukrainian-Albertans in the early- to mid-twentieth century, reflecting how an ethno-cultural group adapted an existing institution to the conditions of settlement in rural Alberta.

The Ukrainian Farmers’ National Home of Taras Shevchenko is further significant due to its design and its fieldstone construction. It is an outstanding example of a rural community hall and embodies many of the design details commonly found in such buildings. The large and open auditorium-style layout reflects the building’s historic use as a meeting space, while the stage, cloak room and ticket booth communicate its function as an entertainment venue. The stage backdrop and side panels depicting pastoral scenes of trees, flowers and streams are typical of Ukrainian halls in east-central Alberta, while the stage curtain advertising local businesses points to the building’s historic connections to the local community. In addition, the hall’s fieldstone construction greatly enhances its heritage value – the stone walls reflect the skilled craftsmanship of local masons, as well as the community’s decision to draw upon inexpensive and readily-available building materials during the Great Depression. The Ukrainian Farmers’ National Home of Taras Shevchenko is a rare extant example of fieldstone architecture in rural Alberta, and the building’s design and construction at once communicate the building’s historic use as well as the social and economic context within which the structure was originally built.

Source: Alberta Culture and Tourism, Historic Resources Management Branch (File: Des 2317)

Character-Defining Elements
The character-defining elements of the Ukrainian Farmers’ National Home of Taras Shevchenko at Barich include features such as:

Site:
-Spatial relationship between the hall and other components of the rural crossroads community at Barich.

Hall: Exterior Elements:
- plain rectangular form with symmetrical design;
- pink, grey and white masonry [fieldstone] walls;
- mortar highlighted with white paint;
- concrete foundation;
- double-hung windows with a three-over-one pattern on the front façade;
- fenestration pattern on the side walls featuring six-over-six double-hung windows;
- brick chimney rising above the roof and supported on top of the stone wall at the back of the building;
- voussoirs forming a flat arch above all window and door openings except for the front door;
- original side door on east elevation;
- recreated low gable roof covered with wood shingles;
- recreated false front with cove drop wood siding; and
- recreated open eaves with exposed rafter ends.

Hall: Interior Elements:
- three-part interior arrangement, with stage, auditorium and ticket booth with concession stand;
- interior balcony over main entry;
- raised stage and its layout arrangement with the prop walls and prompters box;
- suspended log roller for stage curtain;
- interior lattice on ticket booth and concession stand;
- interior tongue and groove wood ceiling slats;
- plaster finishing on interior masonry walls;
- recreated exposed rafters and purlins;
- recreated plain wood trim on most windows and doors;
- recreated interior tongue and groove wood plank flooring; and
- recreated large double entrance doors.

Location

Street Address:	Barich, 10 miles NW of Town of Smoky Lake
Community:	Smoky Lake, Near
Boundaries:	Portion of SW 15-60-18-W4
Contributing Resources:	Building

ATS Legal Description:

Mer	Rge	Twp	Sec	LSD
4	18	60	15

PBL Legal Description (Cadastral Reference):

Plan	Block	Lot	Parcel

Latitude/Longitude:

Latitude	Longitude	CDT	Datum Type
54.180960	-112.625040		NAD 83

UTM Reference:

Northing	Easting	Zone	CDT	Datum Type
393946	6004875

Recognition

Recognition Authority:	Province of Alberta
Designation Status:	Provincial Historic Resource
Date of Designation:	2017/12/21

Historical Information

Built:	1933 to 1933
Period of Significance:	1933 to present
Theme(s):	Building Social and Community Life : Community Organizations
Historic Function(s):
Current Function(s):
Architect:
Builder:
Context:

Additional Information

Object Number:	4665-1383
Designation File:	DES 2317
Related Listing(s):	4664-0207
Heritage Survey File:	HS 42580
Website Link:
Data Source:	Alberta Culture and Tourism, Historic Resources Management Branch, Old St. Stephen's College, 8820 - 112 Street, Edmonton, AB T6G 2P8 (File: Des. 2317)