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Calder Cenotaph
Edmonton
Statement of Significance
Description of Historic Place
The Calder Cenotaph is located at 12721 - 120 Street NW and is situated in a small park just north of the Calder Community League. The Calder Cenotaph, constructed in 1949, is comprised of a tapered square concrete column faced with rough- split multi-coloured stone and topped with a bronze cross. The cairn is set on a square concrete base clad with red polished granite set atop of a square three-tiered concrete base. A concrete pad connects the war memorial cairn to the surrounding sidewalk. Bronze plaques honouring Calder residents who fought in the First and Second World Wars, and the Korean War are mounted on three sides of the cairn.
Heritage Value
Dedicated in 1949, the Calder Cenotaph is highly significant as one of only three war memorial cenotaphs in the City of Edmonton; the other two residing in Beverly and Downtown Edmonton (the Edmonton Cenotaph). The cenotaph was erected to commemorate nine individuals from the Calder neighbourhood that were killed in the Second World War. The Calder neighbourhood, west of 120 Street, was a separate community known as the Village of West Edmonton, established in 1910. It was later annexed to the City of Edmonton in 1917, but continued to function as a separate, self-sustained community well into the 1950s. Located in a prominent area of the neighbourhood, the Calder Cenotaph continues to be an important place of memorial to the citizens of Edmonton, and acts as a focus for commemorative activities including formal Remembrance Day ceremonies, held at this location since the 1970s.
The Calder Cenotaph is also valued as a symbol of military memorial architecture that defined the post Second World War period across Canada and as a local landmark that honours the citizens of the Calder neighbourhoods who gave their lives in the Second World War. The Cenotaph was designed and erected by the Calder Community League, built directly outside of the former 1948 Calder Community League building at 120 Street and 127 Avenue. Mrs. Snowball of the Calder Community League spearheaded the project and helped to raise money for the memorial. The Cairn was constructed out of concrete, faced with split rock, in line with a tradition of memorial architecture typical across Canada at this time. A bronze plaque commemorating the nine Calder residents killed in the Second World War was set into the west face of the cairn. The memorial was unveiled in a formal ceremony on November 6, 1949.
The Calder Cenotaph is additionally valued as a commemorative cultural landscape that has evolved through time in the Calder neighbourhood. Initially established as a Second World War memorial, the cairn was moved to the northwest corner of 120 Street and 130 Avenue in Keyano Park, just north of the Seniors Drop-In Centre in 1978. In 1985, the cairn was upgraded by the Army, Navy, and Air Force Veterans of Canada organization. The upgrade included raising the cairn onto a tiered concrete base with three steps, and adding a polished red granite
cap to the cairn base. At this time, bronze plaques were also added to the southwest and northeast sides of the cairn to commemorate soldiers from the First World War and the Korean War. A bronze cross was affixed to the top of the cairn and a flagpole was added at the rear of the memorial. The memorial was rededicated in a ceremony on July 1, 1985. The upgraded cairn remains an enduring reminder of the effects of war on the local community. The Calder Cenotaph was relocated back to a small park just north of the Calder Community League in 2019.
Character-Defining Elements
The character defining elements as expressed in the form, massing and materials of the Calder Cenotaph include its:
- location in a small park just north of the Calder Community League, in the Calder neighbourhood;
- form, scale, and massing of the original 1949 memorial including: tapered square concrete cairn with rough cut uncoursed rock veneer; bronze plaque commemorating nine Calder residents killed in the Second World War; and
- form, scale, and massing of the 1985 upgrade to the cairn including: tiered concrete pedestal with three steps up to cairn; square concrete base with polished red granite veneer; bronze plaques commemorating Korean War (northeast corner) and First World War (southwest corner); bronze cross on top of cairn; associated landscape features including: placement of cairn on small hill; flagpole at back of site; mature trees surrounding cairn
Location
| Street Address: |
12721 - 120 Street NW |
| Community: |
Edmonton |
| Boundaries: |
Lot 1, Block 1, Descriptive Plan 1523735 |
| Contributing Resources: |
Structure
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ATS Legal Description:
PBL Legal Description (Cadastral Reference):
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Plan |
Block |
Lot |
Parcel |
1523735
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1
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1
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Latitude/Longitude:
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Latitude |
Longitude |
CDT |
Datum Type |
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53.58556 |
-113.5283 |
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NAD83 |
UTM Reference:
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Northing |
Easting |
Zone |
CDT |
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Recognition
| Recognition Authority: |
Local Governments (AB) |
| Designation Status: |
Municipal Historic Resource |
| Date of Designation: |
2017/03/07 |
Historical Information
| Built: |
1949 to 1949 |
| Period of Significance: |
1949 to 1949 |
| Theme(s): |
Governing Canada : Military and Defence
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| Historic Function(s): |
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| Current Function(s): |
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| Builder: |
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| Context: |
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Additional Information
| Object Number: |
4664-0075 |
| Designation File: |
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| Related Listing(s): |
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| Heritage Survey File: |
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| Website Link: |
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| Data Source: |
City of Edmonton (Bylaw 18935) |
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