Alberta Register of Historic Places

Chandler Residence and Barn and Carriage House

Edmonton

Other Names:

Statement of Significance

Description of Historic Place
The Chandler Residence and Barn-Carriage House is a Municipal Historic Resource situated on a single residential lot in the Westmount Architectural Heritage Area. The property features a two and one-half storey wood frame house and a one and one-half storey barn-carriage house, both built in 1912.

The residence faces the street and has a pyramidal roof and offset gable roof dormer, shiplap siding and a wrap-around verandah. The Barn-Carriage House is located at the rear of the property and has a gambrel roof and shiplap siding.

The designation applies to the exterior elevations of the residence and the barn-carriage house; the interior of both buildings are considered non-contributing elements.

Heritage Value
The Chandler Residence and Barn-Carriage House are significant for their association with early development in Edmonton’s Westmount neighbourhood. The Chandler Residence is also significant for its design. The Barn-Carriage House is also valued for how it demonstrates the transition from equestrian to automobile transportation.

Both the Chandler Residence and the Barn-Carriage House were built in 1912 and are significant as part of pre-WWI development in Westmount, one of Edmonton’s oldest neighbourhoods. Lots in Westmount were marketed to the professional class who built relatively large homes of simple design. They also normally built an outbuilding to house a horse and store their carriage. Although once common in the area, few carriage houses survive today. The Chandler Residence and associated Barn-Carriage House are valued by the City of Edmonton because they reflect the first wave of residential development which occurred prior to the First World War that characterizes the historic neighbourhood of Westmount.

The Chandler Residence is significant as representative of the simplified residential design popular among middle class Edmontonians prior to and during the First World War. The developing community of Westmount attracted both upper class and middle class Edmontonians, though the latter were less likely to build extravagant, high style homes. Although this was designed with a basic Queen Anne form, including hipped roof with cross gable, wrap around verandah and rectangular bay window on the north elevation, by 1912, when the Chandler Residence was constructed, homes with crisp lines and little ornamentation were fashionable. The house is finished with simple and inexpensive material evidenced in the use of shiplap siding, boxed eaves, solid verandah railing and rectangular porch supports. The use simple materials reflect the widespread values of frugality and pragmatism popular at the time. The modest design of this home is valued because it reflects the pre-WWI trend towards a simpler design in residential construction and makes an important contribution to the character of the community of Westmount.

The Chandler Barn-Carriage House is valued for its ability to illustrate the transition from equestrian to automobile based transportation in Edmonton. The barn-carriage house was constructed in 1912 with a single door on the west elevation to admit a horse and carriage. A large hay loft door in the half-storey above allowed easy access for feed for the horse. Although the first automobile in Edmonton arrived in 1904, cars were uncommon and were used mostly for sport until the mid-1910s. The primary form of urban transportation was the horse and carriage until automobiles became an affordable alternative. The Chandler Barn-Carriage House had been converted to a garage by the 1930s; by then a door and two garage door openings had been made on the north elevation and the original entrance on the west elevation had been sealed. The change in use from barn and carriage house to garage reflects the gradual introduction and eventual prevalence of the automobile.

Source: City of Edmonton Planning and Development Department POSSE File 659754.

Character-Defining Elements
The heritage value of the Chandler Residence is expressed in such character-defining elements as:

• wood-frame construction;

• location on its original lot;

• two-storey height;

• wood shiplap siding;

• wrap-around verandah;

• solid, shiplap clad balustrade and square, tapered porch supports on the wrap-around verandah;

• pyramidal roof;

• offset gable roof dormer with wooden shingles in the gable end;

• boxed eaves;

• rectangular bay window on the north façade; and

• pattern, style and construction of the wooden windows on the main floor of the north, east and south elevations and the double hung wooden windows on the second floor of the north, east and south elevations.

The heritage value of the Chandler Barn-Carriage House is expressed in such character-defining elements as:

• gambrel roof clad in sawn cedar shingles;

• wooden shiplap siding;

• two garage door openings on the north façade;

• sealed carriage door opening on the west façade;

• square wood framed windows on the east, south, and west façades;

• large wooden hayloft door; and

• door opening on the east end of the north façade.

Location

Street Address:	10828 - 125 Street NW
Community:	Edmonton
Boundaries:	Lot 15, Block 46, Plan RN22B
Contributing Resources:	Structures: 2

ATS Legal Description:

Mer	Rge	Twp	Sec	LSD
4	24	53	6	13

PBL Legal Description (Cadastral Reference):

Plan	Block	Lot	Parcel
RN22B	46	15

Latitude/Longitude:

Latitude	Longitude	CDT	Datum Type
53.5529761907066	-113.537815393616	Digital Maps	NAD83

UTM Reference:

Northing	Easting	Zone	CDT	Datum Type

Recognition

Recognition Authority:	Local Governments (AB)
Designation Status:	Municipal Historic Resource
Date of Designation:	2008/12/27

Historical Information

Built:	1912 To 1912
Period of Significance:	1912 To 1940
Theme(s):	Building Social and Community Life : Social Movements Peopling the Land : Settlement
Historic Function(s):	Food Supply : Barn, Stable or Other Animal Housing Residence : Single Dwelling
Current Function(s):	Residence : Outbuilding Residence : Single Dwelling
Architect:
Builder:
Context:

Additional Information

Object Number:	4664-0288
Designation File:
Related Listing(s):
Heritage Survey File:
Website Link:	http://www.edmonton.ca/city_government/planning_development/historic-resources.aspx
Data Source:	City of Edmonton, Planning and Development Department, 10250 - 101 Street, Edmonton, AB T5J 3P4 (POSSE File 659754)