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Peuchen Block
Crowsnest Pass - Blairmore
Statement of Significance
Description of Historic Place
The Peuchen Block is a century-old two-storey commercial building located on 20th Avenue in the centre of the 13000 block of Blairmore's historic downtown. It is of brick construction with a parapeted flat roof and a glass storefront on its ground floor.
Heritage Value
The heritage value of the Peuchen Block is in its vanguard role in an important local architectural style transition, its Edwardian-era architectural features, its century-old role as a Blairmore commercial landmark, and its association with persons with national, regional and local historic importance.
Blairmore's commercial core primarily consisted of boomtown-style wood buildings with false fronts until about 1920. By then a transition to brick was in full swing, no doubt influenced by the opening of the Blairmore brick works in 1909, the move of bricklayer, builder, designer Enrico Pozzi to Blairmore in 1914, and construction in the Greenhill Addition commencing about 1918. One of the first and largest brick constructions was the Peuchen Block.
Built in 1911, the Peuchen Block exhibits Edwardian architectural features that are rare within Crowsnest Pass.
It is a physically imposing, centrally-located landmark that has hosted some of Blairmore's most important businesses, including Blairmore Hardware from 1919 to 1932, Kubik's dry goods from 1939 to the 1950s, and a department store under the Robinsons and Stedmans franchises from the 1950s to the 1980s. Upstairs were, at times, a dental office, customs office, RCMP office and other services important to the daily lives of Blairmore citizens. Sporting, hunting and community displays often appeared in the large storefront windows.
The Peuchen Block was built for and owned by W. J. Budd, founder of cement plants in Blairmore, Calgary, Marlboro (west of Edson), Vancouver and Princeton. Within Blairmore Budd also built two other commercial buildings, several houses, and the town waterworks. A. G. Peuchen was a powerful and influential Canadian who had international business interests, including some within the Crowsnest Pass and likely was a partner in this eponymous building. Peuchen gained international fame (and notoriety) as one of the few Canadian survivors of the Titanic, and was the only Canadian to testify at the subsequent inquiry. Two important owners and tenants of the Peuchen Block were Louis Dutil of the Blairmore Hardware store, and the Kubik family. Dutil was a member of Blairmore's first town council, and was active on the local School Board and Board of Trade. The Kubiks gave over fifty years of continuous retail service to Blairmore, most of it in dry goods and department stores within the Peuchen Block.
Character-Defining Elements
Character-defining elements of the Peuchen Block include:
- Physical mass and scale of the building;
- its central location within Blairmore's historic downtown;
- brick exterior;
- uniform row of second-floor window openings on front façade;
- symmetrical front façade with brick details;
- four bays separated by pilasters;
- series of recessed string courses;
- two dentil rows within each upstairs bay;
- parapet entablature;
- ground-floor retail storefront configuration with central recessed entry, large storefront windows and main floor commercial space doorways flanking central door to upstairs; and
- interior configuration of wide central staircase.
Location
| Street Address: |
13031 - 20 Avenue |
| Community: |
Crowsnest Pass - Blairmore |
| Boundaries: |
Lots 6 and 7, Block 4, Plan 3319I |
| Contributing Resources: |
Buildings: 1
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ATS Legal Description:
PBL Legal Description (Cadastral Reference):
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Plan |
Block |
Lot |
Parcel |
3319I
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4
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6-7
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Latitude/Longitude:
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Latitude |
Longitude |
CDT |
Datum Type |
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49.608807 |
-114.43680 |
GPS |
NAD83 |
UTM Reference:
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Northing |
Easting |
Zone |
CDT |
Datum Type |
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Recognition
| Recognition Authority: |
Local Governments (AB) |
| Designation Status: |
Municipal Historic Resource |
| Date of Designation: |
2013/03/26 |
Historical Information
| Built: |
1911 to 1911 |
| Period of Significance: |
N/A |
| Theme(s): |
Developing Economies : Trade and Commerce
Peopling the Land : Settlement
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| Historic Function(s): |
Commerce / Commercial Services : Shop or Wholesale Establishment
Government : Customs Building
Government : Police Station
Health and Research : Clinic
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| Current Function(s): |
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| Architect: |
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| Builder: |
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| Context: |
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Additional Information
| Object Number: |
4664-0506 |
| Designation File: |
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| Related Listing(s): |
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| Heritage Survey File: |
HS 27950
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| Website Link: |
www.crowsnestpass.com |
| Data Source: |
Municipality of Crowsnest Pass, Planning and Development Department, Box 600 Blairmore, Alberta T0K 0E0 |
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