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Crowsnest Pass Polish Hall
Crowsnest Pass - Coleman
Statement of Significance
Description of Historic Place
The Crowsnest Pass Polish Hall is a single-storey building situated on two lots in the community of Coleman in the Crowsnest Pass. Built in 1927, the hall is a brick building covered in stucco and features a stepped parapet with the year of construction set in relief, brick pilasters, lintels, and sills, and a projecting entrance vestibule.
Heritage Value
The heritage value of the Crowsnest Pass Polish Hall lies in its association with the establishment of cultural associations and systems of social support within the province's ethnic communities.
In the late nineteenth century, the Canadian Pacific Railway built a branch line through the Crowsnest Pass to tap into the region's rich coal deposits. The new collieries established following completion of the line attracted European immigrants to the Pass to seek their fortunes. Among the new arrivals were a substantial contingent of Poles, who settled in ethnic enclaves in Blairmore, Bellevue, Rosedale, and Coleman, the heart of the Polish population in the Crowsnest Pass. The Polish communities in the region were characterized by a robust sense of cultural identity and a strong ethic of communal solidarity. This sensibility was reflected in the founding of the Polish Society of Brotherly Aid in 1916. The society was founded primarily to protect miners and their families against financial ruin in the event of a tragedy. Each member of the society paid an entrance fee and dues; in return, the society promised to provide benefits to the miner's family if he were injured or killed on the job. Although initially established to offer economic security to mining families, the organization evolved to offer an array of social and cultural services. During World War One, it provided identity cards to members to protect them from being discriminated against as enemy aliens. In the post-war period, it supported a range of cultural activities, including a Polish language school, a large library, a drama group, a choir, an orchestra, and a hockey team. The Polish Society of Brotherly Aid was at the heart of the community's social and cultural life in the Pass.
In its early years, the Polish Society of Brotherly Aid operated out of a house in Coleman. During the 1920s, this humble headquarters became inadequate as a new wave of Polish immigration to the Pass swelled the society's membership. By 1927, more than 240 people belonged to the organization; nearly half of the membership lived in Coleman. To address the growth in membership and the expansion of cultural activities, the society in 1927 built the Crowsnest Pass Polish Hall. Much of the construction work on the hall was performed by community volunteers, a reality manifest in the inconsistent parging. Built according to a simple rectangular plan, the hall included a spacious interior with a stage to accommodate cultural activities. The hall was imparted with a recognizable cultural identity through its sculptural representations of coal on either side of the parapet and through the folk art murals in the building's interior.
Source: Alberta Culture and Community Spirit, Historic Resources Management Branch (File: Des. 1554)
Character-Defining Elements
The character-defining elements of the Crowsnest Pass Polish Hall include such features as:
- mass, form, and scale;
- brick construction covered in stucco;
- brick pilasters, sills, and lintels;
- stepped parapet with year of construction "1927" set in relief;
- sculptural representations of coal on parapet ends;
- boxed cornice;
- fenestration pattern and style, including diamond-shaped opening in parapet and original windows;
- original interior elements, including flooring, wainscoting, doors, murals, stage, and trim.
Location
| Street Address: |
1406 - 82 Street |
| Community: |
Crowsnest Pass - Coleman |
| Boundaries: |
Lot B, Block 1, Plan 106FE and Lot 14, Block 1, Plan 3387AE |
| Contributing Resources: |
Building: 1
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ATS Legal Description:
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Mer |
Rge |
Twp |
Sec |
LSD |
5
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4
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8
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9
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5 (ptn.)
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PBL Legal Description (Cadastral Reference):
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Plan |
Block |
Lot |
Parcel |
3387 AE
106 FE
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1
1
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14
B
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Latitude/Longitude:
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Latitude |
Longitude |
CDT |
Datum Type |
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49.631754 |
-114.497079 |
GPS |
NAD83 |
UTM Reference:
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Northing |
Easting |
Zone |
CDT |
Datum Type |
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Recognition
| Recognition Authority: |
Province of Alberta |
| Designation Status: |
Provincial Historic Resource |
| Date of Designation: |
2009/10/27 |
Historical Information
| Built: |
1927 to 1927 |
| Period of Significance: |
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| Theme(s): |
Building Social and Community Life : Community Organizations
Peopling the Land : Migration and Immigration
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| Historic Function(s): |
Community : Social, Benevolent or Fraternal Club
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| Current Function(s): |
Community : Social, Benevolent or Fraternal Club
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| Architect: |
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| Builder: |
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| Context: |
HERITAGE SIGNIFICANCE
Immigration to the western mountainous regions of Canada occurred in the latter part of the nineteenth century as mines began to extract coal from the numerous productive seams for the construction of the Canadian Pacific Railway (C.P.R.) line into the Crowsnest Pass in 1897-98. Mines then sprang up as many companies moved in to compete for the markets and with them came miners from many European countries. One of the towns that grew quickly with the influx of these immigrants was the settlement of Coleman. Founded in 1903, it became the centre of Polish settlement and culture in the Crowsnest Pass.
Shortly after organizing in 1916, the Polish Brotherly Aid Society bought a house in Coleman and called it the Polish Hall until they built the present hall. Municipal records and the date inscribed on the front of the building indicate 1927 as the date of construction but a recent article in Alberta History claims it was completed in 1928. As a community of skilled craftsmen, the Poles may well have built the structure themselves.
The Polish Hall has an exceptional record of retaining it original use as a meeting place for various Polish social, cultural and educational activities. It represents various important themes in the development of the history of western Canada. First, it points to the diversity of the ethnic backgrounds of the immigrants who came to work in the coal mines of the West. Next, it illustrates the sense of community felt by members of a similar cultural background and their desire to help one another in time of emotional and economic need. Finally, it shows that although these miners were primarily laborers, they perceived the need for social, educational and cultural activities and worked together to create a physical place for the fulfillment of these ambitions.
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Additional Information
| Object Number: |
4665-0720 |
| Designation File: |
DES 1554 |
| Related Listing(s): |
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| Heritage Survey File: |
HS 26611
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| Website Link: |
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| Data Source: |
Alberta Culture and Community Spirit, Historic Resources Management Branch, Old St. Stephen's College, 8820 - 112 Street, Edmonton, AB T6G 2P8 (File: Des. 1554) |
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