Alberta Register of Historic Places

Milnes Block

Claresholm

Other Names:

Statement of Significance

Description of Historic Place
The Milnes Block is a two-storey Edwardian Commercial style building constructed in 1910. It features a red-brick exterior, sandstone trims and a reconstructed pressed metal cornice. The building is located on two city lots on the southwest corner of the main intersection of the town of Claresholm, adjacent to Highway 2.

Heritage Value
The Milnes Block is significant for its its association with the early development of Claresholm, its connection to Thomas C. Milnes, and its Edwardian commercial architecture.

By the time Claresholm was incorporated as a town in 1905, it was the major railway centre between Calgary and Fort MacLeod. Constructed in 1910, the Milnes Block is a large commercial building that embodies the town's historic role as a regional service centre as well as the optimism and new diversity of business activities characteristic of rail-towns at this time. The Milnes Block's main commercial tenants were also typical of prairie towns: on the ground floor, a Dominion Bank; and on the upper floor, The Travellers Inn, whose clientele included the traveling salesmen who were bringing rural areas into the new mass retail economy of North America.

The Milnes Block was constructed for Thomas C. Milnes, a prominent figure in the commercial and political life of the district, as a realtor, rancher and entrepreneur who also served as town Mayor (1911-15) and as Member of the Legislative Assembly (Independent) for the Claresholm riding (1921-25). The building's central location reflects Milne's prominence in the community at the time of construction.

The Milnes Block is a large two-storey Edwardian Commerical style building with load-bearing brick walls and sandstone trims. The ground level has rusticated brick columns. It has always been the centre of business activity in the community. It retains a high degree of integrity as an example of the Edwardian Commercial style or architecture and remains a prominent landmark integral to the streetscape of the town.

Source: Alberta Culture and Community Spirit, Historic Resources Management Branch (File: Des. 2045)

Character-Defining Elements
The character defining elements of the Milnes Block include such features of the as:
Exterior:
- fenestration pattern and original windows;
- load-bearing walls of red brick and sandstone sills;
- brick pilasters separating the building into bays;
- horizontal bands of recessed brick intended to imitate rusticated stone;
- intact mid-cornice and parapet;
- original storefronts (two altered) with recessed entrances, clerestory glazing, V-joint wood bulkheads;
- wood windows with galvanized metal cladding and chicken wire glass along the rear elevations.

Original elements of the interior such as:
- intact central wood staircase;
- upper floor rooms designed for traveling salesmen (each suite contained adjoining rooms: a sales /display area and an adjacent sleeping room);
- interior finishes, including fir floors, lath and plaster walls and ceilings, and painted burlap wainscot
- wood frame construction with painted lath and plaster.

Location

Street Address:	105, 107, 109 - 50 Avenue West, and 4925 / 4927 - 1 Street
Community:	Claresholm
Boundaries:	Portion of Lot 9 and Lot 10, Block 3, Plan 147N
Contributing Resources:	Building: 1

ATS Legal Description:

Mer	Rge	Twp	Sec	LSD
4	27	12	26	7 (ptn.)

PBL Legal Description (Cadastral Reference):

Plan	Block	Lot	Parcel
147N 147N	3 3	9 10

Latitude/Longitude:

Latitude	Longitude	CDT	Datum Type
50.026057	-113.582530	GPS	NAD 83

UTM Reference:

Northing	Easting	Zone	CDT	Datum Type

Recognition

Recognition Authority:	Province of Alberta
Designation Status:	Provincial Historic Resource
Date of Designation:	2002/05/30

Historical Information

Built:	1910 to 1910
Period of Significance:	N/A
Theme(s):	Developing Economies : Trade and Commerce
Historic Function(s):	Commerce / Commercial Services : Shop or Wholesale Establishment
Current Function(s):
Architect:
Builder:
Context:	HERITAGE SIGNIFICANCE Thomas C. Milnes, for whom the Milnes Block is named, first moved to Alberta in 1905 during the pre-World War One boom, attracted by the high quality and low cost of agricultural land, and business opportunities afforded by the development of new towns such as Claresholm. Milnes eventually expanded his farming and ranching operations to include 3,000 acres of cropland and the seven and one-half section SN Ranch. He also sold real estate and insurance; was instrumental in establishing the Hoosier School District and schoolhouse in 1907, and the town's hospital during the 1940s; and served as both Mayor of Claresholm in 1911 and as an Independent MLA from 1921-26. The two-storey, solid brick (English Bond Brickwork), Edwardian-inspired business block that bears Milnes' name is prominently situated in the heart of Claresholm, partially fronting on Highway No. 2. Milnes hired Herbert Leslie Wannamaker, a local bricklayer, to oversee the construction of the building. Wannamaker built several other buildings in Claresholm, including the Hoosier district brick schoolhouse. Over the years, the Milnes Block has housed numerous businesses including a bank, a hotel, retail stores and a theatre. The interior, although worn, remains largely intact, including the original wood (fire) floors and trim, the second floor theatre manager's suite, as well as several smaller rooms that were frequently rented to travelling salesmen. The major exception is the main floor space east of the stairs that housed a theatre converted to retail space in 1919 after Milnes built a large cinema in another location in town. ARCHITECTURAL SIGNIFICANCE The Milnes Block construction is somewhat unusual in that the walls of the two-storey structure are solid brick. Most buildings of this scale which appear to be brick are actually wood frame with a brick veneer. The design emphasizes the horizontal; the cornice and parapet at the top of the building, and the simplified entablature that separates the two storeys make the building a solid, substantial presence on the street. This effect is balanced by the brick pilasters, which separate the building into bays. On the ground floor they create horizontal bands in imitation of rusticated stone, and on the second floor they are plain. This design was well suited to one of the Milnes Block original uses as a bank. The classical lines are typical of small-town Alberta banks in the early part of this century. Unlike most such bank buildings, however, this structure also had space for small enterprises, a hotel and a theatre. The fact that it was built by a businessman - its namesake, Mr. Milnes - and not the bank, accounts for the inclusion of several functions under one roof.

Additional Information

Object Number:	4665-0798
Designation File:	DES 2045
Related Listing(s):
Heritage Survey File:	HS 12409
Website Link:
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. 2045)