Key Number:	HS 17019
Site Name:	Renwick Hardware
Other Names:
Site Type:	0409 - Mercantile/Commercial: Specialty Store or Shop

Location

ATS Legal Description:

			Twp	Rge	Mer
			9	26	4

Address:	223 - 24 Street
Number:	23
Street:	24
Avenue:	2
Other:
Town:	Fort Macleod
Near Town:

Media

Type	Number	Date	View	Source

Architectural

Style:
Plan Shape:	Rectangular
Storeys:	Storeys: 2
Foundation:	Basement/Foundation Wall Material: Concrete
Superstructure:	Stone
Superstructure Cover:
Roof Structure:	Shed
Roof Cover:
Exterior Codes:	Massing of Units: Row, Related, Intermediate Wings: Rear Wall Design and Detail: Entablature Wall Design and Detail: Inscription or Date Stone Boomtown or False Front Chimney Location - Front to Rear: Offset Rear Chimney Stack Material: Metal Chimney Stack Massing: Single Window - Structural Opening Shape: Semi-Circular Main Entrance - Location: Off-Centre (Facade) Main Stairs - Location and Design: None Main Porch - Type: None
Exterior:	Corbelled brick chimney, sandstone 'quoins, rock faced, southwest corner, centre window, south elevation is semi-circular with molded arch trim, datestone above centre window, other windows are flat and surrounded by smooth pressed stone, projecting entrablature. The Renwick Building is a two-storey brick and sandstone commercial building. Its main (south) elevation features large display windows and a recessed entryway on the first level and a centrally-located arched window flanked by three narrow rectangular windows on the second elevation. The front facade is surmounted by a cornice and an entablature bearing the date of the building's construction - configuration of the south facing storefront with large openings for display windows, a recessed doorway, prism glass transom lights and bulkheads; - extant original window sills and corner mullions in the front display windows; - structural system of the storefront, consisting of a steel lintel above the transom windows bearing on a single steel column located within the recessed entrance and riveted to a steel girder that supports the second floor; - rough-hewn sandstone on most of the second level and the pilaster at the extreme west edge of the front facade; - centrally-located arched window opening surmounted by a semi-circular arch of smooth-faced sandstone voussoirs; - two sets of three tall and narrow rectangular window openings set in sections of smooth-faced sandstone blocks flanking the central arched window opening; - sandstone cornice separating the first and second levels of the front facade and two broken cornices surmounting the rectangular windows; - parapet running the roofline of the front facade; - entablature bearing the numeral 1910, - rough-hewn sandstone quoins on the southwest corner; - stucco-covered brick exterior walls on the rear (north) and west elevations; - fenestration pattern of the rear (north) and the west elevations indicative of the historic layout of apartments on the second storey.
Interior:	Extrnsively modernized. - layout of the first floor characteristic of retail operations, a large open space on the main floor; - central hallway on the second floor with the historic pattern of doorway openings; - original interior doors with original transom windows and brass hardware; - original second floor hallway's lath and plaster finish and the extant original lath and plaster finish on the walls and ceilings of the apartments; - fir wood-strip flooring on both the main and the second floor; - original, but non-functioning 1908 boiler located in the basement; - original cast-iron heating system pipes; - original, but non-functioning cast-iron radiators; - stairway to second floor with original balustrade and newel posts; - extant original trim work, door frames and window frames; - three skylight openings with tongue and groove paneling in the ceiling of the second floor.
Environment:	Situated in the downtown business sector of Fort MacLeod. The Renwick Building is situated on a commercial block within the Fort Macleod Provincial Historic Area at 223 - 24 Street.
Condition:	Structure: Good. Repair: Fair. 2 AUG 1978.
Alterations:	Stucco siding addition off north elevation.

Historical

Construction:	Construction Date:
Constructed	1910/01/01
Usage:	Usage Date:
Hardware Store	1910/01/01
Owner:	Owner Date:
Rhea

Architect:	N/A
Builder:	N/A
Craftsman:	Callie
History:	W. Renwick proprietor, Renwick financed construction of the building. It was constructed of MacLeod brick and locally quarried sandstone. Renwick operated a shelf and heavy hardware', store. Ren Renwick. D-2272 - RENWICK HARDWARE, FORT MACLEOD HISTORICAL CONTEXT: Shortly after the arrival of the North West Mounted Police at Fort Macleod in 1874, a community began to develop on the river flats outside the fort. The community proceeded to grow with the growth of the cattle industry in the southern foothills, and, with the extension of the Calgary & Edmonton Railway to the community in 1892, Fort Macleod was large enough to be incorporated as a town with over 200 people. Into the 20th century, it remained the largest community between Calgary and Lethbridge, with its population hovering around 500 during the early part of the century. Being at the center of a large ranching and farming hinterland, Fort Macleod always saw much activity in its downtown core. One of the early businessmen was William Renwick who, in 1910, constructed a two-story business block of brick and locally quarried sandstone on what is now 223-24th Street. The block accommodated Renwick's "Shelf and Heavy Hardware" until the 1930s, when the building and the business were acquired by a local tinsmith named W. G. Andrews. The building went on to serve as a hardware store until recent times. HISTORICAL SIGNIFICANCE: The historical significance of the Renwick Hardware building lies in its structural representation of the downtown service core of Fort Macleod for most of the 20th century. It is also significant as an early 20th century hardware store. * * * Heritage Value The Renwick Building is a good example of a substantial commercial building erected in urban centres during their boom periods. Its heritage value lies in it being a significant contributor to the heritage character of the Fort Macleod Provincial Historic Area. In the early 1900s, the Town of Macleod (renamed Fort Macleod in 1952) was a major urban centre and an important administrative, distribution and service point for the southern Alberta. Due to this role, Macleod's commercial area developed quickly with many substantial brick and sandstone buildings being built. In 1910, William Renwick constructed a rectangular, two-storey building with a full basement and a slightly sloped shed roof. He operated his hardware business from the main floor of this building while residential apartments occupied the second floor. Constructed of locally-quarried sandstone, the Renwick Building features an impressive front facade. At ground level there are large display windows with transom lights and a centrally-located, recessed entryway. A second doorway to the west side of the front elevation gives access to a stairway leading to the apartments on the second floor. A sandstone cornice separates the two levels of the front facade. The second level is faced with rough hewn sandstone blocks. A centrally-located arched window with a semi-circular arch of smooth-faced sandstone voussoirs is flanked by three tall and narrow rectangular windows, which are set in sections of smooth faced sandstone blocks. The rectangular windows are surmounted by two broken cornices. The whole is surmounted by a parapet and an entablature bearing the numeral "1910," the date of the building's construction. The interior ground floor features a large open space, suitable for retail operations. The second floor features a central hallway with a number of doorways that led to apartments. In the 1930s, William Renwick sold the building to W. G. Andrews, who continued to operate it as a hardware store. More recently it has been used as a western wear and supply outlet. Its long-standing use as a retail store and its association with numerous other historic sandstone and brick buildings in Fort Macleod's commercial district make it an essential contributory element to the historic character of the Fort Macleod Provincial Historic Area.

Internal

Designation Status:	Designation Date:
Provincial Historic Resource	2009/07/27

Register:

Links

Internet:
Alberta Register of Historic Places:	4665-1351