Key Number:	HS 25698
Site Name:	Red Deer Court House
Other Names:
Site Type:	1304 - Governmental: Court House

Location

ATS Legal Description:

			Twp	Rge	Mer
			38	27	4

Address:	4836 Ross Street
Number:	36
Street:	Ross
Avenue:	48
Other:
Town:	Red Deer
Near Town:

Media

Type	Number	Date	View	Source

Architectural

Style:	Classical Revival
Plan Shape:	L
Storeys:	Storeys: 2
Foundation:	Basement/Foundation Wall Material: Concrete
Superstructure:	Metal
Superstructure Cover:
Roof Structure:	Flat
Roof Cover:
Exterior Codes:	Massing of Units: Single Detached Wings: None Wall Design and Detail: Column or Engaged Column Wall Design and Detail: Ionic Capital Wall Design and Detail: Plain Parapet Wall Design and Detail: Inscription or Date Stone Plain Eaves Roof Trim - Verges: Not Applicable Towers, Steeples and Domes: None Dormer Type: None Chimney Location - Side to Side: Unknown Chimney Location - Front to Rear: Unknown Roof Trim - Special Features: Balustrade Window - Structural Opening Shape: Flat Window - Trim Outside Structural Opening - Head: Plain Flat Window - Trim Outside Structural Opening - Sides: Plain Window - Trim Outside Structural Opening - Material: Concrete Window - Sill Type: Continuous Sill Window - Sill Material: Concrete Window - Trim Within Structural Opening - Head: Plain Window - Trim Within Structural Opening - Sides: Plain Window - Number of Sashes: Two, Double Hung Window - Opening Mechanism: Single or Double Hung Window - Special Types: None Window - Pane Arrangements: None Main Entrance - Location: Off-Centre (Facade) Main Entrance - Trim Outside Structural Opening - Head: Voussoir Main Entrance - Trim Outside Structural Opening - Head: Entablature Main Entrance - Trim Outside Structural Opening Material: Unknown Main Entrance - Trim Outside Structural Opening Material: Stone Main Entrance - Trim Within Structural Opening - Head: Flat Transom, Single Light Main Entrance - Trim Within Structural Opening - Sides: Side Lights Main Entrance - Number of Leaves: 1 Main Stairs - Location and Design: First or Ground Floor, Closed Railing Main Stairs - Direction: Straight Main Porch - Type: None
Exterior:	Central projecting entrance with Ionic columns entablature and parapet, round arched entrance with fanlight, Tyndal limestone. Herbert Grenier did carving on plaque at parapet. Pediment.
Interior:	N/A
Environment:	On a very busy street across from a the civic centre park. The location of the Court House was dictated by a civic centre plan developed by local architect Charles Arthur Julian-Sharman for the City of Red Deer during the pre-1914 construction boom. He was an Irish-born architect who had been educated in England and at the University of Zurich in Switzerland. Julian-Sharmna came to Canada in 1902 and became a dairy farmer in the Red Deer area. His architectural skills were at the same time applied to the design of the Alberta Ladies College, a new City Hall, teh Red Deer Memorial Hospital, the Red Deer Armoury and teh Red Deer Post office. The Julian-Sharman plan dealt with an extensive number of public works then being contemplated by the various levels of government. Town planning at this stage in Alberta's history was influenced by the City Beautiful movement which stressed the creation of a grand civic square around which the major public buildings would be located. Implementation of teh plan got underway before 1914 with the construction of the armoury. The economic situation during and immediately after World War One deferred completion of the square.
Condition:	Structure: Good. Repair: Good. 30 MAR 1979.
Alterations:	An addition was made to the north of the structure in the 1950's.

Historical

Construction:	Construction Date:
Plans drawn Work begun Officially opened.	1930/03/01 1930/06/01 1931/01/03
Usage:	Usage Date:
Court House Allied Arts Council	1931/03/01 1986/10/01
Owner:	Owner Date:
Province of Alberta	1930/10/23

Architect:	D. MacDonald
Builder:	General Contractor: J.P. Desrocher
Craftsman:	N/A
History:	D.E. Macdonald - provincial superintendent of building. J.P. Des Rocher - general contractor. 1916 - Courthhouse in a leased factory building. 1930 - March, plans drawn 1930 - June 1, work begun. 1931 - March 9, officially opened. Last major courthouse in the province to employ classical detailing. Brownlee in his opening speech called i a 'monument to and should be a temple of British tradition of even justice' Red Deer Advocate Feb.- Mar. 1931. * * * Constructed in 1930-31, and based on a design produced by D. MacDonald, provincial superintendent of buildings, the Red Deer Courthouse was the last to feature classically inspired detailing and as such marks the end of the province's first phase of courthouse construction which was begun in 1907. The construction of the Red Deer Courthouse also coincided with the 1930 provincial election, and thus was part of the UFA government's attempt to encourage and foster development in urban centres other than Edmonton and Calgary. Work on the building began in June 1930, while it was officially opened by the Premier on March 9, 1931. The total cost of construction was $91,000.00. * * * Draft Press Release Edmonton, Alberta The Hourable, ... Minister of Culture, announced today that the Red Deer Courthouse has been designated a Provincial Historic Resource. The Red Deer Courthouse was constructed in 1930 to provide facilities for the Red Deer Judicial District. Red Deer had been a centre for the administration of Justice dating back to 1891 when the first court session took place in the local headquarters of the North West Mounted Police. The first building specifically constructed for use as a courthouse in Red Deer was built in 1903 by the Federal Government for use by the Supreme Court of the North West Territories. After the creation of the Province of Alberta in 1905, the Provincial Government chose not to purchase but rather to continue reting this building until 1915 when the Federal Government converted it into a Post Office. Budget constraints and controversy by the Province until 1930. Between 1915 and 1930 the Provincial Government utilized a converted overall factory erected by local Red Deer Merchant Harold Gaetz. Plans for the Red Deer Courthouse were prepared by March 1930 in the drafting section of the Provincial Department of Public Works under the supervision of D.E. MacDonald, superintendent of buildings. The style of the Red Deer Courthouse represents a return to the use of external classical detailing which had been common in courthouse constrution in Alberta between 1907 and 1912: large ionic columns and rounded arched doorway with a fanlight transom and a tri-partite window above with decorative metal railing. Between 1912 and 1930 utilitarian designs constructed with wood and plaster rather than brick and stone were common, and by the early 1950s when the next Alberta couthouse was constructed, the classical tradition was no longer the basis of courthouse design. * * * Alberta News Release Draft Release Edmonton, Alberta The Red Deer Court House has been designated a Provincial Historic Resource, announced Mary J. LeMessurier, Minister of Culture. This building, located at 4836 Ross Street, was constructed in 1931. The location was dictated by a civic centre plan developed by local architect Charles Arthur Julian-Sharman for the City of Red Deer during the pre-1914 construction boom. He was an Irish-born architect who had been educated in England and at the University of Zurich in Switzerland. Julian-Sharman came to Canada in 1902 and became a dairy farmer in the Red Deer area. His architectural skills were at the same time applied to the design of the Alberta Ladies College, a new City Hall, the Red Deer Memorial Hospital, the Red Deer Armoury and the Red Deer Post Office. The Julian-Sharman plan dealt with an extensive number of public works then being contemplated by the various levels of government. Town planning at this stage in Alberta's history was influenced by the City Beautiful movement which stressed the creation of a grand civic square around which the major public buildings would be located. Implementation of the plan got underway before 1914 with the construction of the armoury. The economic situation during and immediately after World War One deferred completion of the square. The Red Deer Court House building itself was designed by D. MacDonald, provincial superintendent of buildings. His was the last court house design in Alberta to incorporate classically inspired detailing, and as such marks the end of an entire tradition of building in Alberta. These classical elements include the use of ionic columns on the front facade.

Internal

Designation Status:	Designation Date:
Provincial Historic Resource	1986/07/31

Register:	N/A

Links

Internet:
Alberta Register of Historic Places:	4665-0497