Key Number:	HS 28639
Site Name:	Mayor Sheppard Residence
Other Names:
Site Type:	0101 - Residential: Single Dwelling

Location

ATS Legal Description:

			Twp	Rge	Mer
			52	24	4

Address:	9945 - 86 Avenue
Number:	45
Street:	99
Avenue:	86
Other:
Town:	Edmonton
Near Town:

Media

Type	Number	Date	View	Source

Architectural

Style:	Classical Revival
Plan Shape:	Square
Storeys:	Storeys: 2 1/2
Foundation:	Basement/Foundation Wall Material: Concrete
Superstructure:	Nailed Frame
Superstructure Cover:
Roof Structure:	Medium Hip
Roof Cover:
Exterior Codes:	Wall Design and Detail: Balcony Main Porch - Type: Open Porch
Exterior:	Front porch, hard maple doors, column supported balcony over porch. Window's walk. Gable dormers. Decorative Eave brackets. Front verandah and balcony. Quoins. Cornice. High hip roof with window's walk; quoins; full open front verandah with square columns. Like many other large houses of the period, it is built of brick in a classical revival style. An interesting feature which sets this house apart is the semicircular bow of the front porch. The columns of this porch support a large second floor balcony, and a widow's walk surmounts the pyramidal roof. Wide bracketted bellcast eaves, a pair of gabled dormers, stone lintels and sills on the windows, brick quoins and a semicircular window in the west side gable complete the attractive symmetrical design of the Sheppard Residence. The house is built entirely of red brick and features a large front porch with eight white columns supporting a second floor balconey. Front and rear doors are made of old 'Hard Maple'.
Interior:	The interior is partitioned into suites and rooms with spacious carpeted corridors which provide access to both front and rear entrances.
Environment:	Neighbourhood: Strathcona
Condition:	Good
Alterations:	Replacement windows.

Historical

Construction:	Construction Date:
A.C. Rutherford owned the land. W.H. Sheppard bought the land. Started construction	1903/01/01 1907/10/15 1911/01/01
Usage:	Usage Date:
Residence Residence	1911/01/01 1989/06/14
Owner:	Owner Date:
A.C. Rutherford W.H. Sheppard National Trust Co. Edward Hanefeld Apex Loan & Invest. Ltd. G.H. LaChappelle J. Berghofer	1903/02/18 1907/10/15 1954/12/28 1956/12/14 1967/12/27 1969/12/18 1974/10/12

Architect:	W.H. Sheppard
Builder:	W.H. Sheppard
Craftsman:	N/A
History:	William H. Sheppard Born 1862. Died 1944. Mayor of Strathcona 1906. Alderman 1899 - 1901, 1903-04, 1908 - 09. Arrived in Strathcona in 1894 to take over Raymond Hotel. 1912 - May 28. Building permit issued for $8,000. 1907 - October 15. Sold to W.H. Sheppard. 1917 - 1944: W.H. Sheppard lived here. 1945 - January 30. Land transferred to A.E. Sheppard. 1954 - December 28. Land sold to Henry Koerber. * * * This residence was built in 1911 by business man W.H. Sheppard. The house is built entirely of red brick and features a large front porch with eight white columns supporting a second floor balconey. Front and rear doors are made of old 'Hard Maple'. The interior is partitioned into suites and rooms with spacious carpeted corridors which provide access to both front and rear entrances. The house is well maintined and according to the manager if the current level of maintenance is continued the house could easily last another fifty years. Currently the house is used as a rooming house. (1973). * * * William H. Sheppard lived here until 1944. Sheppard was Strathcona Alderman (1899-1901, 1903-1904, 1908-1909), Strathcona Mayor (1906), hotel owner (Raymond Castle Hotels), and joint manager of Edmonton Brewing Malting Co. Ltd. and Sheppard Clibborn Hill Ltd. * * * The early Canadian west was full of opportunities for those who knew how to take advantage of them. William Henry Sheppard was such a person. Having left his home in Ontario at the age of of fifteen, Sheppard worked first on the railroads, then as a contractor, and finally as a hotelier before arriving in Strathcona in 1894. Soon afterwards he opened the Hotel Raymond, which was considered not only one of the best hotels in Strathcona, but in all of western Canada. In 1896, Sheppard expanded his operations by buying the Strathcona Hotel, and his success in the hospitality business enabled him to branch out into other areas, including mining, brewing and real estate. Carrying his business acumen into the political arena, Sheppard served on Strathcona's Town Council in 1899, 1901, 1902, 1904, 1908 and 1909. In addition, he ran for and was elected to the position of mayor of Strathcona in 1906. During his term in that office, Sheppard was instrumental in changing Strathcona's status from that of a town to a city. Later, he served on the committee which considered the question of amalgamation with Edmonton. When William Sheppard built his 86 Avenue home in 1911, he had long been established as one of Strathcona's leading citizens. This large, dignified residence was designed to reflect that status. Like many other large houses of the period, it is built of brick in a classical revival style. An interesting feature which sets this house apart is the semicurcular bow of the front porch. The columns of this porch support a large second floor balcony, and a widow's walk surmounts the pyramidal roof. Wide bracketted bellcast eaves, a pair of gabled dormers, stone lintels and sills on the windows, brick quoins and a semicircular window in the west side gable complete the attractive symmetrical design of the Sheppard Residence. The house has been restored in recent years and was designated a Provincial Historic Resource in 1981. * * * William Henry Sheppard arrived in Edmonton in 1894. He entered the hotel business, subsequently managing the Raymond, Strathcona and Edmonton hotels. He then became involved with the brewing industry, building breweries in 1904 and 1913. In 1906 he was elected as the sixth mayor of Strathcona. Sheppard moved into his house at 9945 - 86 Avenue in 1917, remaining there until his death in 1944. Constructed in 1911, this 2 1/2 storey brick house has a truncated hip roof with a window's walk, gable dormers, decorative eave brackets and a front verandah and balcony. The house is one of the grand residences in Strathcona and represents a house type popular throughout Canada and one which reflected a particular class of entrepreneurial businessman. COVENANT TEXT The Berghofer residence at 9945 - 86th Avenue was built in 1911 during the heday of the construction boom in Alberta. This 2 1/2 storey brick house, with trucated hip roof, front verandah and balcony is one of the grand residneces in what was the old City of Strathcona. Between 1917 and 1944 it was the home of the merchant industrialist William Henry Sheppard who became the sixth mayor of Strathcona in 1906. * * * W.H. SHEPPARD HOUSE William H. Sheppard was one of the most active participants in the social and economic development of early Strathcona. A native of Newmarket Ontario, Sheppard was born in 1863 but left to find work in the United States at the age of fifteen. He was engaged in construction work the Northern Pacific railroad in Michigan, Wisconsin, and Washington until 1884, when he returned to Ontario. In 1885 Sheppard joined the British Columbea C.P.R. crews on the railroad for a year and then came to Alberta where he worked as a building contractor in Banff, Canmore, and Anthracite... * * * SHEPPARD HOUSE. 1911 Old Mansion Restored for $70,000 9945 - 86 Avenue Children's voices again echo thorough the halls and bedrooms of Sheppard House, an historic mansion in Old Strathcona. Built in 1911 by brewing magnate William Sheppard, the home is now a Provincial Historical Resource. It's also home to Judy Berghofer and her three children. Berghofer's interest in history also crossed into her work as a media consultant for Alberta Culture's historic sites service. Sheppard, his wife Elsie and their seven children lived in the house from 1911 until Sheppard's death in 1944. But for three decades - from then until Berghofer purchased the mansion in 1974 - it was subdivided into 13 suites and sustained a large amount of damage. The three-storey house, faced with red brick capped by a hipped roof complete with a widow's walk (a walkway atop the building), has been an ongoing heavy-duty restoration project for the family. When they bought the house, various hues and coats of paint, wood partitions, and other make-shift additions marred and obscured the Edwardian finish. They have spent more than 3,000 hours of labor and $70,000 on restorations since buying the 3,500-square-foot house for $60,000. Restration has progressed to the point where the National Film Borad used the house as a set in its 1984 film of Margaret Lawrence's To Set Our House In Order. A reclaimed brick conservatory was added to the south wall in the back yard. Inside, restored fir woodwork predominates in panelling, moldings and a dining room plate rail. There is a fir and marble trimmed wood or coal-burning fireplace complete with built-in clock in the foyer. Main floor features include a large foyer, study, parlor, dining room, butler's pantry and modernized kitchen. The second floor has five bedrooms and an old-style three-piece bathroom. A servant's stairwell at the rear of the house leads to the third floor which has a maid's room, plus an open balroom with trap door acces to the widow's walk. The house was modelled in the Georgian revival Style, popular in Alberta from 1900 to 1925. The style was seen as eminently appropriate for the sober and respectable, yet luxurious residence of a gentleman. Specific elements included plain brick work with classically-detailed quoins. The hipped roof was elaborated with side gables, the windows's walk and two gable-roofed dormer windows. While most window are rectangular, a spoked semi-circular window punctuates the west side. Sheppard, who spent $8,000 to build the house, was the founder of Edmonton Brewing and Malting Company, forerunner of Molson's Edmonton Breweries. He also owned three hotels, including the Strathcona, and was mayor of Strathcona. * * * DRAFT PRESS RELEASE Province Declares Home of Former Mayor of Strathcona, a Provincial Historic Resource The formerhome of Strathcona Counsillor and Mayor, W.H. Sheppard, has been designated a Provincial Historic Resource, it was annonunced by the Honourable Mary J. LeMessurier, Minister of Culture. Constructed in 1912, at a cost of $8,000 the Sheppard Residence was and remains one of the grandest houses in the Strathcona area, and its history is closely asociated with the development of that community. W.H. Sheppard arrived in Strathcona in 1894 when he purchased the Raymond Hotel. In 1895 he expanded his business interest to include shares in the Yellowhead Brewery owners in the Province. In 1899 Sheppard's business interests drew him into active political life and for nearly seven years he served as a Counsillor for the Town and then City of Strathcona. In 1906 he became Mayor.

Internal

Designation Status:	Designation Date:
Municipal B List Provincial Historic Resource	1981/12/17

Register:	B216

Links

Internet:
Alberta Register of Historic Places:	4665-0506