Key Number:	HS 16987
Site Name:	Edmonton Settlement School
Other Names:	Edmonton 1881 School
Site Type:	0314 - Educational: School

Location

ATS Legal Description:

			Twp	Rge	Mer
			52	24	4

Address:	10425 - 99 Avenue NW
Number:	25
Street:	104 NW
Avenue:	99 NW
Other:
Town:	Edmonton
Near Town:

Media

Type	Number	Date	View	Source

Architectural

Style:
Plan Shape:	Rectangular
Storeys:	Storeys: 1
Foundation:	Basement/Foundation Wall Material: Concrete
Superstructure:	Nailed Frame
Superstructure Cover:
Roof Structure:	Medium Gable
Roof Cover:
Exterior Codes:	Chimney Stack Material: Brick
Exterior:	This structure is a one storey frame stucco structure located at the southeast corner of 100th Street and 97 Avenue. The original specifications called for a frame building 24 x 30 and 12 feet high. The inside and outside walls were to be battened and the wall cavities were to be filled with sawdust, 'well rammed down.' Roof shingles were to be laid over tarpaper to ensure waterproofing, and the building was to have a brick chimney. Specifications also called for a double front door and six windows fitted with the largest panes of glass, 10' x 14', ever seen in the settlement. Painting, required in the specifications, was limited to the front door and window frames which were to have two coats of protective covering. These orignal construction details have been covered by the stucco. Enclosed porch, windows only along sides of structure and along porch. 2 sash double hung windows. Lean-to style closed back porch with railed stairs. 1 brackets brick chimney. Pointed window hoods; four over four and 6 over 6 double-hung wooden window sash; front gable with enclosed entry porch. The structure is a simple, gabled roofed, one-storey wood frame building now covered in stucco. On each side of the building, there are three simple, rectangular multi-pane windows. The front porch is of frame construction and enclosed by glass. The exterior of the school is covered with stucco which hides the original siding. A high degree of original fabric is evident around windows and doors, on exterior walls and on picture and wainscotting mouldings.
Interior:	9647 - 100 Street: Old stove, house heated by wood or coal. Main portion of house has Linoleum, fir, and maple flooring with fir trim and weatherboard walls. The leanto has fir floor finish and walls are single plywood with vertical joints. Glassed porch is the same. Garage has clay floor with wood lined walls and dropped siding, roof is gable.
Environment:	Neighbourhood: Downtown The 1881 McKay Avenue School was relocated to a residential street in the Rossdale district of Edmonton (9647 - 100 Street) in 1920. This is one of the City's older river valley communities which has been incorporated into the Capital City Recreation Park development. This structure is a one storey frame stucco structure located at the southeast corner of 100th Street and 97 Avenue. The street which is made up entirely of residential structures is located immediately adjacent to the North Saskatchewan River and at the north end of the residential portion of Rossdale.
Condition:	This building has been relocated from its original location and set on a concrete foundation which has provided a good base for the structure. Site drainage is also good. The exterior of the school was covered with stucco which hid the original siding. A high degree of original fabric was evident around windows and doors, on exterior walls and on picture and wainscotting mouldings. The plaster lath was in poor condition and pulling away from the wall and ceiling surfaces. Electrical and mechanical upgrading was necessary, as was reshingling of the roof.
Alterations:	Apparent Alterations and/or Additions: Wall Apparent Alterations and/or Additions: Roof Apparent Alterations and/or Additions: Chimney Apparent Alterations and/or Additions: Porch Site: Moved New exterior covering repairs to foundation and new verandah

Historical

Construction:	Construction Date:
Constructed	1881/01/01
Usage:	Usage Date:
School Residence	1881/01/01 1920/01/01
Owner:	Owner Date:
Donald Ross Robert J. Manson The Edmonton School District No. 7 City of Edmonton Margaret S. Mawhinney David Mawhinney Province of Alberta	1893/08/12 1908/02/29 1911/12/13 1924/03/20 1958/08/19 1959/06/30 1985/06/07

Architect:	N/A
Builder:	W.A. Oliver & James McDonald
Craftsman:	N/A
History:	9647 - 100 Street (old address). This structure was built in the fall of 1881 to house the first public school in Edmonton. The initiative to create such an institution was taken by Matthew McCauley. He arrived in Edmonton in 1879 and established the City's first cartage company. He was to play a prominent role in community affairs serving as chairman of the first vigilante committee and the City's first Mayor (1892). Tenders for the construction of the building were requested in November and it was completed by December. Classes began in January of 1882. In 1888 and 1891 additions to the building were made in order to provide additional classroom space. In 1904 it was replaced by a new brick structure constructed by R.J. Manson who purchased the 1881 structure for $15 a year later. It remained on site until World War I when it was relocated to Rossdale where it was converted to residential use. The call for tenders for McKay Avenue School was advertised in the Edmonton Bulletin during November of 1881. The trustees requested bids on a frame school structure twenty-four by thirty feet, twelve feet high, plans for which could be viewed by contractors at the home of Mr. McCauley, a school trustee. The school was also to have an enclosed gable roofed front porch to echo the massing of the structure's main body, which was sheathed with vertical battening. Roof shingles were to be laid over tarpaper to ensure water proofing, and wall cavities were filled with sawdust for insulation. A brick chimney was also required. Rectangular multi-pane windows of 10 inch by 14 inch glass sheets were distinguished by wooden pediments. The interior walls and ten foot high ceiling were constructed of dressed lumber. The low tender of $986 by Oliver and McDonald was accepted. Alterations have been made to the school primarily involving additions and stuccoing but some original fabric remains. Mrs. Mawhinney owned and lived in the building since she purchased it in 1958. At present (since her death), the house is vacant. The original owner of this building was the Edmonton School Board. It was built in 1881 by Frank Oliver and John McDonald. It was the first publicly financed school and the first lumber building in Edmonton. Initially, it stood where the present McKay Avenue. School is standing today. The school moved to Rossdale flats in 1906 and after the flood of 1915 it was moved to its present location. Since then it has been a private dwelling. First recorded owner to this land is Robert J. Manson (Contractor) who had it in 1908. The City of Edmonton Not occupied former owner - Mrs. Mawhinney who died in 1980. Repairs to foundation were done in 1935 glass porch was built in 1937. Mr. J. Harris - First teacher 3 months $ 50.00/Mo. First building in Edmonton built out of lumber used for court, December 1881. 1885 - Second room added. 1891 - third 1921 - Moved to Rossdale occupied by the T.A. Mawhinney family. ***** The Old McKay Avenue School is the first schoolhouse built outside of Fort Edmonton and the oldest wood frame building in Edmonton. It was originally known as the Edmonton Settlement School. After 1885 it was renamed the Edmonton Protestant Public School No.7, the seventh Protestant school established in the North West Territories. Constructed in 1881 by W.A. Oliver and James McDonald for a cost of $968, the school was financed by voluntary subscription for three years. Originally located on the site of the McKay Avenue School, it was moved to the Rossdale area in 1906 and to its present location after the 1915 flood. It has been a privately-owned residence since the flood in 1915. The structure is a simple, gabled roofed, one-storey wood frame building now covered in stucco. On each side of the building, there are three simple, rectangular multi-pane windows. The front porch is of frame construction and enclosed by glass. The Old McKay Avenue School is immediately threatened by the proposed space sciences centre, being in the capital City Recreation Park. Because of its small size, the building has little re-use potential unless restored to one-room school as an interpretive site. However, being a small building, it is quite movable. It is recommended that the Old McKay Avenue School be restored as a pioneer school either on its present site or on the 1904 McKay Avenue School site, if it could not be accommodated at Fort Edmonton Park. * * * The original specifications called for a frame building 34x30 and 12 feet high. The inside and outside walls and the ten-foot ceiling were to be constructed of dressed lumber. Outside walls were to be battened and the wall cavities were bo be filled with sawdust, 'well rammed down'. Roof shingles were to be laid over tarpaper to ensure waterproofing, and the building was to have a brick chimney. Specifications also called for a double front door and six windows fitted with the largest panes of glass, 10' x 14', ever seen in the settlement. Painting, required in the specifications, was limited to the front door and window frames which were to have two coats of protective covering. These original contruction details have been covered by stucco. This structure was built in the fall of 1881 to house the first public school in Edmonton. The initiative to create such an institution was taken by Matthew McCauley. He arrived in Edmonton in 1879 and established the City's first cartage company. He was to play a prominent role in community affairs serving as chairman of the first vigilante committee and the town's first Mayor (1892). Tenders for the construction of the building were requested in November and it was completed by December. Classes began in January of 1882. In 1888 and 1891 additions to the building were made in order to provide additional classroom space. In 1904 it was replaced by a new brick structure constructed by R.J. Manson who purchased the 1881 structure for $15 a year later. It remained on site until World War I when it was relocated to Rossdale where it was converted to residential use. The call for tenders for McKay Avenue School was advertised in the Edmonton Bulletin during November of 1881. The trustees requested bids on a frame school structure twenty-four by thirty feet, twelve feet high, plans for which could be viewed by contractors at the home of Mr. McCauley, a school trustee. The school was also to have an enclosed gable roofed front porch to echo the massing of the structure's main body, which was sheathed with vertical battening. Roof shingles were to be laid over tarpaper to ensure water proofing, and wall cavities were filled with sawdust for insulation. A brick chimney was also required. Rectangular multi-pane windows of 10 inch by 14 inch glass sheets were distinguished by wooden pediments. The interior walls and ten foot high ceiling were constructed of dressed lumber. The low tender of $968 by Oliver and McDonald was accepted. Alterations have been made to the school primarily involving additions and stuccoing but some original fabric remains. NEWS RELEASE The original Edmonton Public School Building has been designated a Provincial Historic Resource, announced Mary J. Lemessurier, Minister of Culture. This building, located at 9647 - 100 Street, was constructed in the fall of 1881, following a successful fund-raising campaign. The creation of this school was closely associated with the pioneer businessman Matthew McCauley, who arrived in Edmonton in 1879 and established the first cartage company. McCauley, who was to play a prominent role in community afairs as chairman of the first vigilante committee and the City's first Mayor, took the initiative to organize the Edmonton School Board and to construct its first school. Classes began in January of 1882. One of the early teachers at the school was Richard Secord, who would later join with John A. MacDougall to establish another of Edmonton's pioneer business firms. The building was used for a variety of functions including proceedings of the North West Territories Supreme Court, musical presentations by various community groups and assorted public meetings. The building is a frame structure with a gable roof and a front porch. Its lumber was some of the first milled in Edmonton. As Edmonton's population gradually increased, additions were made to the original building in 1888 and 1891. In 1904 it was replaced by the much larger McKay Avenue School and was subsequently relocated in Rossdale for use as a residence. In 1982 it was returned to its original location where it was restored to accommodate students enrolled in the Edmonton Public School System. This pioneer school provides a visible reminder of the origins of Edmonton's Public School system and the development of education in this Province.

Internal

Designation Status:	Designation Date:
Provincial Historic Resource Municipal Historic Resource	1983/10/24 2015/04/28

Register:	A22

Links

Internet:
Alberta Register of Historic Places:	4665-0684