Key Number:	HS 20245
Site Name:	Smeltzer House
Other Names:
Site Type:	0101 - Residential: Single Dwelling 0501 - Farming and Ranching: Farm or Ranch House

Location

ATS Legal Description:

			Twp	Rge	Mer
			52	23	4

Address:	1 Broadmoor Boulevard
Number:	1
Street:
Avenue:
Other:
Town:	Sherwood Park
Near Town:

Media

Type	Number	Date	View
Digital scan of Negative Digital scan of Negative	12-R0011-26 12-R0011-25	2012/07/26 2012/07/26	Northeast Southwest

Architectural

Style:	Classical Revival
Plan Shape:	Square
Storeys:	Storeys: 2
Foundation:	Basement/Foundation Wall Material: Brick
Superstructure:	Brick
Superstructure Cover:	Brick - Bond: Stretcher
Roof Structure:	Pyramidal
Roof Cover:	Asphalt Shingle
Exterior Codes:	Massing of Units: Single Detached Wall Design and Detail: Quoins Wall Design and Detail: Upper Storey Door Roof Trim - Eaves: Projecting Eaves Roof Trim - Eaves: Plain Fascia Roof Trim - Eaves: Moulded Soffit Roof Trim Material - Eaves: Wood Chimney Location - Side to Side: Offset Left Chimney Location - Side to Side: Side Left Chimney Location - Front to Rear: Offset Rear Chimney Location - Front to Rear: Front Chimney Stack Material: Brick Chimney Stack Massing: Single Window - Structural Opening Shape: Flat Window - Trim Outside Structural Opening - Head: Flat Arch, Vertical Joint Window - Trim Outside Structural Opening - Material: Brick Window - Sill Type: Plain Lug Sill Window - Sill Material: Brick Window - Trim Within Structural Opening - Head: Moulded Window - Trim Within Structural Opening - Sides: Plain Window - Number of Sashes: Two, Double Hung Window - Opening Mechanism: Single or Double Hung Main Entrance - Location: Off-Centre (Facade) Main Entrance - Structural Opening Shape: Flat Main Entrance - Trim Outside Structural Opening - Head: Flat Arch, Vertical Joint Main Entrance - Trim Outside Structural Opening Material: Brick Main Entrance - Trim Within Structural Opening - Head: Moulded Main Entrance - Trim Within Structural Opening - Sides: Plain Main Entrance - Number of Leaves: 1 Main Stairs - Location and Design: First or Ground Floor, Closed Railing Main Stairs - Direction: Straight Main Porch - Type: Open Verandah Main Porch - Special Features: Columns Main Porch - Special Features: Support on Pedestal Main Porch - Special Features: Closed Railing Main Porch - Material: Wood Main Porch - Material: Brick Main Porch - Height: First Storey
Exterior:	The integrity of the exterior has been preserved since no additions have been made to its since its construction in 1920. Open verandah front and rear with 2nd floor balconies. (1984) * * * Two storey brick residence, hip roof, porch on front and rear, covered second storey balcony on front. (Heritage Collaborative, 2012)
Interior:	The conversion of the house to a crafts centre has resulted in some alterations to the interior. (1984)
Environment:	The Smeltzer House is a two storey brick residence located in the residential suburb of Sherwood Park east of the City of Edmonton. (1984) * * * Large treed lot with lawn and gardens, paving stone sidewalks. (Heritage Collaborative, 2012)
Condition:	December 1984 - Both the house and carriage house require repointing in many areas and some glass must be replaced. There are also many paint splotches on the brick which should be removed. The interior of the building is well kept an is presently undergoing an intensive maintenance, repair programme. July 26, 2012 - Well maintained. (Heritage Collaborative)
Alterations:	Converted to visual arts centre. (Heritage Collaborative, 2012)

Historical

Construction:	Construction Date:
Usage:	Usage Date:
Residence	1920/01/01
Owner:	Owner Date:
Maurice Smeltzer Frank Smeltzer County of Strathcona No. 20	1920/01/01 1939/01/01 1976/02/25

Architect:	Cyril Fry
Builder:	Marshall Hughes
Craftsman:
History:	Site Description: The Smeltzer House is a two storey brick residence located in the residential suburb of Sherwood Park east of the City of Edmonton. It was constructed as a rural residence in the 1920s and thus is out of character with the other residential structures in the immediate area which date from the 1950s. The building is currently being used as a crafts centre by the Strathcona County. This change in use has resulted in some changes to its interior. The exterior of the buildings exhibit 80-90% original fabric and design. The site includes a brick carriage house also constructed in 1920 and a three-door garage which was added later. Both structures have been incorporated into the use of the site as a crafts centre. The site also contains a number of spruce trees which date from the 1920s. They were probably planted to form a windbreak rather than to create a formal aesthetic effect. Historical Significance: Maurice Smeltzer was born in Huron County Ontario in 1867. He remained in Ontario until 1891 when he came West to deliver some work horses to the Edmonton District. He arrived on one of the first trains to reach South Edmonton over the newly completed Calgary and Edmonton Railway. He returned to Edmonton in 1892 with another load of work horses and with the intention of homesteading in the area. He was, therefore, part of a minor land rush to the Edmonton area following the completion of the Calgary and Edmonton railway. Economic conditions during the mid-1890s forced him to seek other employment in order to supplement the income from his agricultural pursuits. He mined coal in Edmonton, worked in the lumber industry for J. Walters and D.R. Fraser and went trapping in order to earn the necessary cash for the development of his homestead. After the turn of the century, improved economic conditions permitted him to concentrate on his mixed farming operations. His success in this regard is evident in the various prizes he won in local exhibitions. In 1909 he won a bronze medal for the best milling oats and a silver medal for the best sample of six-rowed barley. In the same year he also won a medal for a champion bacon boar. His success is also evident in the house he constructed in 1920. Maurice continued to farm until his death in 1939. The farm continued to be operated by his son Frank until 1969. The Smeltzer Residence is therefore associated with the theme of settlement from its establishment to its consolidation in the Salisburg area between 1892 and 1920. Architectural Significance: The design of the Smeltzer House in Sherwood Park, Alberta is representative of a house type that appeared across Canada during the first twenty-five years of the twentieth century, and persists, in the modified form, to the present. It is an adaptation of popular Georgian residential styles that can be traced back to Georgian Colonial designs which appeared in the early 18th century in the Northeastern U.S. The Georgian Style was soon transplanted to Canadian soil during the period of American immigration from 1782-1820. It gave rise to a variety of Georgian-inspired styles, such as the Ontario Cottage style, which was popular during the 1830s to the 1850s, and one of the most common western Canadian house types, the Canadian Four-Square. The Georgian Revival which occurred throughout North America from the 1890s to the 1920s was largely responsible for the emergence of what could be called the Canadian Four-Square style. In the U.S., residential designs referred to as the American Four-Square, was also an outgrowth of the Georgian Revival movement. Like the American Four-Square, the Canadian version is a 1 1/2 to 2 1/2 storey squarish structure with a pyramidal or hipped roof. A single tall chimney stack or a pair of them, one or more dormers, and often a one storey verandah wrapped around one, two or three sides of the building are also common characteristics. Classical detailing is sometimes present, including dentils under the eaves overhang (soffit) and columns or pillars supporting the verandah. By 1910, as both domestic styles were gradually being stripped of their Georgian-classical detailing, they came to look very similar in appearance. The primary difference between the two styles, other than historical development, was simply location, one north and the other south of the 49th Parallel. However, there does seem to have been a trend in Canadian Four-Square designs to employ the dormer and verandah more frequently than the lone porch of the American Four-Square. (Site Data Form: Kordan and Gilpin, 1986)

Internal

Designation Status:	Designation Date:

Register:

Links

Internet:
Alberta Register of Historic Places: