Key Number:	HS 26391
Site Name:	Alberta Hospital Building #1 - Heritage
Other Names:
Site Type:	1501 - Medical: Office or Administration Building 1503 - Medical: Hospital or Infirmary 1506 - Medical: Asylum or Sanatorium

Location

ATS Legal Description:

			Twp	Rge	Mer
			42	25	4

Address:	Alberta Hospital Grounds
Number:	N/A
Street:	N/A
Avenue:	N/A
Other:
Town:	Ponoka
Near Town:

Media

Type	Number	Date	View	Source

Architectural

Style:
Plan Shape:
Storeys:	Storeys: 3
Foundation:	Basement/Foundation Wall Material: Concrete
Superstructure:	Nailed Frame
Superstructure Cover:
Roof Structure:	Low Gable
Roof Cover:
Exterior Codes:	Main Porch - Type: Open Porch Main Porch - Type: Open Verandah
Exterior:	Exterior porches and verandahs.
Interior:	Basement, rock faced course sandstone.
Environment:	Building one of many in Alberta Hospital complex. Adds great deal of character to site; which also houses a few other older buildings. Immediate front yard contains many trees and there is an oval park across the road.
Condition:	Good structural condition. Exterior verandas and porches have been removed and interior has been changed to meet modern standards.
Alterations:	Interior changed to meet modern standards and painted.

Historical

Construction:	Construction Date:
Opened	1911/01/01
Usage:	Usage Date:
Office / Mental Institution	1911/01/01
Owner:	Owner Date:
Province of Alberta	1974/11/21

Architect:	N/A
Builder:	N/A
Craftsman:	N/A
History:	- hospital opened July 1911. William Todd Sr. was Chief engineer when the building was being built. - a well was first drilled under the power house. - was supported by piles. - materials rocks and sand were imported and hauled from C.P.R. siding. * * * Building #1, opened in 1911, was the first building in Alberta designed for treatment of mental illness and is intimately associated with the history of mental health in the province. Architectural style is impressive. Interior layout based on acute hospital building in Utica, New York, proving very functional at that time. Interesting architectural features include original cells. * * * Physical Evaluation of Heritage Building Introduction The Heritage Building constructed in 1911, is the original facility used for patient care and, as such, has been designated a historical facility by Alberta Culture. The three storey concrete and brick building is currently being partial used. The building basement provides storage space and the main floor space is used for offices, classrooms and a patient lounge. The remaining two floors are vacant and have not been used for some time. Exterior The Heritage Building is a brick-clad building that, at first glance, appears to be in good condition. In fact, this is not the case. The three-storey building is supported on sandstone foundation walls that are in turn supported on timber piles. All floors are constructed of a three inch concrete slab spanning on to steel I-beams that in turn span to columns. The roof structure consists of wood joists spanning to structural steel trusses that span to the exterior stone walls. The structural information available on the drawings was insufficient to conduct a comprehensive structural analysis. However, the main structural steel members were checked by calculation and were found to be adequate. There were no drawings available of the wood timber foundations, consequently the capacity of these piles could not be carried out. The site review revealed several areas of the building where destress of the structure was evident. This was expressed by cracking in the plaster veneer on the bearing wall. It is our understanding, that a field investigation of the timber foundatin revealed that the timber piling had deteriorated to the point that it was no longer capable of carrying load. The structure is now being supported on the sandstone foundation walls and pile caps. The windows are in very poor condition. They are a wood frame sash type that have been badly damaged by moisture. Some are sided shut with old paint and panes of glass are broken in others. The roof has never been replaced and needs to be. The results of a number of roof leads are evident inside the building particularly on level 3 where ceilings and floors have been damaged heavily. At the present time, the building basement is being used for storage space, with the main floor space utilized for offices, classrooms, and a patient lounge. The second and third floors are vacant and no longer utilized. Many of the existing luminaires, battery packs and other electrical equipment have been removed from the upper two floors.

Internal

Designation Status:	Designation Date:
Provincial Historic Resource	1977/03/15

Register:	N/A

Links

Internet:
Alberta Register of Historic Places:	4665-0069