Key Number:	HS 33088
Site Name:	Hiebert Residence
Other Names:
Site Type:	0101 - Residential: Single Dwelling

Location

ATS Legal Description:

			Twp	Rge	Mer
			31	1	5

Address:	2102 - 24 Avenue
Number:	2
Street:	21
Avenue:	24
Other:
Town:	Didsbury
Near Town:

Media

Type	Number	Date	View	Source

Architectural

Style:
Plan Shape:	Square
Storeys:	Storeys: 2 1/2
Foundation:	Basement/Foundation Wall Material: Concrete
Superstructure:	Brick
Superstructure Cover:
Roof Structure:	High Hip
Roof Cover:
Exterior Codes:	Massing of Units: Single Detached Number of Bays - Facade: First or Ground Floor, 3 Bays Wall Design and Detail: Quoins Wall Design and Detail: Balcony Roof Trim - Eaves: Plain Fascia Roof Trim - Eaves: Plain Soffit Roof Trim - Eaves: Plain Frieze Roof Trim - Eaves: Brackets Roof Trim Material - Eaves: Wood Roof Trim - Verges: Plain Fascia Roof Trim - Verges: Plain Soffit Roof Trim - Verges: Plain Frieze Roof Trim Material - Verges: Wood Dormer Type: Other Chimney Location - Side to Side: Side Left Chimney Location - Side to Side: Side Right Chimney Location - Front to Rear: Front Chimney Location - Front to Rear: Rear Chimney Stack Material: Brick Chimney Stack Massing: Single Window - Structural Opening Shape: Segmental Window - Trim Outside Structural Opening - Head: Alternating Voussoirs Window - Trim Outside Structural Opening - Sides: Plain Window - Trim Outside Structural Opening - Material: Brick Window - Sill Type: Plain Lug Sill Window - Sill Material: Stone Window - Number of Sashes: Other Window - Opening Mechanism: Fixed Window - Special Types: Half-Round Window - Special Types: Palladian Main Entrance - Location: Centre (Facade) Main Entrance - Structural Opening Shape: Flat Main Entrance - Trim Outside Structural Opening - Head: Plain Lintel Main Entrance - Trim Outside Structural Opening - Sides: Plain Main Entrance - Trim Outside Structural Opening Material: Brick Main Entrance - Trim Within Structural Opening - Head: Plain Main Entrance - Trim Within Structural Opening - Head: Flat Transom, Single Light Main Entrance - Trim Within Structural Opening - Sides: Plain Main Entrance - Number of Leaves: 1 Main Entrance - Number of Panels Per Leaf: 1 Main Entrance - Leaves - Special Feature: Glass Main Stairs - Location and Design: First or Ground Floor, Open Railing Main Stairs - Direction: Straight Main Porch - Type: Open Verandah Main Porch - Special Features: Columns Main Porch - Material: Wood Main Porch - Height: First Storey
Exterior:	Wood moulding entablature and frieze; s-shaped tie rod anchor through corbelled chimney; ornate roof brackets 3 gabled dormers - northeast and west facades; bay and projecting keystones (sandstone), also concrete lug sills, wood moulding frames, east facade, 2nd floor. Two sash windows with sandstone lintel and lug sill. East facade, lower floor; all dormers have palandian windows, except for south dormer; all sash windows have sandstone lintels and lug sills; two story bay window on south facade with bay dormer on top. Dormer on south facade with hip roof; all dormers have boxed cornices, plain fascia and frieze; 2 half-round leaded stained glass windows with radiating voussoirs.
Interior:	Elaborate woodwork, coffered stairwell, an embellished parlor entrance, and a wood and tile fireplace.
Environment:	The dwelling is located in a quiet residential area on the northern edge of the Town of Didsbury.
Condition:	Structure: Good. Repair: Fair. 1 JAN 1981
Alterations:	Apparent Alterations and/or Additions: None Site: Original

Historical

Construction:	Construction Date:
Constructed started Constructed ended	1904/01/01 1906/01/01
Usage:	Usage Date:
Residence Health Unit Office Residence Not in use	1907/01/01 1942/01/01 1965/01/01 1981/01/01
Owner:	Owner Date:
Conelius Heibert Province of Alberta Harold L. Feeg Lawrence William Pringle Kenneth & Treva Traub	1907/01/01 1942/01/01 1965/01/01 1981/01/13 1985/02/04

Architect:	N/A
Builder:	Cornelius Hiebert
Craftsman:	N/A
History:	This structure was erected circa 1907 by Cornelius Hiebert, a prominent Didsbury pioneer, businessman and M.L.A.. Hiebert was a member of a Mennonite group which had emigrated from Manitoba to the Didsbury area in 1901. He had been a general merchant in a number of Manitoba communities as well as the Secretary-Treasurer of the Municipality of Rinland. Upon his arrive in Didsbury, Hiebert opened a general store to which he later added a lumber and implement business. He also served as the first overseer of the Village of Didsbury from 1901 to 1904, and in 1905 he was elected to Alberta's first legislative assembly as one of two Conservative MLAs. Nevertheless, his non-partisan view of politics eventually led to his defeat in the 1909 election. Following Hiebert's death, the building continued to be used as a residence until 1942, when it was purchased by the Province of Alberta for use as a health unit office. It was converted back to a residence in 1965 when it was purchased by Harold L. Feeg. This large scale, handsomely ornamented residence strongly reflected Hiebert's affluent and influential position in the town. The Hiebert house is significant as a large and ornately detailed example of the solid and well-proportioned homes of the Edwardian elite. Houses of this type, constructed as a tangible reminder of the achievements of a significant citizen, are important elements of the built heritage of many Alberta towns. This house compares favourably with the grand houses of Edmonton and Calgary. * * * HISTORIC HOUSE STILL HAS CHARM By Phillip Jang (Herald Olds bureau) April 15, 1986. HIEBERT HOUSE IN DIDSBURY HAS BEEN A SOURCE OF MYSTERY SINCE EARLY 1900S. ... The house that Cornelius Hiebert built is impossible to miss. It stands three storeys high on a corner lot, clad in dignified rick and stone. An expansive verandah rims the front of the house. Bay windows on the second and third floors juts out from the centre of the front wall, directly above the front door. Leaded round and semicircular eyebrow windows let in the sunlight. ... The house today is in a disheveled state, the victim of years of neglect. But its still-evident grandness and beauty captured the imagination of its two most recent owners, setting in motion a restoration effort. ... Changes so far may not be evident to many people, but they've cost nearly $30,000 says Treva Traub. The work was basically meant to make the house livable and structurally sound, she says. It included installation of a new heating system, upgrading of wiring and plumbing, repairing the foundation and putting down a concrete basement floor. ... Hiebert came from Manitoba in 1901 and over several years ran a lumber business, a livery barn, a real estate firm and a hardware store, amassing a fortune in the process. He won election in 1905 as a Conservative MLA for Rosebud in Alberta's first government, but lost the seat in 1909 to a Liberal. Later, health deteriorated in 1918, after he developed a cancerous growth on a leg. He died in March 1919 at age 56. Folklore around Didsbury says he was seen in his dying days nearly penniless, selling pencils on main street. But some locals suspected he left a fortune hidden in his grand house. When the Traubs were digging in the house's basement last year, a rumor circulated saying they had found a chest of gold. 'All we found was dirt and rock,' says Traub. There have also been questions about whether the house might be haunted. 'It's not spooky,' assures Traub. Despite its cavernous size, 'it has a very pleasant feel about it.' ...The house doesn't stop at being beautiful. It's also comfortable to live in. Because it has double brick walls - an outside wall, a space and another wall - 'it's very very warm in the winter and very very cool in the summer,' says Traub. Living in the Hiebert house, and a lot of reading, has given the Traubs a sense of what Cornelius Hiebert might have been like. 'He was the kind of person who wanted the first of everything,' says Traub. Hence the fancy house. And he was cocky, she speculates. 'This guy was out to make a lot of money.' * * * PRESS RELEASE Edmonton, Alberta Mary J. LeMessurier, Minister of Culture, announces, that the Hiebert Residence of Didsbury has been designated a Provincial Historic Resource. The Residence, located at 2102 - 24 Avenue in Didsbury was erected about 1907 by Cornelius Hiebert, a prominent Didsbury pioneer, businessman and MLA. Hiebert was a member of a Mennonite group which had emigrated from Manitoba to the Didsbury area in 1901. Upon his arrival in Didsbury, Hiebert opened a general store to which he later added a lumber and implement business. He acted as the first overseer for the Village of Didsbury from 1901 to 1904. From 1905 to 1909 he sat in the Legislative Assembly as one of the two first Conservative MLA's elected in Alberta. Issues of concern to him during his political career included prohibition and a non-partisian approach to the conduct of public affairs. The large scale, handsomely ornamented residence strongly reflects Hiebert's influential position in the affairs of the Didsbury district. Exterior features of note include fine stone work around the windows, at the corners, and at the base. A verandah with a semi-circular central extension stretches the width of the fron facade. Elaborate interior woodwork inludes recessed panelling in the stairwell, double columns framing the parlour entrance, and a wood and tile fireplace. The Hiebert House is significant as a large and ornately detailed example of the solid and well proportioned Edwardian homes prominent citizens built in many Alberta towns. This house compares favourably with the grand houses of Edmonton and Calgary. As a Provincial Historical Resource it cannot be altered in any fashion without the express permission of the Minister of Culture.

Internal

Designation Status:	Designation Date:
Provincial Historic Resource	1983/06/06

Register:

Links

Internet:
Alberta Register of Historic Places:	4665-0569