Key Number:	HS 38833
Site Name:	Ogden House
Other Names:
Site Type:	0101 - Residential: Single Dwelling

Location

ATS Legal Description:

			Twp	Rge	Mer
			6	19	4

Address:	441 - 4 Street
Number:	41
Street:	4
Avenue:	4
Other:
Town:	Stirling
Near Town:

Media

Type	Number	Date	View	Source

Architectural

Style:
Plan Shape:	Rectangular
Storeys:	Storeys: 2
Foundation:	Basement/Foundation Wall Material: Concrete
Superstructure:	Nailed Frame
Superstructure Cover:
Roof Structure:	Gabled Hip
Roof Cover:
Exterior Codes:	Main Porch - Type: Open Verandah
Exterior:	Open verandah that extends up to the second floor which has a balcony, wood railing round balcony, six columns supporting verandah, balcony, gable roof over balcony with full returns, centre is hollowed out, horizontal brackets under eaves, arch stepped radiating vousoirs over windows on first storey. * * * The Ogden House is a large, square brick house, in the neo-Georgian style of architecture, and bears some resemblance to the architecture of the southern United States. A portico is framed by six tall columns, with distinctive capitals, which support a balcony on the second floor and a triangular pediment on the roof. Originally, the balcony and the porch extended to the south wall, the location of which can be seen on the disturbed brickwork above the first floor window. A low pitched roof has a wide overhang.
Interior:	The spacious interior consists of a broad central hall on the main floor opening onto the parlour, living room, dining room, study, bathroom, and the rear hall leading to a pantry and large kitchen extending from the rear of the house. Six bedrooms, a bathroom, dressing room and a small study are located on the second floor, and the unfinished basement consists of a workshop, root cellar, and storage spaces.
Environment:	The house is situated on a two and one-half acre plot, surrounded by a number of old cottonwood trees, a lilac hedge on the south side and a variety of shrubs planted at a later date.
Condition:	Structure: Good. Repair: Good. 26 MAR 1981.
Alterations:	N/A

Historical

Construction:	Construction Date:
Constructed	1919/01/01
Usage:	Usage Date:
Residence	1919/01/01
Owner:	Owner Date:
W. T. Ogden Deidrich and Bergatha Reimer Linda Seely

Architect:	Bent Rolfson
Builder:	W. T. Ogden
Craftsman:	N/A
History:	W.T. Ogden was another of the first to come to Canada to settle, he arrived in 1899. This house was the second to be built. His first house was smaller than the one that stands today. * * * ... The cost was $15,000 and the house was extremely well built. The walls are about 12" thick, and are comprised of two layers with a space the width of a brick between them to provide insulation. Foundation walls are even thicker to prevent seepage of water into the basement when flood irrigation was taking place around the house. The house had many conveniences not enjoyed by other homes in the community. It was lit by electricity, powered by twelve batteries, which were recharged by a motor, it was centrally heated by radiators and a coal-fired furnace, and had hot and cold running water which was pumped from a very large cistern beside the house into a storage tank in the basement. The rooms were large and spacious, the ceilings 10' high, a wide staircase led to a large hall on the upper floor, with seven rooms leading off of it. The house was and still is a dominant landmark in the community. While the house retains much of its integrity, particularly the exterior, the same cannot be said for the site upon which it sits. It is a large house that did not, and still does not, conform with the community in which it is located. For this reason, it is a distinctive landmark that impresses locals and visitors alike and raises many questions as to the reason for its construction. * * * William T. Ogden was one of the Mormon pioneers who arrived in southern Alberta in 1899 to help build the St. Mary River Irrigation Canal. He designed the house himself, based on his memories of the architecture of the southern states where he served his "mission" and met his first wife. Together with an architect friend, Bent Rolfson, of Raymond, they drew up the plans, and with only "day labour" help built the house over a period of years, completing it in 1919. Ogden was a prominent member of the Stirling community. After his death in 1930, the house gradually fell into disrepair. It was used for classes for Grades 1 to 4 while the Stirling School was being reconstructed after a fire. It was used a pool hall, became an apartment house, and then a rooming house for "displaced persons" following World War II. Over the past thirty years it has been owned by individuals who have endeavoured to restore it. * * * RESOURCE Ogden House ADDRESS 441 – 4 Street, Stirling BUILT 1910 to 1919 DESIGNATION STATUS Registered Historic Resource HERITAGE SIGNIFICANCE This house was begun in 1910. William Ogden, who had come to Stirling to assist with the construction of irrigation canals and other public works in the area, worked on the house and its internal furnishings until about 1919. Ogden occupied a series of local political and community posts and was one of the more important early residents of Stirling. In addition, he played a prominent role in the Church of Latter-day Saints, and his family was closely involved in the social and cultural life of the community. Architecturally, this house is something of an anomaly. It resembles more a plantation-style mansion than typical Southern Alberta houses even of the very well-to-do. Local informants suggest this reflects Ogden’s time spent working for the Mormon Church in the Southern United States, where he met and married his wife. Following Ogden’s death, the house served as a boarding or rooming house and was divided into apartments for a time. It is now restored as a single-family dwelling and is regarded locally as an important historical resource.

Internal

Designation Status:	Designation Date:

Register:	N/A

Links

Internet:
Alberta Register of Historic Places: