Key Number:	HS 5846
Site Name:	Strathcona Collegiate Institute
Other Names:
Site Type:	0307 - Educational: College or University 0399 - Educational: Other

Location

ATS Legal Description:

			Twp	Rge	Mer
			52	24	4

Address:	10523 - 84 Avenue
Number:	23
Street:	105
Avenue:	84
Other:
Town:	Edmonton
Near Town:

Media

Type	Number	Date	View	Source

Architectural

Style:
Plan Shape:	Rectangular Long Facade
Storeys:	Storeys: 2 1/2
Foundation:	Basement/Foundation Wall Material: Stone
Superstructure:	Nailed Frame
Superstructure Cover:
Roof Structure:	Medium Hip
Roof Cover:
Exterior Codes:	Massing of Units: Single Detached Wings: Rear and Both Sides Number of Bays - Facade: First or Ground Floor, 9 Bays or more Wall Design and Detail: Quoins Wall Design and Detail: String or Belt Course Wall Design and Detail: Carving Wall Design and Detail: Inscription or Date Stone 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: Brackets Roof Trim Material - Verges: Wood Dormer Type: Shed Chimney Location - Side to Side: Offset Left Chimney Location - Side to Side: Offset Right Chimney Location - Front to Rear: Front Chimney Location - Front to Rear: Rear Chimney Stack Material: Brick Chimney Stack Massing: Cluster Attached Window - Structural Opening Shape: Flat Window - Trim Outside Structural Opening - Head: Voussoirs Window - Trim Outside Structural Opening - Sides: None Window - Trim Outside Structural Opening - Material: Brick Window - Sill Type: Continuous Sill Window - Sill Material: Concrete Window - Number of Sashes: Two, Double Hung Window - Opening Mechanism: Single or Double Hung Window - Special Types: Round Main Entrance - Location: Centre (Facade) Main Entrance - Structural Opening Shape: Other Main Entrance - Trim Outside Structural Opening - Head: Plain Flat Main Entrance - Trim Outside Structural Opening - Sides: Plain Main Entrance - Trim Outside Structural Opening Material: Wood 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 - Trim Within Structural Opening - Sides: Side Lights Main Entrance - Number of Leaves: 2 Main Entrance - Number of Panels Per Leaf: 4 Main Entrance - Leaves - Special Feature: Glass Main Stairs - Location and Design: First or Ground Floor, Closed Railing Main Stairs - Direction: Straight Main Porch - Type: None Main Porch - Special Features: None Main Porch - Material: None Main Porch - Height: None
Exterior:	Rondels in upper storey. Dentils at roof level. Quoins, central projecting entranceway with portico. Stone sills, kootenay marble at entrance. Corbelled chimney stacks, Queen Anne arch over door ways dormers oak trim and panelling 2 composite chimneys done over central pavillion.
Interior:	Oak and Fir woodwork, central heating with thermostatic controls, private telephone system; classes/ offices on 1st two floors, Assembly hall on 3rd floor
Environment:	Neighbourhood: Strathcona Property Features: None At Corner of Second Avenue and First street
Condition:	Good
Alterations:	Apparent Alterations and/or Additions: Roof Apparent Alterations and/or Additions: Chimney Apparent Alterations and/or Additions: Window Site: Original

Historical

Construction:	Construction Date:
Construction Ended	1909/01/01
Usage:	Usage Date:
Educational: College or University
Owner:	Owner Date:
Joseph McDonald Hardin Leroy Owen Joseph McDonald Strathcona P.S.D. #126. Edmonton School District	1891/10/03 1894/10/02 1897/07/21 1901/06/26 1914/07/06

Architect:	Roland Lines
Builder:	Thomas Richards
Craftsman:	N/A
History:	Originally Called: Strathcona Collegiate Institute, 1909 to 1911, housed 1st classes of U. of A.; 1913: name changed to Strathcona High School until 1958. Also served as: Junior High, Adult educ. centre, Grant MacEwan Community Coll. Classes; reopened in 1976 as Old Scona Academic High School. Periodic renovations: Basement gymnasiums converted to language and computer Laboratory 600 tons Alberta blue stone hauled from quarries 40 miles up-stream on N. Sask. River Niblock Street School The school board (South Edmonton School District, # 216, organized 17 June, 1892) in 1894 began the erection of a solid brick four room-building on the eastern half of the premises now occupied by the Strathcona High School ('Old Scona') This School was known as the Niblock Street School. In 1896 Mr. D.S. McKenzie was appointed principal of the school and began his work with two assistants. Mr. McKenzie continued as principal for eight years, raising the school to the highest degree of efficiency. In 1900 the Staff consisted of six teachers and in 1901 of 7. * * * By January 1892, a school district was formally organized and instruction became available to the children of Strathcona. A one room, wood-frame schools house was built in the autumn of that year but was soon outgrown. It was replaced by the four room brick Niblock School in 1894, located on the southeast corner of 105 Street and 84 Avenue. By the time this second building was demolished in 1906, two other schools had already been built to handle the burgeoning student population, which had reached 1,000. In 1908, the Strathcona Collegiate Institute was built on the site of the Niblock Street School at a cost of approximately $100,000. It housed the higher levels of the public school system, and from 1909 to 1911 accommodated the University of Alberta on the top floor as well. A variety of local and imported materials were used in the construction of the Institute: Strathcona brick for the walls, Alberta bluestone for the foundations, Kootenay marble for decorative elements, and B.C. fir and cedar for the interior woodwork. The Strathcona Plaindealer reported that Premier Rutherford had pronounced 'it to be the finest school building in the province,' a statement which is easy to believe, considering the ornametness of the design. Stone has been used to accent the main entrance, a semicircular canopy shelters the doorway, and a dome surmounts the third floor above the entrance. Quoins, string courses, sills, brackets and keystones are also highlighted in stone. Large chimneys, metal cresting, and triple paned dormers, each with a Palladian central arch, add to the height and dignity of the school. Today the 'Old Scona High School' is Edmonton's oldest active secondary school. In recent years extensive renovations have been carried out, in large part by the school's students and staff, to recapture the original charm of the building. * * * OLD SCONA HIGH SCHOOL (1909) Renaissance Styling Feature Edmonton's oldest-functioning secondary school was once slated for demolition to make way for freeway construction. But Old Scona Academic High School, built in 1909, was spared along with several other south side buildings when plans for a new 105th Street bridge and a connecting freeway were abandoned. Old Scona was originally called Strathcona Collegiate Institute. From 1909 to 1911 some of the earliest classes of the University of Alberta were moved here from their first premises at Queen Alexandra School. In 1913, the name was changed to Strathcona High School. The latter name is still engraved on the front of the school, while the initials of the former are found in a crest above the main entrance. The building's architecture is said to be English Renaissance in its primary inspiration. Alberta Culture also considers it significant as a key building in the development of education in Old Strathcona. The school, which was designed by architect Roland W. Lines and built at a cost of $100,000, also has some Victorian influences, such as its domed central tower. When it opened, the school was considered large for its time and had room for 400 students. Modern conveniences such as indoor plumbing, thermostatic controls, central heating system, and private telephone system were included. The school was built with 600 tons of Alberta blue stone hauled from quarries 40 miles upstream on the North Saskatchewan River. Kootenay marble accents the front entrance. * * * D-2252 - STRATHCONA COLLEGIATE INSTITUTE HISTORICAL CONTEXT: When the Calgary & Edmonton Railway arrived at the south bank of the North Saskatchewan River in 1891, the C & E immediately subdivided a townsite which it named South Edmonton. Being at the end of steel, the community steadily grew throughout the decade until, in 1899, it was incorporated as the Town of Strathcona with a population exceeding 1,000. As with Edmonton to the north, Strathcona grew rapidly in the wake of the Klondike gold rush, and, in 1907, it was incorporated as a city with an estimated population of 3,500. Edmonton, however, was destined to grow at an even greater pace when the Canadian Northern and Grand Trunk Pacific Railways arrived there in 1905 and 1908 respectively, giving this city a direct rail link to eastern Canada. With most major industries concentrating their operations in Edmonton, Strathcona became more of a residential district, a phenomenon encouraged by the decision of the provincial government, in 1908, to locate a provincial university just to the west of this city. From this point on, Strathcona would be billed as the University City. In the spring of 1908, the buildings of the new University of Alberta had yet to be designed let alone constructed. There were, however, a growing number of high school graduates who wanted to attend university right away. As a result, the University's Board of Governors approached the Strathcona Public School Board for the use of a portion of a new high school which was then nearing completion on Lumsden (84th) Avenue and Duggan (105th) Street. The new 125' x 77' school had been designed by the architectural firm of Johnson & Lines to become the largest and most sophisticated high school in Alberta. It was being built by the firm of Thomas Richards at what would turn out to be a cost of about $100,000. This was on the site of the earlier Duggan Street School, with additional land acquired by the School Board to the west to accommodate the larger facility. The cornerstone of the new facility had been laid by Premier Rutherford himself on 18 October, 1907. Rutherford, from Strathcona, was also the Minister of Education for Alberta. When it was officially opened by Lieutenant-Governor Bulyea on 17 February 1909, at a ceremony attended by about 600 people, the institution was officially designated the Strathcona Collegiate Institute, in recognition of its initial post-secondary role. The main floor was to house 71 high school students in four classrooms, while the 2nd floor was taken over by the University. This included four classrooms to accommodate 47 undergraduate students, the office of President Henry M. Tory, and the University Library. The third floor was made over into an auditorium with a stage, while the basement provided room for both a boys and a girls gymnasium. The first convocation of the University of Alberta took place in the Strathcona Collegiate Institute in the fall of 1909, when an honorary doctorate of laws degree was conferred on Lord Strathcona. The Institute continued to serve as a high school and a university until the fall of 1911, when the University of Alberta moved over to its new campus. The facility was then re-named the Strathcona High School. With more room in the building, kindergarten was conducted in the basement from 1912 to 1921, and, during World War I, part of the basement also served as a rifle range for Company 199. The high school population continued to grow however, and, in 1927, it was found necessary to set up an annex of the school in the old Garneau School on 84th Avenue and 112 Street, the new Garneau School just having been opened on 88th Ave. and 109 Street. In 1953, with Edmonton experiencing another population boom, a new Strathcona Composite High School was opened. Shortly thereafter, to avoid confusion, the old Strathcona High School was re-named Old Scona. Partly because of its proximity to the University, it began to encourage students who were determined to go on to university after graduation. In 1976, a Baccalaureate Program was begun for such students under the direction of Principal Leif Stolee. Three years later, in recognition of this, the school was re-named Old Scona Academic High School. With its dedication to academic excellence, the school has been ranked by the Fraser Institute as the best high school in Alberta for the past six years. HISTORICAL SIGNIFICANCE: The historical significance of the Strathcona Collegiate Institute lies primarily in its service as the first location of the University of Alberta. It is also important as an excellent example of a major western Canadian high school of the early 20th century. * * * Architectural Context Statement The Strathcona Collegiate Institute was built in 1908 to house a high school, and initially also accommodated the fledgling University of Alberta. High school students attended class on the first floor, and the second floor was home to the university's classrooms, library and the office of the president of the University of Alberta, Henry Marshall Tory. This arrangement continued until 1911, when the university moved into its new buildings on the campus a few blocks west and north. The Strathcona Collegiate institute is an impressive three-storey red brick building with sandstone and marble trim. The architect was Roland Lines, then of the firm Johnson and Lines. Its up-to-date design shows the influence of contemporary English architects such as Edwin Lutyens. They pioneered a new kind of architecture which, while it was clearly connected with historical antecedents, avoided both the slavish reproduction of classical designs and the theatrical adaptations characteristic of Victorian architecture. Described as the Edwardian Classical Free Style, this architecture blended elements from Greek, Roman, and Renaissance architecture in a totally new way, creating a pleasing and modern style. In the Strathcona Collegiate Institute, these included volutes, quoins, a dome, bracketed eaves, arched hoods above the doorways and gables, rusticated stonework, and oculus windows with oversize voussoirs. School buildings can tell a lot about the people who built them. The size, sophistication of design and level of finish of a school, in relation to the size of the community, may reveal how well off the people are, how cultured they are, and how much importance they attach to their school. Most communities wish to appear as wealthy, educated and forward thinking as possible, within their means. Most also wish to provide their children with the best possible start in life, in an environment which promotes learning. The Strathcona Collegiate Institute was, for its time, a large school built according to the latest principles in school design. Its architecture features modern design elements that nevertheless convey a connection with the past, suggesting stability and reliability.

Internal

Designation Status:	Designation Date:
Provincial Historic Resource	2008/09/15

Register:	A95

Links

Internet:
Alberta Register of Historic Places: