61-year-old artist hub designated as municipal historic resource

The city of Edmonton has given historic designation to a building well known as a local arts hub.

The City of Edmonton has designated Harcourt House as a municipal historic resource.

Built in 1965, the building was originally designed for a northern transportation company and has served as a gathering place for artists and the community since it was finished.

Harcourt House, located at 10215 112 St. NW, was designed by Freda O.Connor, the first woman president of the Alberta Association of Architects, according to the city.

“The building is recognized as a strong example of the International Style and is one of Edmonton’s notable modern buildings,” the city said in a news release.

“The building has a flat roof, tall evenly spaced windows stacked vertically, buff brick façades and an offset main entrance on the north end of the front façade. An underpass driveway on the south side gives the building a “floating box” appearance when viewed from the front and rear.”

Freda and her husband Dennis O’Connor came to Edmonton from the United Kingdom following the Second World War and opened an architectural firm.

The firm designed a number of schools, churches, commercial buildings and health centres.

The building’s name comes from Robert Earle Harcourt, a businessman and player for the Edmonton Eskimos rugby football team. Harcourt was born in 1910 and died in 2000.

Harcourt House was once home to the Edmonton Rehabilitation Society, which helped people with disabilities develop skills to find work, including sewing, weaving and crafts.

The organization later became Goodwill Industries of Alberta and moved out of the building in 1988.

Where Edmonton Community Artists Network (WECAN) then moved into the space later that year and has operated artists’ studios, classes and exhibitions since.

That group was originally formed when several local artists organized an auction for victims of the black Friday tornado in 1987.

Harcourt House is the 196th building in the city to receive a municipal historic resource designation.

The program is intended to protect and facilitate the reuse of historic buildings in Edmonton.

Other notable buildings with the designation include A. Macdonald Building, Balfour Manor and the Sarah McLellan Residence.