Wetaskiwin Court House Fountain - Wetaskiwin, AB
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T0SHEA
N 52° 58.093 W 113° 22.020
12U E 341045 N 5871356
Today expanded and used as the Wetaskiwin town hall, the old Wetaskiwin Court House is a typical courthouse from Alberta's early years.
Waymark Code: WMYZ7E
Location: Alberta, Canada
Date Posted: 08/14/2018
Views: 1
Completed in 1909, just four years after Alberta and Saskatchewan were carved out of the Northwest Territories, the 2½ story brick courthouse stands on a sandstone foundation with a daylight basement. It is set near the centre of a large, well landscaped, town lot with mature trees, a fountain and reflection bench in the rear and a pair of World War I cannons decorating the front lawn.
Enjoying lots of afternoon shade from large deciduous and conifer trees, the courthouse fountain is directly behind the original section of the courthouse, near the back of the lot. Standing on a large circle of small square pavers, the fountain is accompanied by a matching stone bench, provided for the weary to sit and contemplate, while listening to the gurgle of the gently falling water of the fountain.
The fountain itself begins with a large ground level bowl, with three progressively smaller bowls above, supported by a carved stone column. Atop is a stone finial ending in a ball, an opening in the top providing the water which fills the upper bowl. Each of the bowls overflows into the one below.
As is typical of early courthouses, when built it housed not only judicial offices, administration offices and courtroom, but the police force and jail cells as well. Police and jail functions have long since been relocated to separate premises. The neo classical Wetaskiwin Courthouse was the first courthouse to be designed by Provincial Architect A. M. Jeffers.
