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.
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.
Only the front and rear walls remain visible from outside, as extensions have been added to both side walls, part of renovations done in preparation for its transformation to the Wetaskiwin Town Hall. Though not completed until 1909, the date of the commencement of its construction, 1907, is displayed on the Classical pediment over the centre entrance. The Greek or Roman Revival pediment is supported by a pair of granite Ionic columns flanked by brick pilasters. The pediment itself, with fine dentils inside and beneath, is likely of pressed metal. The cornices to the left and right of the pediment continue the motif. Beneath, the pediment is mirrored by a smaller copy over the Roman arched transom, below which are double, panelled wooden doors, each with a single glass panel.
The extensions to the building, built much later (about 2008-2010) were given sympathetic cornices, but otherwise have no relationship in design with the original building, covered primarily in glass and of contemporary design.
Text from the CNHS plaque follows.
WETASKIWIN COURT HOUSE
Rapid settlement of western Canada after 1900 created an urgent ned for new judicial facilities. The Wetaskiwin Court House was one of the initial group of public buildings constructed in Alberta after the shift from territorial to provincial government in 1905. Completed in 1909, the building's imposing classical appearance served as a visible symbol of justice to the large numbers of new settlers arriving in the Wetaskiwin area. Changed little since the time of its construction, the building typifies court house design during this formative period in the growth of western Canada.
WETASKIWIN COURT HOUSE
DESCRIPTION OF HISTORIC PLACE
The Wetaskiwin Court House is a large red brick and sandstone building, with projecting pedimented entrance. It is located east of Wetaskiwin’s downtown in a park setting on a 0.6 hectare (one-and-a-half acre) site. The official recognition refers to the building on its property.
HERITAGE VALUE
The Westakiwin Court House was designated a national historic site in 1980 because:
- it is representative of a significant functional type; and
- completed in 1909, this building typifies court house design during this formative period in the growth of western Canada.
The Wetaskiwin Court House is significant for its historical association with the development of judicial districts in Alberta. Alberta’s rapid growth, after becoming a province, led to the establishment of a two-tier justice system with both central and district court functions. Wetaskiwin was chosen as the seat of the judicial court district due to the economic expansion it experienced as the junction point of the Canadian Pacific Railway and the new railway north to Edmonton.
The Wetaskiwin Court House is important for its functional layout, as expressed in the spatial organization of the building plan and form, which provided for both administrative services and traditional court functions to be combined in one building. The basement of the courthouse was used for police services and holding cells, the main floor was allocated for the sheriff and court administration, while a large courtroom and ancillary spaces were located on the upper level.
Designed by A. M. Jeffers, shortly after his appointment as Provincial Architect, the building is architecturally significant for its restrained neo classical design elements and functional plan. Jeffers’ knowledge of courthouse design, from his architectural training and previous experience in the United States, is particularly evident in the building’s spatial allocations. The courthouse, Jeffers’ first, was the second constructed after the province was created, and is characteristic of courthouse design in the formative period of growth in western Canada.
From the Historic Places Canada