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 North Red Deer Cottage School - Red Deer, AB Posted by:  ScroogieII
N 52° 16.795 W 113° 49.474
12U E 307323 N 5795930
Once a Grade one to eight elementary school, this 1912 school is now, believe it or not, a high school.
Waymark Code: WM12PA8
Location: Alberta, Canada
Date Posted: 06/25/2020
Views: 1
Construction on this, and an identical school in South Red Deer, commenced in 1911, with the school opening for the 1912 school year. Remaining in the Alberta School system until 1966, the building may have been vacant until 1989, in which year it became part of the Alternative School of the Red Deer Public School District. The school provides flexibility with coursework and attendance that differs from a traditional school setting, allowing many to attend high school who could not otherwise due to work or other unusual circumstances.
With the peak of the immigration boom between 1910 and 1913, classroom space proved to be inadequate and the Red Deer Protestant Public School Board decided to build two identical cottage schools, one on either side of the river. Constructed in 1911, the low-cost, wood-frame buildings were much like the temporary, pre-war cottage schools erected in Calgary and Edmonton. Architect C.A. Julian Sharman adapted the simple, two storey design to meet local requirements and the firm of Baird and Mackenzie was awarded the construction contract, the building's final cost coming to $3,925.00.
North "Cottage" School
HISTORICAL SIGNIFICANCE
Red Deer's earliest citizens viewed public education as a priority in Culture and Community Spirit. In 1887, the first school between Calgary and Edmonton was constructed at the Crossing. In 1894, a permanent two-room brick building was constructed in the new town of Red Deer. By the turn of the century, this structure did not meet classroom needs and a new eight-room school was erected in 1907. With the peak of the immigration boom between 1910 and 1913, classroom spacer once again proved to be inadequate and the Red Deer Protestant School Board decided to build two identical cottage schools on either side of the river.
The North Cottage School in Red Deer was constructed in 1911 and officially opened in January 1912. It was built according to a standard plan developed for the Department of Education by Mr. C.A. Sharman. Actual construction was undertaken by Baird and McKenzie, of North Red Deer at a cost of 3,925.00 dollars.
Like most cottage schools, the North Red Deer School was designed to serve as a temporary structure until the local school age population grew large enough to justify a larger and mo0re permanent school. This larger more permanent school would, however, not be built until 1954. The cottage school consisted of two large rooms on two floors, and it was initially planned to be convertible into a family residence when no longer required as a school building.
This building is one of a few remaining structures dating from the founding of North Red Deer as village along side of the Calgary and Edmonton Trail, and one of the oldest school buildings remaining in central Alberta. As such it provides a direct link to the early settlement period in this area and exemplifies both the practicality and the aspirations of early settlers in the region.
ARCHITECTURAL SIGNIFICANCE
The Red Deer cottage schools were low-cost, wood frame buildings much like the temporary, pre-war cottage schools erected in Edmonton and Calgary. C.A. Sharman adapted the simple two-storey design to meet local requirements. The facade featured two doors: a central one to the main floor classroom, and a second one to the stairway, which led to the second floor. A roofed porch ran the full length of the facade of hipped roofed and clapboard covered structure.
From the Alberta Register of Historic Places
Official Heritage Registry: [Web Link]
Address:
5704 - 60 Street
Red Deer, AB
T4N 4S9
Heritage Registry Page Number: Not listed
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