Milnes Block - Claresholm, AB - Alberta Heritage Markers on Waymarking.com

The story of T.C. Milnes, for whom the Milnes Block is dedicated, is the story of the entrepreneurial spirit of the early settlers to Southern Alberta and the part that each played in the future growth of its small towns.

Born in 1870 in Indiana, Milnes came to Canada in 1907. He caught the northbound train from windy Fort Macleod, his first stop, finding Claresholm more to his liking. Upon receiving his Canadian citizenship he set about to become an integral part of the community's development. Milnes first sold real estate and insurance in partnership with C.S. Noble. He was instrumental in organizing and building the Hoosier School District No. 24 which opened in 1907. Another ambition was realized with the establishment of the municipal hospital. Milnes was elected to the Alberta Legislature from 1920 -1925. The Milnes Block was built in 1910 and Milnes operated the theatre in the west end of the building until it was moved into its new location across the street. While constructing the Rex Theatre he also foresaw a need for a garage downtown to be built directly west of the Rex, yet another essential business for a growing town.

The Milnes Block stands today as one of the most enduring and prominent landmark buildings in downtown Claresholm at the historic crossroads of what was once Railway Street and Amundsen Avenue now Highway 2 and 50th Avenue. The Dominion Bank and the Bank of Montreal formerly occupied the corner location and the west end of the building has been a Safeway Grocery Store before becoming Doyle's. More recently the main level has supported insurance agencies, men's and ladies apparel shops, barbershops, and medical offices. The upper floor was notably the Traveller's Inn offering rooms to travelling salespeople and other visitors to town.

The dignified 2 storey brick building was restored in 1989/90 as a part of the Claresholm Main Street Project replacing the missing pressed metal cornice and removing the many layers of paint and alterations applied over the years. Once again a proud addition to downtown Claresholm.
From the NRHP Registration Form

Description of Historic Place
The Milnes Block is a two-storey Edwardian Commercial style building constructed in 1910. It features a red-brick exterior, sandstone trims and a reconstructed pressed metal cornice. The building is located on two city lots on the southwest corner of the main intersection of the town of Claresholm, adjacent to Highway 2.

Heritage Value
The Milnes Block is significant for its its association with the early development of Claresholm, its connection to Thomas C. Milnes, and its Edwardian commercial architecture.

By the time Claresholm was incorporated as a town in 1905, it was the major railway centre between Calgary and Fort MacLeod. Constructed in 1910, the Milnes Block is a large commercial building that embodies the town's historic role as a regional service centre as well as the optimism and new diversity of business activities characteristic of rail-towns at this time. The Milnes Block's main commercial tenants were also typical of prairie towns: on the ground floor, a Dominion Bank; and on the upper floor, The Travellers Inn, whose clientele included the traveling salesmen who were bringing rural areas into the new mass retail economy of North America.

The Milnes Block was constructed for Thomas C. Milnes, a prominent figure in the commercial and political life of the district, as a realtor, rancher and entrepreneur who also served as town Mayor (1911-15) and as Member of the Legislative Assembly (Independent) for the Claresholm riding (1921-25). The building's central location reflects Milne's prominence in the community at the time of construction.

The Milnes Block is a large two-storey Edwardian Commercial style building with load-bearing brick walls and sandstone trims. The ground level has rusticated brick columns. It has always been the centre of business activity in the community. It retains a high degree of integrity as an example of the Edwardian Commercial style or architecture and remains a prominent landmark integral to the streetscape of the town.
From the Alberta Heritage Register