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 Denike Block - Lacombe, AB Posted by:  ScroogieII
N 52° 27.790 W 113° 43.877
12U E 314455 N 5816062
On the north side of 50th Avenue and just west of "Bankers' Corner", this small two storey brick building was constructed to house an expanding jewelry and watchmaking business.
Waymark Code: WM12P9A
Location: Alberta, Canada
Date Posted: 06/25/2020
Views: 2
Built by C.R. Denike, Lacombe's first jeweler, this was his second jewelry store, the first, built in 1907, being a couple of blocks west of this structure. This is one of several brick buildings along 50th Avenue which have remained essentially unaltered through the years, allowing a glimpse of the Lacombe streetscape as it was in the early years of the twentieth century. Even the pressed tin ceiling within remains in place, as does much of the woodwork.
For many years a jewellery store, under two or three different proprietorships, the upper floor has always been professional offices, housing lawyers and, for a time the town registrar.
DENIKE BLOCK
C.R. Denike's first jewellery store in Lacombe was a single storey cement block building. Constructed in 1907, it was located about two blocks west of the present structure, on the same side of 50th Avenue. In April of 1908 the Lacombe Advertiser reported that "C.R. Denike's repairing business has been growing so rapidly that he has found in necessary to secure the services of an expert watchmaker." As Lacombe grew, so did the business, and within five years of opening, room was needed to expand. The Denike Block was built in 1913 to meet this need, housing the jewellery store on the ground floor and law offices and living space above. The addition of brick facing below the large plate glass display windows constitutes the only exterior change to the front of the Denike Block; until 1987 the interior furnishings were also intact.
The form taken by commercial buildings of the early part of this century in Alberta was strongly influenced by the standard long and narrow shape of commercial lots. In order to take full advantage of street frontage, the shops were most often built up to the lot lines at the sides. Consequently, the architectural interest of the buildings became concentrated in the facade, and the side walls were left completely blank to allow for neighbouring properties to be developed to their fullest extent. In the event that a side wall was not obscured by flanking buildings, it often found use as an ideal spot for advertising, either painted directly on the wall, or applied as posters or billboards. The rear of such buildings were usually completely functional, with no consideration given to design principles. Windows, doors, loading bays, fire escapes, and later additions could occur in a disorganized clutter bearing no relationship to the formally designed street front.
From the Alberta Register of Historic Places
Official Heritage Registry: [Web Link]
Address:
5012-12A - 50 Avenue
Lacombe, AB
T4L 2L1
Heritage Registry Page Number: Not listed
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