Description of Historic Place

The Canadian Pacific Railway (C.P.R.) Station, Strathcona consists of primarily a two-storey brick and stone building with an asymmetrically located octagonal tower. The station is located east of 103rd Street and south of 82nd (Whyte) Avenue in the historic district of Old Strathcona, south of the North Saskatchewan River in Edmonton.

Heritage Value

The heritage value of the Strathcona Canadian Pacific Railway (C.P.R.) Station lies chiefly in that it reflects the importance of the railway to the basic patterns of rural and urban development in Alberta. It is also architecturally significant as a fine example of C.P.R. station design, and is related to at least three other major Alberta C.P.R. station designs.

Completed in 1908, the station in Strathcona replaced the original depot at the northern terminus of the Calgary and Edmonton Railway (C and ER) and represents the C.P.R.'s ongoing commitment to developing Strathcona as the dominant terminal point in northern Alberta. The station was built at a time of substantial local growth and optimism and served as one of only four dispatching points for the C.P.R. in the province. Subsequent commitments by the Canadian Northern Railway and the Grand Trunk Pacific Railway to build terminal facilities in Edmonton, across the North Saskatchewan River, led to the eventual amalgamation of Strathcona with its larger rival, however, the Strathcona Station still serves as a visible reminder of the patterns of local development.

Architecturally, the station is a substantial and well-executed example of early twentieth century principles in railway station design. Similar stations were built by the C.P.R. at Lethbridge (1906), Medicine Hat (1906) and Red Deer (1910). It is notable for its broad hip roofs, deep bracketed eaves, prominent octagonal tower, and high quality stone, brick, and timber detailing.

Source: Alberta Culture and Community Spirit, Historic Resources Management Branch (File: Des. 255)

Character-Defining Elements

The character-defining elements of the Strathcona Canadian Pacific Railway (C.P.R.) Station include such features as:
- strong massing and form expressed in the roof structure and octagonal tower;
- sandstone/brick two-storey tower with octagonal roof;
- bell cast roof style and strong structural expression through brackets;
- horizantal emphasis expressed in roofline and horizantal window muntin bars;
- use of brick and sandstone;
- linear plan expressing function;
- fenestration / doors.