In the course of our daily reporting, we often uncover unusual projects, places, or connections that don't make the final cut. Instead of keeping it to ourselves, we're pleased to share our Architrivia.

During the city's early years, Edmontonians had much to endure. Life on the Canadian Prairies was one of few luxuries, and a year-round supply of fresh produce was on the long list of articles for which there was an acute lack. Edmontonians were forced to rely on canned goods for much of the year, as the steep price and logistical obstacles in the way of maintaining a steady supply of fresh food into the city were not resolved until the arrival of Aubrey S. Duclos in 1909. Appalled by what he deemed the wholly unnecessary routine of importing eggs and butter from New Zealand, Duclos sought to wean Edmonton from its bad habit of importing food into the city by founding the Edmonton Cold Storage Company, Ltd. in 1912. The windowless brick cold storage warehouse, built at the corner of 104 Street NW and 103 Avenue NW was an Edwardian marvel of modern science and convenience.

Edmonton Cold Storage Company, Ltd., original warehouse, c. 1912, public domain archival image

Designed by architect H.J. Moore, the Edmonton Cold Storage building was originally just three storeys high, largely windowless (to keep in the cold), and faced in triple-layered red-brick for extra insulation. Already by 1913, the facility had become an overnight success, demonstrated by the addition of a fourth storey during that year. The added capacity allowed for a total of 125 freight cars of produce to be kept fresh within the building's chilly confines. Comprised of 26,000 square feet of cold storage, the facility cost a whopping $160,000 to complete, a massive sum at the time, since a brand new Ford Model T was priced at just under $300.

Edmonton Cold Storage, prior to demolition in 1986, public domain archival image

Owned and operated by Duclos for more than 30 years, the Edmonton Cold Storage Company, Ltd. ran continuously for three quarters of a century until its eventual closure in the early 1980s. The building sat vacant for several years before it was demolished in 1986 to make way for a parking lot. Plain even by Edwardian standards, the structure featured a handful of subtle decorative details, including stone accents, dentils, lintels, stringcourse, and corbelling, but its otherwise blank brick facade was largely devoid of extraneous detail as befitting the structure's primary purpose.

104 St NW and 103 Ave NW, former site of the Edmonton Cold Storage Company, Ltd., image via Google Maps

Today, the intersection of 104 Street NW and 103 Avenue NW (formerly Fourth Street and Peace Avenue) is the site of pending redevelopment. The cluster of low-rise structures built during the early and mid 20th century will likely soon be replaced by condos and office towers as the downtown core continues to rise. Viewed above, the former site of the Edmonton Cold Storage Company, Ltd. remains a parking lot for now, and the adjacent parkade serves as a reminder of the changing views of urbanism that Edmonton and many other cities across North America have shared over the last century.

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