Project Communities

Black Diamond. The legacy of a local coal mine and early development of the nearby Turner Valley oilfields, small false-fronted wood buildings distinguish the main street of this ranching community in the foothills southwest of Calgary. Project period: Jan 2000 to June 2005

Camrose. The historic main street of this city includes a wide-ranging collection of buildings that extends from the railway to Highway 13. Project period: Dec 1999 – present

Cardston. Founded by settlers from Utah, Cardston’s unique layout is derived from Mormon settlement survey principles and features taller buildings on the west side of the wide main street to provide shelter from prevailing winds and the intense afternoon sun. Project period: Sept 1987 to Nov 1992.

Claresholm. This agricultural community grew significantly after the establishment of a flight training school during the Second World War. Project period: Sept 1987 to Nov 1992.

Crowsnest Pass. Situated in a mountain landscape profoundly changed by coal mining, the main streets of four historic company towns reflect the local coal industry’s heyday in the 1920s and 30s and building traditions brought by immigrant laborers. Project period: Sept 1987 to June 1993.

Didsbury. The series of brick facades on main street reflects a local bylaw mandating fireproof construction after fire destroyed much of the downtown in 1914 and 1925. Project period: April 1995 to Aug 2000.

Drumheller. This historic main street reflects the prosperity of Drumheller and neighboring coal mining communities that flourished in the arid Red Deer River valley during the Great Depression. Project period: Sept 1987 to Aug 1991.

Fort Macleod. Founded in 1874 as western Canada’s first North West Mounted Police post, Fort Macleod features one of Alberta’s most extensive collections of sandstone and brick commercial buildings and the province’s only designated Historic District. Project period: Oct 1991 to March 2003

Inglewood. A fine collection of early twentieth-century buildings lines Calgary’s original main street and reflects the city’s 1908-1914 building boom. Project period: July 1993 to Sept 2001.

Jasper East Village. Situated on the escarpment overlooking the North Saskatchewan River, this fine collection of historic buildings was spared the intensive development that transformed downtown Edmonton immediately to the west. Active December 1999 to December 2002.

Lacombe. One of the province’s finest collection of brick Edwardian commercial buildings clusters around the signature flatiron building and an remarkable wedge-shaped block of buildings resulting from the intersection of the street grid and rail line. Project period: Sept 1987 to Dec 1993.

Lethbridge. Historically a coal mining centre and divisional point for the Crowsnest Railway, Lethbridge’s historic city center encompasses Galt Gardens and a well-defined Chinatown. Active September 2000 – present.

Medicine Hat. A large collection of commercial buildings reflects the historical evolution of the downtown from the pre-World War I “Laurier boom years” as one moves west from Railway Street. Project period: 1988 to 1991.

Nanton. The impressive Shaw and Cooper Block and beautifully restored 1902 Auditorium Hotel are a gateway to this main street straddling Highway 2. Project period: April 1995 to Dec 2000.

North Railway Exchange. Medicine Hat’s original downtown “on the other side of the tracks” provided services to the North Flats community that grew up around the fine railway station and local natural gas and pottery industries served by the CPR main line. Project period: April 1995 to Dec 2000.

Ponoka. Founded in 1891 by the Battle River as a water supply point on the Calgary–Edmonton Railway, Ponoka’s eclectic building mix includes early boomtown storefronts to examples of moderne construction from after World War II. Project period: April 1995 to Aug 2000.

Red Deer. Historically an agricultural service centre on the Calgary-Edmonton Railway, Red Deer’s city center retains a distinctive cluster of post-World War II commercial buildings near the historic railway station. Project period: Sept 2000 – present.

Stephen Avenue. Situated beneath office towers in downtown Calgary, this designated National Historic District includes an impressive collection of sandstone and brick buildings and the only lumber-frame survivor of Calgary’s 1885 fire. Project period: April 1997 to Dec 1999.

Vegreville. White stucco storefronts in the Moderne style are a legacy of Vegreville’s growth during the 1920s and 30s. Project period: Sept 1991 to Feb 1998.

Vermilion. Distinctive, well-preserved tapestry brick facades date to the extensive reconstruction of the main street after a fire destroyed all but three of Vermilion’s original wood commercial buildings in 1918. Project period: Sept 1991 to Sept 1998.

Vilna. This village boast one of the province’s most extensive collections of false fronted Boomtown buildings and the oldest original pool hall still operating in Alberta. Project period: Dec 1999 – present.

Wainwright. Historically the gateway to Canada’s first National Buffalo Park (now CFB Wainwright), downtown Wainwright was rebuilt in 1929 after one of the province’s most devastating fires destroyed the main street, sparing only a distinctive clock tower that still stands today as a war memorial. Project period: Sept 2000 – present.

Wetaskiwin. Wetaskiwin’s main street is a mix of architectural styles that includes several distinctive old bank buildings and an impressive courthouse. Project period: Sept 1991 to Sept 1998.