The agency charged with the stewardship of the city’s heritage buildings is set to receive an honour from the province for its efforts to conserve St. Albert’s iconic grain elevators.
Arts and Heritage St. Albert has been selected to receive the Alberta Historical Resources Foundation’s Heritage Conservation Award for its outstanding commitment to the preservation, restoration and rehabilitation of the two structures, both of which are viewed as significant in the history of the city, the region and the province.
“To be recognized by the Alberta Historical Resources Foundation is a great honour for St. Albert and all those involved in the conservation of the grain elevators,” said Ann Ramsden, the organization’s director of heritage and head of the MusĂ©e HĂ©ritage Museum.
She added that the project to conserve the two elevators took many years of planning and co-ordination with a team that included the City of St Albert, HIP Architects, ISL Engineering, Delnor Construction as well as Arts and Heritage St. Albert, all of whom worked closely with the provincial heritage advisor to keep the project in strict compliance with the standards and guidelines for the preservation of historic places in Canada.
The silver 1906 Brackman Ker Elevator and its counterpart, the green 1929 Albert Wheat Pool Elevator, were both designated as provincial historic resources in January 2007. They have since undergone significant restoration work that involved securing and repainting the metal cladding, repairs and stabilization of the foundations, re-shingling on the roofs, re-siding, replacement of rotten timbers, replacement and restoration of doors and windows, and other safety upgrades.
The $1.7-million project wrapped up last summer.
Executive director Paul Moulton is elated with the honour.
“It’s a great source of pride for the entire Arts and Heritage Foundation to have this particular project acknowledged because it goes back many years now, right all the way back to trying to deal with issues around fire retardants … and all the way up to working with the city to restore the buildings to the state they’re in now.”
Ramsden seconded that sentiment.
“There’s a lot of pride but that’s what we do every day. We come to work. It’s our job as well. It’s for the community. These are icons. They’ve been a big part of St. Albert for over 100 years and so to be able to drive past and see them every day gives us a huge sense of pride.”
She added that there are only 12 designated grain elevators left in the province and the project to restore St. Albert’s two grain elevators was the most comprehensive one of its kind.
“A lot of the lessons learned from this project are being applied to other grain elevators,” Ramsden said. “St. Albert’s grain elevators are the best conserved grain elevators which means that they will continue to be around for a long time.”
The award will be presented during a ceremony on Friday, Nov. 30 at the Edmonton Public School Archives and Museum.
The Alberta Historical Resources Foundation announces heritage awards every two years in the following categories: heritage conservation, heritage awareness, municipal heritage preservation and outstanding achievement.
