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Erik Backstrom

@e_backstrom

Mar 24, 2023 • 7 tweets • 4 min read • Read on X

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Amazing example of building reuse in Edmonton: La Bosco Bakery & Cafe at 10413 79 Avenue NW. labosco.ca

It was originally built in 1953 as a storage garage for Manbro Ltd (was there ever a more testosterone-laden business name?), part of the Manning Lumber companies owned by Percy Manning. At the time Manning Lumber was located between 79 & 80 Aves where the Brooks NOFRILLS now is.

But the building quickly became an auto body shop. An auto upholstery business took it over in the 1960s and then in the mid-1970s, a transmission shop moved in.

After decades of industrial uses the property wasn't looking too great ("OH NO") in this 2009 Google Street View image.

In 2018 the property went up for sale. If I had seen this ad at the time I would have rolled my eyes at it -- "Oh yeah, super property!" -- but bless his heart the realtor actually was right.

Someone bought it for a good price, replaced the floor, cleaned up decades of motor oil and transmission fluid, exposed the barrel truss, added a skylight to support lush indoor plantings, and opened a lovely bakery and cafe.

When the snow all melts, the former vehicle storage area out front will be full of people socializing. So please, think hard before tearing down a building. Value its embodied carbon, renovate it to be more energy efficient, and turn it into something wonderful. #yegheritage

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More from @e_backstrom

Erik Backstrom

@e_backstrom

May 21

The naming history and planning intrigue behind Edmonton's least populous neighbourhood.

In the 2019 municipal census, Quesnell Heights, tucked between Whitemud Dr & the river, only had 330 residents in 122 residences -- the smallest population of any completed residential neighbourhood in #yeg. The most populous,
Oliver (now Wîhkwêntôwin), had 55 times more: 18,180.

We know exactly where the Oliver and Wîhkwêntôwin names came from, but Quesnell Heights is a different story. When a recent media piece expressed uncertainty about the origin of the name, someone asked me if I knew. I did not, but I became interested. edmonton.taproot.news/briefs/2024/04…

Read 21 tweets

Erik Backstrom

@e_backstrom

Dec 7, 2023

"What's in an Edmonton name?" the VARSCONA edition.

The River Coe drains a beautifully rugged valley in the Scottish Highlands. The Gaelic word for a deep, narrow valley is the origin of the English word "glen" so the community that was established at the mouth of the Coe became known as Glen Coe, or Glencoe.

In 1692, in order to suppress lingering Jacobite support in the Highlands, government forces slaughtered members of Clan MacDonald of Glencoe. The attack's brutality shocked the country and the event became known as the Massacre of Glencoe. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Massacre_…

Read 27 tweets

Erik Backstrom

@e_backstrom

Aug 26, 2023

Today is the 100th anniversary of one of the most remarkable buildings in Canada: the Cardston Alberta Temple. To learn more about the architectural and religious significance of this National Historic Site, read on. 🧵 #cdnhistory #abhistory #architecturalhistory #LDSHistory

Spiritual traditions throughout time have established sacred sites: hills, cathedrals, groves, temples, shrines, etc. For the believer, there is something special about a place to leave behind the ordinary world temporarily to commune with the divine.

Temples of the @Ch_JesusChrist are sacred places for Latter-day Saints. This web page explains why the Church builds them. churchofjesuschrist.org/temples/why-la…

Read 39 tweets

Erik Backstrom

@e_backstrom

Aug 23, 2023

Great example of rural sustainability: Glen Park Hall in @LeducCounty celebrated its 90th anniversary this week.

The hall is located 47 km southwest of downtown Edmonton on Township Road 490, commonly known as the Glen Park Road. It is surrounded by good farmland and is outside Edmonton's commuter shed.

Astride the historic trail between Edmonton & Pigeon Lake (a reminder of Indigenous dispossession) the area was homesteaded from 1898-1905. Many of the early settlers were Swedes who had emigrated up from Kulm, North Dakota, so the local school was called Kulm School.

Read 17 tweets

Erik Backstrom

@e_backstrom

Jun 21, 2023

The lesbian designer of one of Edmonton's most prestigious neighbourhoods -- and her threatened architecture. #yegplan #yeghistory #yegpride

@VictoriaArts

Jean Wallbridge was born in Edmonton in 1912 to an affluent lawyer and his wife. Jean was educated at private schools, in Europe & @VictoriaArts. It's safe to assume that she was one of the few young Edmontonians presented at the royal court in London during the Depression.

@UAlberta

Jean studied architecture @UAlberta and likely thanks to her professor, Cecil Burgess, became passionate about urban planning. During WWII, when there were precious few planners employed by municipal governments in Canada, Jean got a job with @cityofsaintjohn planning commission.

Read 19 tweets

Erik Backstrom

@e_backstrom

Mar 4, 2023

Promising news for the Koermann Block on 96 Street: City Council has agreed to sell the site for below market value for affordable housing on the condition that the building is protected as a Municipal Historic Resource. #yegheritage globalnews.ca/news/9520645/e…

Many people are know that Strathcona had a significant German community 100+ yrs ago because aspects of it (e.g. Holy Trinity Lutheran Church, K&K Foodliner) still exist, but downtown Edmonton had one too. Here's a map of German families prior to 1914. sites.ualberta.ca/~german/Albert…

One of the leaders of this community was Gustave Koermann, editor of the Alberta Herold, a German-language weekly published on Namayo Ave (97 St). Born in Dortmund in 1865, he came to the US in 1881 and ran a German paper in Winnipeg for 15 years before coming to Edmonton.