Denike Block build in Lacombe's downtown core on 5012 50 Ave., now owned by Downton & Co. interior design. (Google Maps)

By Alessia Proietti

Denike Block

Downtown Lacombe building applies for Municipal Historic Resource designation

Aug 23, 2022 | 4:30 PM

Lacombe city council passed first reading on Monday to designate the Denike Block building downtown as a Municipal Historic Resource.

Hannah Downton, owner of interior design company Downton & Co., made the application for her building on 5012 50 Ave., supported by city administration and unanimously by Lacombe’s Heritage Resources Committee (HRC) after touring the building in February.

The City says the building is part of a group of early Edwardian-style commercial buildings from the early 1900’s and is very well preserved. The architecture, they say, is consistent with the distinct style of Lacombe’s downtown commercial core, which includes the use of bricks, required by a municipal bylaw after a fire in 1906 which destroyed many original wood frame buildings in the area, including the Victoria Hotel in 1911 which occupied the space beforehand.

According to Downton’s “Statement of Significance”, Lacombe’s downtown began to boom after successive economic waves associated with the arrival of the C&E Rail, the First World War, and a boom in the agricultural industry. As its architecture is more common in Eastern Canada and the United Kingdom, the Statement claims the area is one of the best preserved centres of this style in Alberta.

The building was constructed in 1913 by a local jeweler and watchmaker, C.R. Denike, who occupied the main floor retail space while leasing the upper floor to the Town Registrar.

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The two-storey building includes its original storefront along the sidewalk with a recessed door and symmetrical second-floor bay windows separated by a protruding rectangular column made of brick in between known as a pilaster. The roof’s frontage is detailed with a pressed metal cornice for a decorative molding extending beyond the edges as well as a step-like triangular parapet of brick in the centre.

(L-R) Photo of Denike Block building taken in the early-mid 1900s in comparison to the building today in 2022. (Lacombe city council agenda August 22 p.26)

The building contains many of its original features including the interior staircase and the outdoor bricks which were removed, cleaned, reversed and reinstalled during renovations. Other upgrades made in 2020 by the current owner include major foundational work at the building’s rear to ensure structural integrity and the replacing of windows and doors of the same size.

Various steps are involved for designation on the Alberta and Canadian Register of Historic Places.

Following a formal application completed by the owner, it is then evaluated, in this case by Lacombe’s HRC. Once brought to city council’s attention, they must then issue a “Notice of Intention to Designate” back to the owner, granting protection of designation. A “Waiver of Compensation Agreement” is also signed by the building’s owner protecting the City from future claims of compensation if the property value decreases.

With these steps now complete, the City may pass a Municipal Historic Resource Designation bylaw after the Notice of Intention has been active for 60 days. The designation will then need to be registered along with other necessary documentation.

With no public hearing required, council will discuss second and third reading at their next council meeting on September 12.

The most recent building in Lacombe to be designated a Municipal Historic Resource was the Trimble residence, home of former Lacombe city mayor H.M. Trimble.

READ: Former Lacombe mayor’s home designated as Municipal Historic Resource