(rdnewsNOW/Josh Hall)

By Josh Hall (Twitter: @Vancan19)

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Lacombe designates ‘Flatiron Building’ a Municipal Historic Resource

Apr 13, 2022 | 9:42 AM

The Flatiron Building in downtown Lacombe has been designated a Municipal Historic Resource.

City council recently passed a bylaw, making it so under the province’s Historical Resources Act.

“The Flatiron Building is Lacombe’s signature historical treasure,” Mayor Grant Creasey said. “This designation ensures the building will remain a hallmark of our community for years to come. I want to thank the current owner of the Flatiron and the Heritage Resources Committee (HRC) for their diligent work towards preserving the legacy of this building.”

The building is one of just two triangular-shaped ‘flatiron’ structures in Alberta — the other being the Gibson Block in Edmonton. It is the oldest known building of its kind in western Canada at almost 120-years-old, compared to the Gibson, which was built in 1913.

The City of Lacombe says the building is of early-20th century Edwardian Classical Revival style, has three-storeys, and is made from brick and sandstone.

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It was designed in the Beaux-Arts tradition of architecture.

The building is valued for its distinctive architectural style and design and its association with two financial institutions that played an essential role in the development of Lacombe: The Merchant’s Bank of Canada and the Bank of Montreal, according to the City.

It was constructed in 1903-1904 by the Merchant’s Bank of Canada, the first bank in Lacombe, and it merged with the Bank of Montreal in 1922. The Bank of Montreal then occupied the building until 1967.

“The members of Lacombe’s Heritage Resources Committee (HRC) are overjoyed that the Flatiron has received designation from city council as a Municipal Historic Resource,” HRC Chair Myles Chykerda said. “We thank its owner, Glen Calkins, for all the restoration work that has been carried out over the years and his enthusiasm in pursuing this designation. The Flatiron is a remarkable building that is a Lacombe icon for both residents.”

(rdnewsNOW/Josh Hall)

The City notes that the Flatiron is so important to Lacombe that the City’s Land Use Bylaw prohibits buildings within 100 metres of the “Flatiron Block’ to exceed 10 metres in height, so that it can retain its prominence.

In January 1990, the Province of Alberta designated Lacombe’s Flatiron Building as a Provincial Historic Resource — a different distinction.

The building is now home to the Lacombe and District Historical Society.

For more information on the City’s Heritage Preservation Program, visit lacombe.ca/242/Heritage-Preservation-Program.