(rdnewsNOW/Josh Hall)

By Josh Hall (Twitter: @Vancan19)

built in 1951

Former Federal building downtown, home to CRA, post office and jail, finally sold

May 12, 2022 | 1:59 PM

The now formerly Federal Government-owned building in the heart of Red Deer’s downtown has a new owner.

Located at 4909 50 Street, the building is the former home of the Canada Revenue Agency and Canada Post.

It was purchased in recent days by East Lincoln Properties, which also recently completed an office building off Taylor Drive and 43 Street. East Lincoln was founded in 1986 and has many properties around Red Deer in its portfolio.

“They are excited to breathe new life into the building and find some new tenants. They hope to be part of revitalizing the downtown, because they know this is a very visual building that everyone drives by,” says Brett Salomons of Salomons Commercial. “Everyone knows about it and has been asking, and I can say that East Lincoln does hope to preserve the historical significance of the building also and make it a good place to do business.”

The building has been for sale since Sept. 2018, most recently listed at $2.95 million. The actual terms of the sale could not be disclosed.

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Built in 1951, the building has nearly 28,000 square feet of rentable space.

According to a historic marker outside the building, the building was constructed in response to the city’s growth, and sits atop the 1913 post office foundation.

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It is consistent with Federal Corporate Style, which influenced the architecture of all federal buildings in the 1940s and 50s. Other services housed in the building over the years include a Customs office, the National Film Board, an auxiliary hospital, and even a remand centre used by RCMP.

“In the basement, there’s a section that still has graffiti on it from prisoners that were in there in the 60s,” says Salomons. “It’s a very interesting building. It’s basically a bomb shelter with 18-inch thick exterior walls. The ceilings are also very high — 18 feet maybe, plus four more feet above the ceiling.”

Salomons notes it used to be heated by coal and still has an old coal chute.

There’s no abatement required, he adds.

In 2016, the province recognized the building through a Ministerial Order by Culture and Tourism as a Provincial Historical Resource. In 2017, to align with the province’s order, The City of Red Deer designated the building as a Historical Preservation building within the Land Use Bylaw.

John Sennema, manager of land and economic development at The City, says being on the dominant corner of the downtown, the building’s sale is certainly significant.

“We’ve got the historic courthouse on the northeast, Executive Place across the street, then City Hall and City Hall Park, and now this former Government of Canada building which will help improve vibrancy downtown, and spur greater economic development through the legitimate use of it,” says Sennema.

“It’s great because we’ve been able to keep the historic value of this building intact. We’re excited because it has sat empty for far too long, and because of the potential for what could possibly go in there.”

Salomons could not comment on potential uses, though Sennema notes that given its historical designations, significant changes to the building’s structure likely won’t be possible.