Description of Historic Place

The Alberta Wheat Pool Grain Elevator Site Complex is comprised of a late 1920s grain elevator with two attached 1985 crib annexes and an office building. It is located on one urban lot in the heart of the Village of Andrew.

Heritage Value

The heritage value of the Alberta Wheat Pool (A.W.P.) Grain Elevator in Andrew lies in its structural representation of the evolution of a standard, late 1920s A.W.P. elevator into a larger, more modern, composite elevator by the mid-1980s. It also possesses significance in its iconic value as a symbol of Alberta's agricultural and social history.

The Alberta Wheat Pool Grain Elevator Site Complex is a fine example of prairie vernacular industrial architecture, embodying the marriage of typical 1920s grain elevator construction and design with modern mechanical and structural upgrades. The original elevator was built between 1928 and 1929 according to a standard plan for square elevators and featured traditional wood crib construction. By the 1980s, the elevator's 40,000 bushel capacity had become insufficient in an era of larger and more efficient grain-handling facilities, capable of moving larger amounts of grain to market more rapidly. As a result, in 1985, two annexes were added to the original elevator, more than tripling its capacity to 149,000 bushels. Other upgrades were also made to the site, including a new metal leg, a digital weigh scale and extended drive shed, a new office, a modern dust collection system, and a new power train. The site thus represents an evolution from the original, single grain elevator to a larger, thoroughly modernized, composite grain handling system.

The Alberta Wheat Pool Grain Elevator Site Complex at Andrew expresses symbolically several significant threads of local and provincial history. As the sole remaining elevator of six originally erected in the Village of Andrew, the site recalls the centrality of agriculture in the region. The site also evokes the spirit of agrarian co-operation that led to the creation of the Alberta Wheat Pool and its highly significant role in the handling and marketing of provincial grain. A prominent local and provincial landmark, interrupting the horizontality of the Prairies with its monumental vertical thrust, and a symbol of Alberta's rich agricultural life - past and present - the Alberta Wheat Pool Grain Elevator Site Complex is an enduring icon of provincial history and identity.

Source: Alberta Culture and Community Spirit, Historic Resources Management Branch (File: Des. 2076)

Character-Defining Elements

The character-defining elements of the Alberta Wheat Pool Grain Elevator Site Complex include such features as:

Site:
- spatial relationship between structures and railway line;
- walkway between office and elevator.

A.W.P. Composite Grain Elevator:
- mass, form, scale, and style;
- cupola and shouldered lean-to roofs;
- exterior sheathing and horizontal siding;
- paint colour and name "Andrew" painted in white on several elevations;
- steel tank at grade level and between two outside concrete foundations;
- working floor of square timber and joists layered with a wearing floor;
- traditional wood crib construction and exposed structural members;
- two crib annexes with gable roofs on east and west sides of original elevator;
- fenestration pattern and style, including multi-pane, wood sash windows;
- pattern and style of doors, including large, five-paneled drive shed doors;
- drive shed, digital weigh scale system, and electric motor;
- conveyor system including horizontal screw conveyors, Gerber wheel, exposed wood and metal grain delivery shafts;
- manlift.

Office:
- mass, form, scale, and style;
- exterior horizontal siding;
- fenestration pattern and style;
- pattern and style of doors;
- interior plywood floors and paneling.