Description of Historic Place

Dr. Terwillegar's Residence is a one-and-a-half storey Craftsman Bungalow style house, with a low-pitched hipped roof and shingle siding. It is located on a quiet residential street, near the commercial spine of 124 Street, in the historic Westmount neighbourhood in west Edmonton.

Heritage Value

Dr. Terwillegar's Residence has heritage value for its association with prominent local citizen Dr. Norman Terwillegar, for its Craftsman Bungalow style architecture, for its association with architect John Martland and for its location within the historic neighbourhood context of Westmount.

Dr. Terwillegar's Residence has heritage value for its association with Dr. Norman Terwillegar (1884-1948), a prominent local citizen. Terwillegar was initially a resident doctor and later a staff member at the Royal Alexandra Hospital. He also maintained his own private medical practice for thirty-five years. He served as President of the Edmonton Academy of Medicine and President of the Alberta Medical Society. He was commemorated in 1962 by the naming of Terwillegar Heights in honour of his service to the city. Terwillegar practiced from this residence in the latter years of his career and the house's intact historic layour reflects this function. The Terwillegar family owned the house from 1920 to 1959.

Built in 1912, Dr. Terwillegar's Residence is valued as a fine example of a Craftsman Bungalow in Edmonton. The Craftsman style was the dominant style for smaller houses between 1910 and 1930, and was notable for its extensive use of wood, restrained craftsmanship and open eaves. Craftsman style houses with hipped roofs are less common than gable roofs, marking this as an unusual variation on the style in Edmonton. It was designed by architect John Martland, who, in partnership with David Hardie, designed such Edmonton landmarks as Sacred Heart Catholic Church (1913) and the Hecla Block (1914). Martland became the municipal architect for the City of Edmonton in 1919, a position he held for eighteen years. He also served as President of the Alberta Association of Architects.

Dr. Terwillegar's Residence illustrates the frantic real estate speculation that occured in pre-First World War Edmonton and that strongly shaped the development of the neighbourhood of Westmount. The house helps to reinforce the historic continuity and character of the historic area, while being unique due to its low-profile massing, among other larger, mainly two-storey residences. The area was a less pretentious, but elegant northern extension of the Glenora neighbourhood and contains one of the greatest concentrations of pre-First World War single-family dwellings in Edmonton. The Westmount Architectural Heritage Area was established in 1983 to recognize the distinct architectural character of the Westmount neighourhood, reflecting Edmonton's commitment to its architectural history.

Source: City of Edmonton Planning and Development (Bylaw: 13462)

Character-Defining Elements

Key elements that define the heritage character of Dr. Terwillegar's Residence
include its:
- mid-block location on a quiet residential street;
- residential form, scale and massing, including its one-and-a-half storey plus basement height and irregular rectangular plan, with front porch and rear wing gable roof extensions;
- low-pitched hipped roof with slightly flared eaves and hipped dormer in the front and rear;
- wood-frame construction, with cedar shingle siding with a slight bellcast;
- Craftsman Bungalow style features such as its extensive use of wood elements, low-pitched roof, exposed rafter tails, wide, open eaves, simple frieze board, and simple wood window surrounds;
- additional exterior features such as its enclosed front porch;
- regular fenestration, including front bay window with wood sash windows with straight-leaded upper sash, multi-paned windows with transoms enclosing the front porch, double assembly one-over-one double-hung wood sash windows in the dormers, and other single and double assembly wood-sash windows;
- interior features such as its original spatial layout, original kitchen cabinetry, door crowns and mouldings, baseboard mouldings, wood floors, original panelled doors and hardware, and millwork room divider with tapered columns between the living and dining rooms.