Description of Historic Place

The Kingston Powell building is a two-storey wood frame commercial and residential building, located on a city lot at the southeast corner of 103rd Avenue, facing 97th Street, Edmonton's historic main street.

Heritage Value

The Kingston Powell Building is an important representative of commercial buildings that sprang up along Edmonton's main thoroughfares, such as Namayo Avenue, in the early part of the century. Built in 1907, it is characteristic of the buildings that were erected in the busiest time of the pre-World War One boom in Edmonton. Namayo Avenue was a significant commercial location in Edmonton in that period and remained so until the 1920's and 30's when the commercial core moved west.

The site has significance for its association with Kingston Powell, farmer turned business property owner, who was listed as owner and architect for the property. Kingston Powell was a very early settler in the Edmonton area, present during the Riel Rebellion. Powell is representative of the group of early settlers who initially farmed, but later chose to invest in the construction of urban buildings.

The Kingston Powell Building is also notable for its architecture as an early Edwardian-era example of a building using prefabricated materials, such as the pressed metal siding with stone imprint still present on the building, to represent classically-inspired decorations that were popular at the time. It is representative of the economical, utilitarian structures most often found in early commercial areas, most of which are now demolished, and has value as one of a small number of surviving examples. It originally provided both commercial and living space, with stores at the ground level and residential accommodations above.

Source: City of Edmonton (Bylaw 13214)

Character-Defining Elements

The Edwardian-era commercial style of the Kingston Powell Building is represented by character-defining elements such as:
- form, scale and massing;
- minimal setback from street;
- timber construction;
- symmetrical facade;
- pressed-metal siding with ashlar stone pattern imprint;
- large wood-framed retail storefront windows on two elevations with recessed front entrance;
- minimal ornamentation;
- wood cornice detail at roof level;
- wood cornice and sign band above storefronts;
- courses of decorative banding in and below the cornices;
- a regular repetition of wood double-hung windows in the upper level.