Description of Historic Place

The Loyal Orange Hall #1654 of Edmonton is a one-storey, wood frame institutional building, located in the original civic core of Strathcona on Edmonton's south side.

Heritage Value

The Loyal Orange Hall #1654 of Edmonton is significant as one of the oldest surviving public assembly buildings in Alberta and for its role in the early settlement and cultural development of Strathcona when it was still a separate city. In 1903, members of the Loyal Orange Lodge #1654 participated in the construction of this meeting hall. This type of fraternal organization helped pioneer settlers bind together as a community and survive in harsh frontier conditions. Developed at a time when churches, not governments, provided social assistance, such associations provided mutual support to families in need. By 1904, the fraternity included some of the leading citizens of the community. Every year, one of the local high points of the summer was the 'Glorious 12th of July' Orangemen parade, which took place along Whyte Avenue. Today, the Orange Lodge operates primarily as a benevolent association, raising funds for childrens' charities.

The Loyal Orange Hall #1654 of Edmonton is also significant as an example of vernacular frontier construction. It is a simple wood frame structure with gable roof, wooden drop siding and unadorned multi-paned windows, typical of utilitarian construction methods of the time.

Located in the original civic core of Strathcona, the Loyal Orange Hall #1654 of Edmonton is representative of the early support structures that were constructed in Strathcona as utilitarian and functional buildings to support the early growth of the community, when it was a separate settlement on the south bank of the North Saskatchewan River.

Source: City of Edmonton (Bylaw: 13980)

Character-Defining Elements

Key elements that define the heritage character of the Loyal Orange Hall #1654 of Edmonton include its:
- continuous use as an Orange Lodge for over a century;
- mid-block location on a cul-de-sac close to the center of the original civic core of Strathcona;
- institutional form, scale and massing, as expressed by its simple vernacular design, rectangular plan and one room interior;
- steeply-pitched front gabled roof;
- wood frame construction, including wooden drop siding with cornerboards, wooden soffits, and watertable boards with angled drip cap;
- fenestration on the side elevations, with double-hung two-over-two wooden sash windows;
- surviving interior features including: wooden wainscoting; plaster walls with ceiling coves; wooden doors; wooden window and door trims with cornerblocks; hardwood floors; and raised stage with a central carved wooden arch.