Description of Historic Place

The Hyndman Residence is a two-storey International style house, identifiable for its unornamented cubic form and flat roof. The house is situated on one city lot, in the middle of a wooded and grassed rectangular property in the prestigious west Glenora neighbourhood, surrounded by residences of similar age and scale.

Heritage Value

The 1946 Hyndman Residence has heritage value as one of the first International style houses in Edmonton, as an example of the work of prominent local architect George Heath MacDonald and for its associations with the Hyndman family, who owned and occupied the house for over 50 years.

This innovative dwelling was a pioneering example of the local use of the International style in the postwar era. The style was most commonly employed in commercial and public buildings. While less commonly seen in domestic architecture, the style was applied to the Hyndman Residence as evident in the use of a flat roof, cubic massing with hard, angular edges, large horizontally arranged windows and smooth, unadorned surfaces. It is located adjacent to another early International style residence, the home of prominent Edmonton architect W.G. Blakey.

The Hyndman Residence was designed by architect George Heath MacDonald (1883-1961), one of Edmonton's pre-eminent architects. Before attending the McGill University School of Architecture, MacDonald received his initial training from Herbert Alton Magoon. He worked for Magoon after his return to Edmonton, quickly become junior partner and later carried on the practice after Magoon's death in 1941. MacDonald's significant designs included St. Joseph's Auxiliary Hospital (1948), the Memorial Hall and Chapel of Robertson-Wesley United Church (1950-55) and the Federal Building (1955).

Additionally, the house is valuable for its association with the Hyndman family, prominent community figures in Edmonton and Alberta. Louis Davies Hyndman Sr. (1904-1993) was a prominent Edmonton lawyer, first chair of the Edmonton Planning Advisory Committee and Master of Chambers of the Alberta Courts (1969-1986). His son, Louis Hyndman Jr., who grew up in this house, was a leading cabinet member of the provincial government from 1971 to 1986. The Hyndman family owned the house from 1946 until 2002.

Source: City of Edmonton (Bylaw: 13773)

Character-Defining Elements

Key elements that define the heritage character of the Hyndman Residence include its:
- mid-block location, at the intersection of two alleys;
- residential form, scale and massing as expressed by its two-storey height and irregular, rectangular plan;
- wood-frame construction and concrete foundation;
- International Style details such as its flat roof with expressed coping; recessed front door entrance with curved glass block feature wall and five slender metal support columns; rectangular cantilevered projections over the front door and the upper balcony; half-width open balcony on the south facade with solid enclosed balustrade; and small kitchen porch with side door and window;
- additional exterior elements such as its external chimney; fabric awnings above windows; single-storey carport at entry; and original wooden front door;
- regular fenestration, with tripartite wooden sash casement windows, those on the ground floor being slightly larger than those on the upper floor; fixed basement windows on either side of the chimney.