Lacombe has officially designated its Flatiron Building as a Municipal Historic Resource.
The Flatiron Building is one of only two triangular-shaped “flatiron” structures in Alberta (the other, known as Gibson Block, is in Edmonton and was built in 1913) and is the oldest known building of this type in Western Canada.
The nearly 120-year-old building has become a significant community landmark in Lacombe and it was important to recognize it as such, according to Mayor Grant Creasey. Lacombe City Council passed a bylaw that designated the building under the Province of Alberta’s Historical Resources Act.
“The Flatiron Building is Lacombe’s signature historical treasure,” said Creasey.
“This designation ensures the building will remain a hallmark of our community for years to come. I want to thank the current owner of the Flatiron and the Heritage Resources Committee (HRC) for their diligent work towards preserving the legacy of this building.”
According to a release, the building is an early twentieth-century Edwardian Classical Revival style, three-storey triangular-shaped brick and sandstone building situated at a prominent corner location on a triangular block in downtown Lacombe.
It was constructed in 1903-1904 by the Merchant’s Bank of Canada, the first bank in Lacombe, and it merged with the Bank of Montreal in 1922. The Bank of Montreal continued to occupy the building until 1967.
“The members of Lacombe’s Heritage Resources Committee are overjoyed that the Flatiron has received designation from City Council as a Municipal Historic Resource,” HRC Chair Myles Chykerda said.
“We thank its owner, Glen Calkins, for all the restoration work that has been carried out over the years and his enthusiasm in pursuing this designation. The Flatiron is a remarkable building that is a Lacombe icon for both residents.”
The Flatiron Building is such an important building in Lacombe that the City’s Land Use Bylaw prohibits buildings within 100 metres of the “Flatiron Block’ to exceed 10 metres in height, so it can retain its prominence.
The building is now home to the Lacombe and District Historical Society.