The Provincial Museum & Archives of Alberta — 1967
Discussions for a new provincial museum and archives building began in 1958. For decades the Legislature Building housed Alberta’s nascent archival collection and had all but outgrown it by that year. Ernest Manning's Social Credit government, with an uncharacteristic eye towards the future, created an advisory board to study the matter, and in 1962 appointed a museum consultant that, the Edmonton Journal later recalled, “enabled detailed analysis to be advanced and a plan for practical implementation outlined. The theme of the proposed institution, its scope, programs and cultural objectives were defined very early.”
The Province’s foresight proved fortuitous. Around that time, the federal government organized its Centennial Commission, which would doll out grants for the creation of projects — buildings, statues or otherwise — to celebrate the country’s upcoming one hundredth anniversary and the Provincial Government seized the opportunity to forward its museum plans. The Commission was amicable to the proposal; in their words “the objective to perpetuate and portray the heritage of this province was singularly appropriate to the centennial theme.”
The Provincial Museum Commission appointed Raymond O. Harrison, a young Melburnian, as the Province’s new Museum Director. His mandate and budget were loose; with three years and $5,000,000 find a suitable site and construct a 4,000 square meter building. Harrison was certainly up for the task, with bona fides including time with Vancouver’s lauded C. B. K. Van Norman & Associates architectural firm, and work on that city’s Maritime Museum. In the interim the Saskatchewan Museum of Natural History employed Harrison.
After some deliberation, the Province settled on the storied site of Alberta’s Government House. Commanding an impressive view of the River Saskatchewan, the location demanded an equally commanding building which Harrison and the Alberta Department of Public Works aimed to deliver. The striking plan they drafted reflected the best of modern Internationalist design with echoes of the emerging Brutalist style; elements such as the ribbed fascia would lean towards the former, while its fortress-like appearance would lean towards the latter.
Harrison et al took great strides to symbolize the museum’s role as Alberta’s premier centennial project; one of the 440 eventually built in the province. British Columbian slate, Quebec granite, Manitoban Tyndall, Ontario marble, and larger-than-life reproductions of petroglyphs from Alberta’s Writing-on-Stone Provincial Park were to provide an overarching confederation motif.
Construction commenced in October 1965 under the supervision of Poole Construction. After a year-and-a-half of steady work the museum neared completion, and in May 1967 employees began transferring archival materials and creating displays. Finally, on the cold December 6th of that year, the building opened. 300 dignitaries from all levels of government and several thousand Albertans witnessed Premier Manning cut the ribbon and officially welcome all Canadians to the new Provincial Museum and Archives of Alberta.
Despite its hefty $8,500,000 cost, the museum was free to the public upon opening and met fairly warm reviews. Early exhibits included the works of pioneering photographer Ernest Brown and a presentation on the fur trade. The fondly remembered animal displays were added in 1969, and a formal Indigenous gallery opened in 1997.
While the museum received a “Royal” designation following Queen Elizabeth II’s visit in 2005, the Province announced shortly thereafter that it was exploring options to replace the then thirty-eight year old building. Initial proposals called for a $2,000,000 expansion and refresh of the existing structure. Middling public reception led to grander plans, ultimately resulting in the construction of a new Royal Alberta Museum building in downtown Edmonton.
On December 6th, 2015, as work progressed on its replacement, a final farewell was given to the storied museum. Shuttered, the old P.M. of A. sat quietly for years, perhaps waiting for a day it could be reinvented as something else to service the public good — at least that’s what heritage advocates wanted to believe. In retrospect it was a foolhardy assumption; never would Alberta’s chronically austerity-minded United Conservative government decide that the public good should outweigh the prospect of saving a buck. And indeed, in a penny-wise, pound foolish move they unilaterally announced the building’s demolition in mid-2024 amid no public consultation.
Whenever I think of the museum, my mind is always drawn to one specific quote. For a 2019 column about the building, Dustin Cook of the Edmonton Journal conducted an interview with long-time Glenora resident June Acorn. At some point he asked “why is the old museum important?” June responded, “because I am an Edmontonian.”
Is there any truer statement? As trite as it may be to say, the museum is more than a building — for thirty-eight strong years it wove itself tight into Edmonton’s collective consciousness. How many can vividly remember leisurely weekend visits or hectic school trips? The excitement of a new exhibit, or the pageantry of its Royal Visit? Coming into the big city from the likes of Bruce or Barrhead? What would be the answer? Tens of thousands? Hundreds of thousands?
Memories may not be material but are they worth nothing? In the eyes of our provincial leaders, the answer seems to be a resounding “yes.”
“Manning Announces Five-Year Program,” Edmonton Journal, August 15, 1958, p. 2.
“Museum Committee Seeks Appointment Of Curator,” Edmonton Journal, September 4, 1958, p. 27.
“Museum Curator Suggested,” Edmonton Journal, September 5, 1958, p. 4.
“Progress Towards Museum,” Edmonton Journal, December 15, 1958, p. 4.
“Province of Alberta Requires Museum Director,” advertisement, Edmonton Journal, September 2, 1961, p. 11.
“Museum Consultant Appointed,” Edmonton Journal, April 26, 1962, p. 24.
“Consultant is Appointed,” Edmonton Journal, June 9, 1962, p. 3.
“Public Archives Planned,” Edmonton Journal, December 6, 1962, p. 23.
“Edmonton Selected As Site For New Provincial Museum,” Edmonton Journal, January 15, 1963, p. 21.
“Centennial Aid Plan Incomplete,” Edmonton Journal, February 27, 1963, p. 18.
“Museum Estimates Trimmed,” Edmonton Journal, August 08, 1963, p. 3.
“Archives, Museum Building Likely,” Edmonton Journal, January 16, 1964, p. 1.
“Hopes Fading Home Found For Museum,” Edmonton Journal, April 27, 1964, p. 3.
“Centennial Museum: Government House Is The Ideal Site,” Edmonton Journal, May 12, 1964, p. 5.
“Museum Taking Shape,” Edmonton Journal, June 2, 1965, p. 3.
“Centennial Projects Progressing In City,” Edmonton Journal, December 30, 1965, p. 13.
“Provincial Museum And Archives Building Is Alberta’s Official Centennial Project,” Edmonton Journal, December 5, 1967, p. 27.
“Structure Required Years of Planning,” ibid.
“Natural Canadian Stones Used,” ibid.
“Provincial Museum Headed By Experts,” ibid.
“Museum: Hurrahs Premature,” Edmonton Journal, December 11, 1967, p. 4.
Dustin Cook, “What’s Next For The Old Building?,” Edmonton Journal, May 6, 2019, p. A1.
Karyn Mulcahy, “Old Royal Alberta Museum building in Glenora to be torn down: province,” CTV News Edmonton, August 1, 2024.
“Former Royal Alberta Museum,” National Trust For Canada, accessed September 6, 2024.
https://nationaltrustcanada.ca/nt-endangered-places/former-royal-alberta-museum
“Provincial Museum of Alberta — 1967,” Capital Modern, accessed September 10, 2024,
https://capitalmodernedmonton.com/buildings-by-area/provincialmuseum/
