Margaret Marshall Residence

11119 62 Street NW, Edmonton

The Margaret Marshall Residence was built in 1916 as a one and one-half storey Craftsman bungalow with cedar shingle siding and a side gable roof with a gable-roof dormer. The site is located on a residential street on a single city lot in the residential neighbourhood of Highlands. The municipal designation includes the exterior of the home. The interior is considered a non-contributing element.

Heritage Value

The Margaret Marshall Residence is significant for its Craftsman style and its association with early infill development in the Highlands.

The Margaret Marshall Residence is significant as an early example of the local variation of Craftsman style. The Arts and Crafts movement, of which the Craftsman style is a part, was a shift away from the elaborate ornamentation made possible by industrialization. The Craftsman style gained popularity in Edmonton in the 1910s. The Craftsman style was characterized by small, one and one-half storey bungalows, which featured natural materials such as wood shingle siding, as used on the Margaret Marshall Residence. The small size and use of readily available material also resulted in affordable construction costs, which attracted many Edmontonians. Furthermore, the small size made homes such as this one easy to heat in the winter. The Craftsman style was characterised by the principle of honesty of structure, in which the structural components of the building are revealed as design elements, as seen in this home’s large tapered posts with square pedestals and large supporting brackets under the wide projecting eaves. This honesty in structure was a reaction against decorations considered useless that were utilized in previous styles and reflected the prevailing social attitudes of frugality and pragmatism. Other typical Craftsman elements found in this home are the full-length open front veranda, projecting bay window, triple window front dormer and exposed brick chimney. A regional variation on the Craftsman style evident in the Margaret Marshall Residence is the high pitched gable roof, designed to mitigate the build-up of snow during Edmonton’s harsh winters. An example of a popular housing style in Edmonton from the mid-1910s to the mid-1930s, the Margaret Marshall Residence adds to Edmonton’s character and sense of place.

The Margaret Marshall Residence is significant for its association with early infill development in the Highlands neighbourhood. Constructed in 1916, the design and scale of the Margaret Marshall Residence was a response to the real estate collapse of 1913. Development in the Highlands community began in 1910 when the area was established as a wealthy suburb for the city’s growing middle and upper class. To ensure the community maintained a high standard of development, a caveat was placed on the land title requiring a minimum $2,500 development permit. After the real estate collapse in 1913 the majority of lots in the Highlands remained vacant and the minimum requirements disappeared. The Margaret Marshall Residence is representative of the type of residential infill that resulted. Situated on the smallest lot in the Highlands, the storey and a half home is smaller in comparison to the homes built only a few years prior, and its development permit was listed at only $2,000. It is also of a simpler design and used inexpensive, readily available materials. Infill development continued in the neighbourhood until after the Second World War and had a tremendous impact on the eclectic architectural character of the area.

Source: City of Edmonton Planning and Development Department POSSE File 79855059.

Character-Defining Elements

The heritage value of the Margaret Marshall Residence is expressed in such character defining elements as:

  • the high pitched gable roof;
  • the large gable roof dormer with three eave brackets and tripartite single hung windows on the front elevation;
  • the shed roof dormer on the rear elevation with single hung window;
  • the cedar shingle cladding;
  • the open front veranda with solid, shingle clad railing and three tapered posts with square bases and capitals;
  • the wide projecting eaves with large brackets and exposed rafters at the gable ends;
  • the projecting bay window with exposed rafters on the south façade;
  • the storey and a half high stairwell projection with exposed rafters and single window on the south façade;
  • the square bay window with paired single hung windows and exposed rafters;
  • the enclosed rear porch with rear entrance and window;
  • the exposed brick chimneys;
  • the pattern of fenestration on the north, south and west elevations; and
  • the single window, front and paired windows on front elevation. All single hung with storm windows. 

Context

Margaret Marshall was a prominent Edmontonian during the Depression who did a great deal to alleviate the suffering of her fellow citizens. She worked for the Edmonton Journal and founded the Edmonton Journal Sunshine Society, which helped find work and provided hope for transient workers. In 1930 alone she organized Christmas food hampers, including toys and clothing for children, for 1,500 needy Edmontonians. Between 1939 and 1941 she continued her public work as an “inspector city relief”, an “investigator city hall”, and a “lady officer.” Margaret Marshall began renting this property in 1928 and purchased it in 1931, and although she only lived here until 1952, she is still associated with the home by members of the community.

Data Source: POSSE File 79855059 City of Edmonton Planning and Development Department 10250 - 101 Street Edmonton AB T5J 3P4

Designation & Awards

Municipal Historic Resource (February 4, 2009)

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Era: The War Years
Themes: Homes
Cultural Groups:
Area: Northeast

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