Whyte Avenue: A Strathcona story by Helen Murchie

Date:1939-1940s

I grew up at the hundred and tenth end of Whyte Avenue and remember the building of the Edmonton Normal School, later known as the University of Alberta Education building and now as Corbett Hall. King George and Queen Elizabeth came down our street in 1939.We had a lovely boulevard down the centre to 109th Street. Saplings were planted on this stretch and heaven help us if my father caught any of us bending over any of these small new trees. We played Tag, Mother May I and Baseball on the boulevard. There weren't many cars that ran down the streets to interfere with our games. At first the road as were dirt, then we had gravel. The boulevard was wider than it is now. The sidewalks were wooden but when cemented, we skipped and played hopscotch on them.

Our house was a bungalow built for us and moved into before it was hardly finished. One feature that was unique was a folding staircase which came down from the ceiling. It was in two pieces and was operated by a pulley. Only at special times were we allowed to investigate the attic. Later the house was renovated with an upstairs with three bedrooms. Unfortunately there was no upstairs bathroom.

The basement was only three-quarters dug out. There was a four foot wall that cemented off the un-dug quarter, used mainly for storage. Wooden cupboard doors were built to shut off the spooky upper part. The basement held a cement coal-burning furnace which was converted later to gas. In one corner there had been a coal bin, the coal being delivered through a basement window.

My grandfather moved in with us and built a chicken house on the back lot. This was later rebuilt into a garage. He also kept the garden and grew raspberries. We had swings and a small playhouse.

There weren't too many houses in the 109th Street block, a Merrick's Drug Store, Mr. McMordies Grocery and later, Henderson's Grocery. The red and white street car ran down the centre of Whyte Avenue, turning off 109th St.

Businesses were few and far between. There was a show repair and Morgan's flower shop and on 108th Street a boys orphanage playground. It was fenced off in the north side of Whyte Ave., The orphanage building itself faced on the 83rd Ave. A little further east was a hospice for older men. Across the street from it was the Raymond Hotel.

The Raymond Hotel was built of wood, painted white like an aging wedding cake. The landscaping as I remember it was prairie grass. I don't even know if there was a sidewalk leading up to it. In the fifties, I believe it burned down. We heard that an arsonist set it up and burned it down between a double feature at the Princess Theatre.

The south side post office always seemed quite grand with it's clock and red roof. Kiddy-corner from it was a California styled confectionary. The window displays of tantalizing sweets are well remembered. On the corner of 104th Street was the Service Department Store. That was the corner where the "Toonerville" Trolley met the south Edmonton red and white streetcar.

Several buildings of that early era still exist in that business area. The old Strathcona Hotel and the Hub have many more stories to tell.