Wetaskiwin Court House

Wetaskiwin Court House
North facade of the court house
General information
Location	4705 50th Avenue
Town or city	Wetaskiwin, Alberta
Country	Canada
Construction started	1907
Completed	1909
Design and construction
Architect(s)	Allan Merrick Jeffers
National Historic Site of Canada
Official name	Wetaskiwin Court House National Historic Site of Canada
Designated	1981

Wetaskiwin Court House is a courthouse and National Historic Site of Canada located in the city of Wetaskiwin, Alberta.

Description

The Wetaskiwin Court House is a large two-storey flat-roofed building made of brick and sandstone. The front face has a projecting pediment featuring the provincial crest and the date of its construction, 1907 supported by brick piers and two ionic pillars. The entrance below has semi-circle windows both in the tympanum and overtop the doorway. The exterior shows ornamental elements such as lintels, sills, and pilasters as well as both round-arched and single-hung windows with sandstone keystones. The building has been renovated to include two new ells with large glass-panel windows on either side of the original structure for more auxiliary space.

History

After the establishment of the modern judicial system in Alberta, which both central and district courts, Wetaskiwin was made one of five judicial districts alongside Calgary, Edmonton, Lethbridge, and Macleod. The interior layout hosted a holding cell and police services in the basement, court administration on the first floor, and a courtroom on the second floor. It was designed by the architect A. M. Jeffers, an American who was the provincial architect, best known for designing the Alberta Legislature Building in Edmonton.