Edmonton Archives EA-10-277
This early photo, shortly after amalgamation of Strathcona and Edmonton in 1912, depicts the first one storey infill building in this narrow lot.
A Comic Book Façade for a tiny Comic Book Store: 1986 - 1991 In 1985, the architectural rejuvenation of Edmonton’s historic south side district began with the Old Strathcona Building Front Improvement Work Program. It was a federal program in Canada that was intended to offer incentives for the hiring of unemployed workers affected by the downturn of the economy in the 1980s. Old Strathcona is the repository of a substantial inventory of recognised historic buildings, dating from the pre- WW1 period, centred around the southside main street, Whyte Avenue. I was appointed the architect for the program and over the course of four years, we completed numerous historic façade restorations and rejuvenations along Whyte Avenue and adjacent streets. One of our projects was a commercial building, the Wee Book Inn used book store, next to the historic 1891 Strathcona Hotel. It was actually two buildings, a 7.3m wide brick building and a narrow 2.2m wide annex, which had been an undeveloped lot in the early twentieth century, later filled with first a one-storey building and later with a second story.
David Murray
This is a view of the Wee Book Inn as we found it in 1985.
‘Darwin Luxford opened the first Wee Book Inn location on Whyte Avenue in 1971, setting up in a building not much more than two metres wide. The narrow structure would inspire the ‘Wee’ in Wee Book Inn.’ — Edmonton Journal September 23, 2021
going to do with the infill building in the original vacant lot? This was the comic bookstore, so my proposal was to construct a comic book façade for a comic book store. It was ironic moment in my career since I was professionally dedicated to the study and authentic restoration of historic buildings, not constructing false history, so I was amused by the permission I was given to bring a light-hearted idea to the serious business of conservation.
Darwin and his wife Liola started their bookstore in the tiny 2.2m wide lot in 1971. Within 2 years they also leased the adjacent building to expand their operations. They purchased both properties in 1979. It was then that they dedicated the narrow lot building to be the Comic Book Annex. The Wee Book Inn was one of the first buildings in the Building Front Improvement Work Program. With the cooperation of the Wee Book Inn owners, we decided to restore the original brick façade, hidden behind the stucco. But if we were to uncover the brick building, what were we
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on site review 43: architecture and t ime
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