A building that once stood in the middle of present-day Alberta Avenue has become the first privately-owned historical resource in Okotoks.
Council voted on Nov. 25 to make the town’s 1906 post office, now home of Bistro 1882 on North Railway Street, a municipal heritage resource.
Allan Boss, manager of culture and heritage for the Town of Okotoks, said building owner Ed Povhe was notified of the Town’s intent to designate his property in May 2019. He said the process has been a mutual effort.
“This is a historically significant building because it represents some community development that happened here and has some really unique features about it,” said Boss.
For instance, its unique pressed metal exterior and boomtown-inspired front façade make the building stand out, he said.
In addition, it carries with it some of the Town’s history, said Boss.
Built in the late 1800s, the building was originally located on a parcel of land northeast of its current plot, he said.
“When surveyors came into Okotoks to put new roads in and Macleod Trail came through, which is North Railway, when they designed Alberta Avenue and put that on the map, Mr. Povhe’s building sat right in the middle,” said Boss. “So they picked that building up and they moved it over beside Paterson’s General Store, which sat on the corner of Alberta Avenue and North Railway Street.”
At the time, the post office operated out of the back of Paterson’s General Store, but soon space was limited and so it was moved next door. The building served as the town’s post office from 1906 until the 1930s, he said.
When it ceased being a post office, the building was used as a warehouse for Wentworth’s General Store, its neighbour to the east, which is now Rumpled Quilt Skins.
After sitting empty for several years, it was renovated and found new life as a restaurant in the 1980s. It has maintained that use, though different owners have passed through, and for the last nine years it has been the home of Povhe’s restaurant, Bistro 1882.
“I didn’t come and plan to buy an old building,” said Povhe. “It was a restaurant I wanted, and I wanted the building, and really after 10 years of looking in western Canada this was the only one that made sense. The fact that it was a very old building kind of dropped on me after.”
It may not have been his intent, but owning a historical building meant a lot to Povhe and he’s taken pride in maintaining the integrity of the old structure.
Agreeing to have the building designated as a municipal heritage resource was a no-brainer for the restaurateur.
“I’m someone that’s been quite vocal about downtown and taking care of downtown and this is kind of my part,” said Povhe. “Instead of just voicing my opinions, this is my way of doing something proactive that I believe helps downtown and shows that I’m willing to do my part and keep the historical places that are not owned by the Town up and current.”
He said the process began shortly after council finalized the policy on its designation program. After having the building inspected by an experienced contractor, he was ready to proceed into an agreement with the Town.
Now he’ll have to get renovations, repairs or upgrades to specific elements of the building, like the façade and other original features that bring its character to life, approved by council prior to beginning any work.
It’s not something Povhe is overly concerned about.
“I was holding those historical standards anyway,” he said. “History means a lot to me. I’m a big history buff.”
He said the building has been a sound investment and maintaining it shouldn’t be difficult.
“As far as the building is concerned, I think it could last forever, because it’s already lasted 140 years,” said Povhe.
The process wasn’t too labour intensive, though it took time to get the agreement in place, he said.
If anyone else in town owns a historical property, Povhe said he’d be willing to chat with them about having it designated – though he’s not trying to pressure his neighbours into following in his footsteps.
“Everyone’s got to decide on their own, for their own property and their own reasons, to do this,” said Povhe.
There’s no cost to owners for having the property designated, and though any maintenance of historical elements of buildings must be paid for by the owner, Boss said the Province is there to shoulder some of the load.
“Once we get it registered on the Alberta registry, (Povhe) will be able to qualify for grants from the provincial government to help him maintain that property as a heritage property,” said Boss.
The matching grants could be as much as $50,000 per year, he said.
So far, the post office building is the second in town to be designated as a municipal heritage resource, he said. The first was the Rotary Performing Arts Centre.
The third will be the original Macleod Trail sometime in the new year, he said.
Officially recognizing historical properties shows the Town’s commitment its history and that Okotoks is forward-thinking but still values its past, Boss said.
“People often say Okotoks has that small-town feeling,” he said. “Well, the heritage buildings and the heritage properties in our town help contribute to that small-town feeling.
“We want to recognize we’re a town with some history, and that history is what makes Okotoks what it is.”
Anyone interested in pursuing heritage designation for their property can contact Boss at 403-938-3204.
