Landmark Building
CANADIAN PACIFIC RAILWAY STATION (MEDICINE HAT)
North Railway Street, Medicine Hat
Built in 1885
'); "Canadian Pacific Railway Station")
It was the coming of the Canadian Pacific Railway in 1883 that made Medicine Hat and guaranteed its future. As a divisional point on the mainline, the town soon had a large repair shop, roundhouse, stock, and freight yards. The first station, built in 1885, was situated on the west side of the tracks at the bottom of what is now Third Street. It was a red two-storey wood-frame building which also housed the living quarters of the station-master on the second floor. The present brick station on the east side of the tracks was constructed in two stages. The north half of the structure was officially opened on July 12, 1906, the identical southern half being added in 1911.
The building is one of the finest examples of CPR station architecture in the province of Alberta. Multiple gable dormers and two octagonal towers on the track side of the building distinguish the Medicine Hat station. Notice also the impressive wooden brackets underneath the first-floor extended eaves and the half-timbering in the twingabled central dormer. The station remains in use as a VIA Rail passenger terminal.
The Landmark Buildings and Places Database draws on the series of walking and/or driving tour booklets produced by Alberta Culture (now Alberta Culture and Community Spirit). The Heritage Community Foundation gratefully acknowledges the support of the Ministry through permission to reprint these materials online. Extracted from Historical Walking Tour: Downtown Medicine Hat. Alberta Culture, Historic Site Services, n.d., with permission from Alberta Culture and Community Spirit. Visit the Alberta Culture and Community Spirit for more information.