Landmark Building
CENTRAL BLOCK
635-37 Second Street, S.E., Medicine Hat
Built in 1911
'); "Central Block")
The Central Block was one of the finest office blocks to be built in Medicine Hat during the years before World War I. Originally called the Becker Block after its first owner, R.C. Becker, the building was constructed in 1911. "No detail," the Medicine Hat News informed its readers on May 10, 1911, "is lacking in making it one of the best buildings in the city." In its early years the Central Block was very much a "professional building," housing doctors', lawyers', and architects' offices. It was also
home to the Alberta Business College, the Provincial Government Branch Office, and the Medicine Hat Oyster House, the city's first fish restaurant.
The building is a three-storey structure of "cherry red pressed brick" with "Calgary stone trimmings." Noteworthy are the impressive central pediment and bracketed cornice that crown the building. Also of interest are the third-floor windows with their semi-circular sandstone voussoirs and the wooden cornice above the first storey. Alterations to the ground floor facade have changed much of the building's original appearance.
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.