Landmark Building
EXPERT CLEANERS
10050 – 105 Street, Edmonton
Built in 1950
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The Expert Cleaners building is one of a very few examples of International Style architecture from the 1950s remaining in Edmonton. It follows the aesthetic guidelines developed by the functionalist school of design which originated in Europe in the 1920s but reached its peak of popularity thirty years later. Of particular importance to the early development of Style was the idea that a building’s form or design should be a direct and rational result of its function, or use. By the fifties however, aesthetics had superseded rationalism, and though the buildings still resembled those actually designed to be functional, it was style rather than use which had become the most important consideration. The Expert Cleaners building demonstrates this later phase of the International Style. Though it is devoid of ornament, it is not designed purely for function. Beautiful marble faces the bottom floor, and a grill suspended over the driveway served no apparent use – even though it seems to be derived from the covered carriage porches found in former architectural styles.
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 Tours of Downtown, 2004, Centennial edition of the brochure. Planning and Development Department, City of Edmonton, and Alberta Community Development., 2004, with permission from Alberta Culture and Community Spirit. Visit the Alberta Culture and Community Spirit for more information.