Law Courts (Edmonton)

History

During Edmonton's years as a frontier settlement, and later as a booming railway hub in the North-West Territories, Edmonton's courts lacked a purpose-built courthouse and relied on rented space. Edmonton was repeatedly passed over while purpose-built courthouses were constructed in much smaller, younger settlements. This finally changed when Edmonton became the capital of the new province of Alberta.

In 1908, construction began on a new Beaux-Arts/Greek revival courthouse, on what is now the west side of Churchill Square, to the southwest of the current Law Courts where the Edmonton City Centre mall now stands. The building was completed in 1912 and demolished in 1972.

The current building, in brutalist style, was built in the early 1970s and is reminiscent of Boston City Hall and 222 Jarvis Street in Toronto, Ontario.