Glenora Neighbourhood

The Glenora Neighbourhood in Edmonton, Alberta is on the 2019 Top 10 Endangered Places List.

Published with permission from the National Trust for Canada

Posted June 18, 2019

Location

Edmonton, Alberta

Why it matters

Glenora is one of Edmonton’s most unique and historic residential neighbourhoods.

It boasts the city’s highest concentration of historic resources with many detached houses designed by prominent architects in the late 1920s to early 30s in revival and Modern styles.

Heritage experts have called Glenora the best-preserved “Garden City Suburb” in Canada, with curvilinear streets, irregular lots, and preserved views to the North Saskatchewan River Valley.

Why it’s endangered

A 2015-2017 heritage study of Glenora’s historic core expanded the buildings on the City’s heritage inventory to 137.

Since 2016, however, Glenora has seen nine of these inventoried houses demolished for larger homes, often out of scale and unsympathetic to the neighbourhood’s historic character.

While the City is working to develop new character area zoning for the neighbourhood, more needs to be done quickly by civic authorities and the community or this residential jewel will be irreversibly eroded.

This article is also available in French.

Canada's Top 10 Endangered Places List 2019

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Every year, the National Trust publishes its Top 10 Endangered Places List as part of its mission to raise awareness of the value that historic places bring to quality of life, local identity and cultural vitality.

The Top 10 Endangered Places List is compiled from nominations received as well as from reports and news items the National Trust has been following throughout the year. First published in 2005, the Top 10 Endangered Places List has become a powerful tool in the fight to make landmarks, not landfill.

The National Trust believes that historic places are cornerstones of identity, community and sense of place, yet every year, more are lost due to neglect, lack of funding, inappropriate development and weak legislation. By shining a spotlight on places at risk, the Top 10 Endangered Places List raises awareness about their plight and bolsters the efforts of local advocates working to save them.

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