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MacLean Block
(1909)
10702 Jasper Avenue

Some of Edmonton’s finest brickwork can be seen in this commercial and residential block. Roundheaded arches on the ground and third floors and elaborate brick detailing imitate the stone architecture of Renaissance Italy, indicating that architect James Wize chose the Italianate Style for the MacLean Block.

Built in 1909 for Dr. James Douglas MacLean, a successful local physician and surgeon, the building cost $35,000 to construct. By far the most westerly of any commercial block in Edmonton’s central core at the time, the MacLean Block was a speculative venture which tied the downtown in with the developing government centre located a few blocks to the south. By having commercial spaces on the ground level, offices on the second, and apartments on the top floor, MacLean diversified his sources of income and diminished his risk. In the late 1970s, the facade of the MacLean Block was refurbished and the interior completely gutted and rebuilt to house modern commercial and office spaces.

The MacLean Block one year after its construction, 1910.