On this day in 1989, one of Old Strathcona's most well-known parks was fighting for a chunk of the city's surplus cash.
As noted in an Edmonton Journal article, proponents of beautification projects on Jasper Avenue, on 124 Street, and in Old Strathcona were vying for a piece of the expected budget surplus, knowing there likely wouldn't be enough to fund all three. The Old Strathcona Foundation sought $800,000 to revitalize the area around 103 Street and 83 Avenue. In addition to new streetlights and improved utility hookups for the Edmonton International Fringe Theatre Festival, they planned to build a new public square in time to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the railroad's arrival in Strathcona. That square would become Dr. Wilbert McIntyre Park, or, as many call it, Gazebo Park.
Wilbert McIntyre was born in Ontario in 1867. After studying medicine in Toronto, he moved to Strathcona in 1902. In 1906, McIntyre won a federal byelection to represent the Strathcona riding, which at the time encompassed a huge area that included Innisfail and Lloydminster. The win made McIntyre the first Member of Parliament to be elected in Alberta after it became a province.
McIntyre was a popular politician. So popular, in fact, that when he died young in 1909, his constituents gathered donations for a monument in his honour. In 1913, the Wilbert McIntyre Fountain was built in the middle of the road at 104 Street and 83 Avenue. The monument contained six drinking fountains: three for people, two for dogs, and one for horses. Its location made it a prominent landmark in Strathcona, but also put it in peril. Vehicles hit the fountain several times over the years, until it was finally destroyed by a car crash in 1952.
When the plan for Dr. Wilbert McIntyre Park was confirmed in 1989, plans began to recreate the fountain. The replica was installed in the park in 1991, where it still stands, as does the prominent gazebo that was built on the corner of the park, giving it its unofficial name. Of course, lots of Edmonton parks have gazebos, but this one is undoubtedly the best known. Over the years, the park and its gazebo have been key sites for the Fringe Festival, early Pride celebrations, as well as other smaller events, gatherings, and weddings. It's also just a nice place to sit on a sunny day and watch the crowds go to and from the Old Strathcona Farmers' Market down the street.
As part of the Old Strathcona Public Realm Strategy, the City of Edmonton is working on fully pedestrianizing 83 Avenue. It has also started charging for parking in the lot east of Gateway Boulevard, causing consternation for some farmers' market patrons and vendors.
This clipping was found on Vintage Edmonton, a daily look at Edmonton's history from armchair archivist Rev Recluse of Vintage Edmonton.