Law Courts (Edmonton)

The Law Courts building in Edmonton, on Churchill Square.

The Law Courts building is the main courthouse in the city of Edmonton, the capital of Alberta. It hosts hearings of the Provincial Court of Alberta, the Alberta Court of Queen's Bench, and the Court of Appeal of Alberta.^[1] The courthouse is located at 1A Sir Winston Churchill Square, in Downtown Edmonton.

History

During Edmonton's years as a frontier settlement, and later as a booming railway hub, in the North-Western Territory, 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 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. It was completed in 1912 and demolished in 1972.^[2]

Current architecture

The current, brutalist building was built in the early 1970s and is reminiscent of Boston City Hall.^[3]

References

1. "Alberta Courts Location Details". Alberta Courts. Retrieved January 27, 2013.
2. Mittelstadt, David. Foundations of Justice: Alberta's Historic Courthouses. Retrieved February 17, 2013.
3. "June 26, 1972: Chief justice given gold key to new Law Courts Building". Edmonton Journal. Postmedia Network. June 26, 2012. Retrieved January 27, 2013.

Coordinates: 53°32′44″N 113°29′16″W / 53.54556°N 113.48778°W