Ash Residence

This two and a half storey Foursquare home was built by Magrath-Holgate Ltd. in 1912. The exterior, although reflecting its Foursquare design, also shows features of the Craftsman style, including the flared gabled roof over the second-storey balcony, the dormers with exposed rafters, and the wide enclosed eaves with decorative brackets. One of the home’s dominant features is the wraparound verandah, which wraps around the south and west façade. It incorporates cast concrete blocks moulded to resemble a rougher, chiseled stone, which was a fairly popular building material at the time and which was both produced locally and inexpensive. As seen in archival photos, the concrete blocks were used as a decorative retaining wall in the front garden, though this feature no longer exists. Although the Ash Residence is fairly ornate for a 1912 Foursquare home in Edmonton, its location only steps away from the Holgate and Magrath mansions makes it seem more modest by comparison.

The Ash Residence was built on speculation by Magrath-Holgate Ltd., as a way to entice Edmonton’s professional class to The Highlands, which they were developing as a bedroom community for the city’s elite. The home is believed to have been designed by their house architect Ernest Morehouse. The first occupants of the house were William Thomas Ash and his family in 1913. William Ash, along with his brother Sidney, established the ‘Ash Brothers Diamond Hall,’ manufacturing artistic jewelry, selling diamonds, and providing watchmaking services. The Ash family lived in the house until 1924