Cristall House

The Cristall House was a modest example of the Scottish Baronial style. It featured the irregular footprint, steeply-pitched roof, brick and stone exterior, and pediments that distinguished the high style examples, however it was smaller than other local examples of the style. The home also included exposed rafters and shed-roofed dormers – features more typical of the Arts and Crafts and Craftsman style homes being built at the time.

Constructed in 1912 on the corner of 100 Avenue and 118th Street, the Cristall House was first owned by John St. Clair Blackett who lived there from 1912 through 1917. The home then stood vacant until Abraham Cristall purchased the house in 1922. Mr. Cristall was the first Jewish man to move to Edmonton and was a pillar of Edmonton’s Jewish community, serving as President of the Edmonton Hebrew Association which he helped establish in 1906. He was a prominent businessman, owner of the Grand Hotel and proprietor of The Cristall Palace, a men’s clothing store,. Abraham Cristall and his wife Rebecca first came to Edmonton in 1894 and for several years their family made up the entire Jewish Community in the area. Their son George, born in 1895, was the first Jewish boy born in Edmonton, and their daughter Rose, the first Jewish girl. The Cristall's also raised three other children: Max, Jessie, and Ted. Following the death of her husband in 1944, Rebecca Cristall lived in the home until her death in 1958. Following this, Mr. Cristall’s son, Max, continued living in the home until 1967. After sitting vacant for several years, the home was demolished along with the neighbouring apartment building. The site is now home to the Mayflower Apartments, constructed in 1970.