McKay Avenue School, Historic brick school building in downtown Edmonton, Canada.
McKay Avenue School is a historic brick schoolhouse in downtown Edmonton built with Richardsonian Romanesque details, featuring red brick walls and arched windows. The three-story structure originally contained eight classrooms and remains one of the area's notable early educational buildings.
The building was constructed in 1904 and served as the home of Alberta's first Legislative Assembly from 1906 to 1907. Once the government relocated to a permanent legislature, the structure returned to its primary role as a school.
The building houses archives and a museum dedicated to showing how education developed in Alberta and how schooling changed over time in the region.
Visitors can join guided tours to explore the building's interior and learn about its history and educational role. The structure includes event spaces and rental rooms available for various functions and gatherings.
The building is named after Dr. William MacKay, a Hudson's Bay Company physician, but the historical spelling preserves a different capitalization style. This spelling detail is something visitors often miss when learning about Edmonton's early history.
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