Rutherford House

Rutherford House was the home of the first Premier of Alberta, Alexander Cameron Rutherford from 1911 to 1941. It is now an Alberta Provincial Historic Site.

Overview

Rutherford House was built by Alexander Cameron Rutherford in 1911 on a large lot in Strathcona near the University of Alberta campus. The residence, initially called Achnacarry by the Rutherford family, after their ancestral home in Scotland, and now known as Rutherford House, was restored after a successful campaign by the University of Alberta Women's Club. It is now run with by The Friends of Rutherford House Society, a registered charitable society since 1985, and the Government of Alberta (through Alberta Tourism, Parks, Recreation, and Culture), since 1970.

History

On the 29th of May, 1909, Alexander Cameron Rutherford became the owner of a superset of the lot now occupied by Rutherford House. The description of him on the certificate title of ownership reads "a gentleman of Strathcona". By late 1909 plans for the house were drawn up by the firm of A.G. Wilson and D.E. Herrald, British-trained architects and civil engineers, and excavation completed by Strathcona contractors James Smith and J.T. Radford. During the following spring of 1910 Thomas Richards, another Strathcona contractor, and master bricklayer prepared the foundation, which was poured by the end of May 1910. The double brick walls were built during the summer of 1910, with some of the work being done by Thomas Richards himself. Work proceeded on the elegant hardwood interior over the winter, with the house being fit for occupancy by February 1911.

The Rutherford family of four, including Alexander Cameron Rutherford, Mattie Birkett Rutherford, Cecil Alexander Rutherford and Hazel Elizabeth Rutherford moved in by the end of March 1911. The Rutherfords occupied the house until September 1940, when Mattie Birkett Rutherford died. Shortly after her death on September 13th, 1940 the house was sold, by Alexander, to the University of Alberta - Delta Upsilon Fraternity, for a nominal fee, corresponding to the cost of construction.

The Delta Upsilon Fraternity vacated the house in 1969, having sold it to the University of Alberta in 1968. The Board of Governors of the University of Alberta agreed to lease the house to the Alberta Government in late 1970, following a successful campaign by the University of Alberta Women's Club for preservation as an historic site.

Rutherford House Provincial Historic Site opened to the public in mid 1973, after three years of restoration. Many of the historic artifacts currently in the house are originals, donated by Hazel Elizabeth Rutherford and Helen Reid Rutherford (Cecil Alexander Rutherford's wife).

Friends of Rutherford House Society

The Society was created on April 22, 1985, as a registered charitable society, and plays an important role in running the house. Its mandate is to assist in the preservation and promotion of Rutherford House as an important historical site; providing educational opportunities for the public to learn about Alberta's cultural, social and political history. It runs a Tea room called the "Arbour Restaurant" as well as a small gift shop, and hosts various educational events related to the house's history.

References

*"A Gentleman of Strathcona - Alexander Cameron Rutherford", Douglas R. Babcock, 1989, The University of Calgary Press, 2500 University Drive NW, Calgary, Alberta, Canada, ISBN 0-919813-65-8

External links

* [http://www.cd.gov.ab.ca/enjoying_alberta/museums_historic_sites/site_listings/rutherford_house Alberta Community Development - Historic Sites - Rutherford House]
* [http://www.rutherfordhouse.ca Friends of Rutherford House Society]
* [http://www.ualberta.ca/~alumni/history/buildings/6667winruth.htm University of Alberta Alumni Association]
* [http://www.abheritage.ca/abpolitics/process/ruth_house_intro.html Alberta Heritage - Rutherford House]
* [http://www.ualberta.ca/~fwc/ University of Alberta Women's Club]