Camrose is an interesting city in East Central Alberta. I have driven through it a couple of times but time didn't allow me any exploring time. Last weekend, we had a nice lunch at the Skyway Restaurant in downtown Camrose, and then explored a bit. It's got a ton of great looking shops and old buildings and I want to go back an explore some more.
First we stop at the Bailey Theatre. The Bailey was built in 1911, and began its life as a Vaudeville Theatre. It has the distinction of being the oldest Vaudeville Theatre in Alberta. It moved into silent movies in the 20's and 30's and showed is first 'talkie' in 1930. It was in the 30's that the current marquee and black glass exterior were added. Movies were shown here into the 90's when a multiplex opened and the Bailey could not complete. In 1998 volunteers with the Bailey Theatre Society began restoration, but money ran out and all work stopped. Nothing more happened until 2006 when a benefactor came forward, this along with municipal, provincial and federal funding allowed the theatre to be restored to its former glory in time for it's 100th birthday in 2011. The final cost was $8.1M. Wow!! I would love to see the inside! Photos below from the
Bailey Theatre website.
 |
| C. 1930's |
 |
| c. 1979 |
 |
| 2018 |
Right across the street from the Bailey is the Alice Hotel. The Alice was built in 1928, but prior to that there was another 3 storey hotel on the same sight. The Windsor Hotel was built in 1904, and burned to the ground in 1919. From what I read in a local history book, the fire was a bit of mystery after the ownership and management changed a couple of times. Brick buildings don't change too much but I like seeing the old photos.
 |
| c.1930's |
 |
| c. 1965 |
 |
| 2018. I wish I had the same angle as the other 2. Not my best photo. |
Last but not least is the former Camrose Normal School. This building was built in 1915 as the second Normal School in Alberta. A Normal School is where teachers were trained before they went to teach in one of the thousands of one room school houses in Alberta. From 1915-1938 thousands of teachers received training here. The building was then turned over to the Department of National Defense. Not sure what happened here from 1938-1952...top secret perhaps? Since 1952 it has operated as Rosehaven Care Centre.
If anyone else, besides me, was wondering why it was called a 'Normal' School. I have a possible answer via the all powerful internet: Normal Schools derive their name from the French phrase 'ecole normale'. These teacher training institutions were intended to set a pattern or
norm after which all schools would be modeled. The first such school was established in 1685 in France. I don't suppose there was an Abnormal School as an option.
Also as a brick building it hasn't changed much, you can see a new entrance added at what was below ground level originally. It is a beautiful and impressive building, even more so in person.
 |
| c.1916 |
 |
| You can still see where it said Normal School. |
If you know of any places I should check out in the Camrose area, or anywhere in Alberta, send me a message!
References: HeRMIS; www.baileytheater.com; www.prairie-towns.com; A Light Into the Past: Camrose 1905-1980
In my town, they would have torn all those buildings down by now and turned the spaces into parking lots. It's nice to see that some communities have maintained their intelligence.
ReplyDeleteI agree Gorges! Some communities have embraced their historic buildings while other go towards new and shiny I guess.
DeleteLove that theatre! Wow, nice pics. I'm going to have to check these out when I'm up that way. I went to an Abnormal School, which explains a lot.
ReplyDeleteThanks Chris! LOL maybe I did too, that would explain all of our awesomeness.
DeleteYou’ll have to see the inside of the theatre next time, Jenn. Great post!
ReplyDeleteThanks Marie! I guess they have the original drop curtain which would be worth another trip to see just that!
Deletecool before and afters
ReplyDeleteThanks Adam, it's nice to be able to find so many historic photos online!
DeleteThat's interesting about "les normes"...if it were me, I'd think I wouldn't qualify for ANY normal school lol...I love the photos of the Bailey! And wow, such great history! I'm a fan of everything pre-1960...I love the Vaudeville shows and the old movies...I wonder if the Marx brothers, Jack Benny, Bob Hope, George Burns or the Three Stooges ever played there? Great post! :)
ReplyDeleteHi Rain! LOL what's normal nowadays anyway?! Wouldn't it be cool to go back in time to when this theatre was new? My son and I love old silent movies, especially Buster Keaton!
DeleteLovely architecture!
ReplyDeleteThanks William, so much character in these old buildings.
DeleteAnother wonderful post Jenn. I love seeing the old photos of how those buildings looked back in the day. In the 90s, I worked in the archives of the University of Alaska Fairbanks digitizing photos and videos. I used to get lost looking at all the photos and film. Everyday people just doing their thing, I absolutely loved it.
ReplyDeleteThanks Bill! I would love to work at an archive! I would also get lost looking at old photos. There is small archives office in my town, when they're open, they always have coffee on and there is usually some older folks sitting around chat with! It's great!
DeleteGreat post! I've only been in Camrose once and a big show 'n shine happened to be on in the downtown area so it wasn't a good time to look around. But Camrose struck me as a place worth exploring some more. And now your post has reinforced that for me. Hmmmm, maybe a little weekend road trip is in order this spring or summer?
ReplyDeleteHey Debra! I think it would be worth a trip back, the downtown street with the theatre and hotel had neat shops and restaurants...they've done a great job of keeping it up!
DeleteGreat post, Jenn. That school building is stunning!
ReplyDeleteThanks Michael, thank you! It is! My photo really does not do it justice. It's vaguely fortress-like!
DeleteI'm totally going to have to see a movie in that theatre. Any movie. I love your blog even though I don't always comment!
ReplyDeleteThanks!! I'll go with you, can we dress up? Heheh
DeleteNice report :-)
ReplyDeleteThanks Frank! I enjoy the looking for old photos as much as taking new photos!
DeleteI'm glad you explained the "Normal" school. I was really wondering about that.
ReplyDeleteSo do they still show movies at that theater? It would be neat to see an old black and white movie there, something that would have shown there when it was in its prime.
Thanks Danielle! I always heard the term 'normal school' when researching schools but I hadn't really looked up the meaning until now.
DeleteI believe the Bailey is used more as a venue for live shows and events now. Old movie night would be fun though!
The Bailey isn't really used much for movies anymore. A lot of live performers and plays. I remember going to movies there in the '80s and thinking it was such a cool theatre because it had a balcony.
ReplyDeleteHad we had a little more time Jenn, we could have just went up the street a little ways and seen some cool old buildings at the Camrose Centennial Museum. Also some old barracks buildings left over from WW2 when Camrose was a large training base for soldiers. Just to the south of Rosehaven, it was all just fields and the army used the area for giving new recruits their basic training. My grandpa received his basic training in Camrose when he joined the army in the early 1940s.
Thanks Tim, we will have to check it out another time!
Delete