CPR Company House - Klondike

The CPR Company House - Klondike is a one-and-a-half storey single family dwelling that forms part of a row of ten Canadian Pacific Railway company houses of similar design. The house is located on a raised ridge in the Village of McAdam known as the “Klondike”.

The CPR Company House - Klondike is designated a local Historic Place as it is representative of a row of similarly designed Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR) company homes built for their employees. The CPR built this row of ten single-family dwellings alternating between single-storey and one-and-a-half storey residences.

It is accepted locally that these houses were designed by Edward Maxwell, the architect who was commissioned by William C. Van Horne to design for the CPR during its great expansion in the late 1890’s to the mid-1900’s. This belief is supported by the similarity of houses such as this one to the Maxwell-designed McAdam Railway Station. The house is an early type of cottage or bungalow.

The Canadian Pacific Railway was expanding rapidly into areas such as the former Village of McAdam Junction, and adequate housing was needed for the great increase of employees and their families. This residence was built along with a number of company houses in the community near the turn of the 20th century (33 + single and double dwellings overall) to provide for workers in this fast-growing railway centre.

Source: McAdam Village Office, McAdam Historical Restoration Commission files

The character-defining elements relating to the CPR Company House – Klondike include:

- one-and-a-half storey bungalow;

- hipped mansard roof;

- shed dormers on each side façade ;

- central hipped dormer;

- one of a series of 10 similarly-designed company houses which have changed little since first constructed.