You can help City Council protect Red Deer’s historic “Parsons House”

The beautiful two story brick home has graced the downtown corner of 49 Street and 48 Avenue for 115 years. It’s become well known as The Parsons House, named after Dr. Richard Parsons, the home’s third owner. For the last number of years Parsons House has been home of the legal firm Lee Inglis Albrecht. But the property and surrounding area have been purchased for construction of Red Deer’s new Justice Centre. The Parsons House has been designated an historic resource but that in itself may not guarantee it’s future. For long term viability, the home will likely have to be worked into the design for Red Deer’s new court house.

The Parsons House, c. 1980. Red Deer Archives

It’s no surprise this cause is important to Red Deer City Councilor and former city archivist Michael Dawe. Dawe says there are many examples across Western Canada of historical structures being incorporated into the designs of new buildings. Dawe offers this short history of the home.

The Parsons House was built in 1903 on the south west corner of Mann (49) Street and Nanton (48) Avenue by Thomas Goard. He owned the Red Deer Music Company, one of the community’s very first music stores. His descendants still live in Central Alberta.

In 1904, the house was purchased by Edward and Mary Michener. Edward was mayor of Red Deer and later M.L.A. He was also later the leader of the Conservative Party in Alberta. Edward and Mary’s son Roland became Governor General of Canada in 1967.

In 1905, the Micheners started to build a large new house on the brow of the East Hill (now known as the Michener Hill subdivision). They sold the brick house to Dr. Richard Parsons and his wife Ella. Dr. Parsons had moved to Red Deer in 1903 in anticipation of the opening of the Red Deer Memorial Hospital. He and Ella got married just before they purchased this new home.

In 1912, Dr. Parsons decided to build a large annex on the southside of the house for his medical clinic. The annex not only included an office and examination rooms, but also a laboratory and one of Alberta’s first x-ray machines.

Ella passed away in 1918 during the Spanish flu epidemic, leaving Richard as a single parent with four young children.

Dr. Richard Parsons, with his four children Margo, Ella, Bill and MacGregor. 1919. The young person on the left is unidentified. Photo from the Parsons family.

In 1920, he re-married, to Annie Forbes who had been a matron at the Red Deer Hospital.

Dr. Richard Parsons passed away in 1944. Annie continued to live in the house until her passing in 1983.

The Parsons House, c. 1944. Photo courtesy of the Parsons family.

For a few years, The house was used as the offices of the Red Deer Native Friendship Centre.

It was later acquired by the legal firm of Lee and Short who renovated it into their firm’s offices.

In 1990, the house was designated a Registered Historic Resource.

In 2018, the house/law office was purchased by the Province as part of the assemblage of a new site for a new Red Deer Justice Centre (Court House).

Parsons House, 1915 (in the foreground are soldiers of the 12th Canadian Mounted Rifles who were training prior to departure for service overseas in the First World War. Red Deer Archives

Red Deer City Council has passed a proposed memorandum of agreement with the Province that will ensure the Parsons House is preserved when the new Justice Centre is built. If you’d like to support this agreement to preserve this piece of Red Deer’s history, consider sending an email to one of Red Deer’s two MLA’s and to the City saying you support the agreement with the Province.

Email addresses:

Red Deer North MLA Kim Schreiner – [email protected]

Red Deer South MLA Barb Miller – [email protected]

City Clerk’s office – [email protected]

Special appreciation to Michael Dawe for help with this post.

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After 15 years as a TV reporter with Global and CBC and as news director of RDTV in Red Deer, Duane set out on his own 2008 as a visual storyteller. During this period, he became fascinated with a burgeoning online world and how it could better serve local communities. This fascination led to Todayville, launched in 2016.

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