Then and now. Edmonton’s changes captured through the lens

“I just knew innately that there was something about my environment I wanted to remember.  And by taking pictures of these places I had visited, I would be able to look back at them sometime in the future.”  

Aaron was selling his photographs of the city at the Old Strathcona Farmers’ Market a few years ago when he met a kindred spirit. 

Doug Cowan has a similar story to David Aaron’s. From a young age, he was taking pictures of buildings, streetcars and trolley buses. Cowan especially liked photographing things related to transit. Some of his trolley bus pictures are in Ken Tingley’s book about Edmonton’s transit system, “Ride of the Century.” After chatting at the market, Aaron and Cowan got together to look at their old photographs and trade stories. That gave Aaron an idea: to put together a book juxtaposing images of historic locations with recent photos of the same places. That book is “Edmonton: Then and Now.”

“The book ‘Then and Now’ has done very well sales-wise,” Aaron says. “The number of books far surpasses what I would have ever expected. People tell me that having that comparison on the same page really draws them into it.”  

Aaron has since followed up with two other books, “Edmonton: Lost and Found” and “Edmonton Memories: Through the Lens of Others.” You can find out more about Aaron’s photos and books on his website.

So, from his vantage point, what does Aaron think of the changes he has seen in Edmonton over the decades, especially downtown? 

“It’s a bit of a heartbreak, especially when buildings like the Tegler go down and there’s nothing you can do about it.”

For those who don’t remember, the Tegler Building was located on the corner of 101 Street and 102 Avenue. When it was built in 1912, the seven-storey, 15,750 square metre structure was the biggest building in western Canada and the hub of Edmonton’s downtown. In November of 1981, the Tegler was designated a historic resource, but city council quickly rescinded that designation and in December 1982 the historic building was torn down. 

There have been other notable losses. The old downtown post office was the largest building in Edmonton when it was built in 1910. The four-story post office had a copper roof, cupola windows and a soaring clock tower. It was torn down in 1972, although you can still see its old clock on the northwest corner of the Westin Hotel. Then, there was Edmonton’s original courthouse. Built in 1912, the massive and beautiful two-storey masonry building was sold after the new courthouse was built in 1972 and was torn down to make way for a new Woodward’s store.

Aaron is disappointed at the loss of these buildings that had more than just heritage value but also had artistic beauty. He is somewhat comforted that at least some remain.

“That’s why a building like the Union Bank building or the World Trade Centre building, what used to be the Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce, become ever so much more important.”

When Aaron looks at his old pictures, he has feelings of joy and sadness.

“Joy at just being able to see places I once used to visit, to reminisce with people that love these places,” he says. “It helps to build connections and build relationships, but, of course, there’s always a little bit of sadness at what we once had.”