Law Courts (Edmonton)

Office building in Alberta, Canada

Provincial Courthouse of Alberta (Law Courts, Edmonton)

General information
Type| Office building
Architectural style| Brutalist
Address| 1A Sir Winston Churchill Square
Town or city| Edmonton, Alberta
Country| Canada
Construction started| 1972
Opened| 1973
Owner| Ministry of Justice and Solicitor General of Alberta
Landlord| Government of Alberta
Technical details
Floor count| 6
Design and construction
Architecture firm| Bell, McCulloch, Spotowski and Associates
Other information
Public transit access|  Churchill station

The Law Courts building is the main courthouse in the city of Edmonton, the capital of Alberta, Canada. It hosts hearings of the Provincial Court of Alberta, the Court of King's Bench of Alberta, and the Court of Appeal of Alberta.[1] The courthouse is located at 1A Sir Winston Churchill Square, in downtown Edmonton. The building was designed by the firm Bell, McCulloch, Spotowski and Associates.[2]

## History

[edit]

During Edmonton's years as a frontier settlement, and later as a booming railway hub in the North-West Territories, Edmonton's courts lacked a purpose-built courthouse and relied on rented space. Edmonton was repeatedly passed over while purpose-built courthouses were constructed in much smaller, younger settlements. This finally changed when Edmonton became the capital of the new province of Alberta.

In 1908, construction began on a new Beaux-Arts/Greek Revival courthouse, on what is now the west side of Churchill Square, to the southwest of the current Law Courts where the Edmonton City Centre mall now stands. The building was completed in 1912 and demolished in 1972.[3]

The current building, in brutalist style, was built in the early 1970s and is reminiscent of Boston City Hall[4] and 222 Jarvis Street in Toronto, Ontario.

## Services

[edit]

As of April 2012, Edmonton's automated traffic ticketing is operated by City of Edmonton's Office of Traffic Safety, overseen by The Edmonton Police Service according to the Provincial Automated Enforcement Technology Guidelines. Red light camera and photo radar tickets are payable in person at the courthouse.[5]

Those with matters to be heard in front of the court are able to advance book any audio-visual equipment they may require via an online request form.

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "Alberta Courts Location Details". Alberta Courts. Retrieved January 27, 2013.
2. ^ "Provincial Courthouse of Alberta, Edmonton | 1261088". Emporis. Retrieved 2022-05-03.[dead link]
3. ^ Mittelstadt, David (2005). Foundations of Justice: Alberta's Historic Courthouses. University of Calgary Press. ISBN 9781552381236. Retrieved February 17, 2013.
4. ^ "June 26, 1972: Chief justice given gold key to new Law Courts Building". Edmonton Journal. Postmedia Network. June 26, 2012. Archived from the original on February 15, 2013. Retrieved January 27, 2013.
5. ^ "Pay a photo or traffic bylaw ticket". Edmonton Police Service Official Website. Edmonton Police Service. Retrieved 28 June 2017.

53°32′44″N 113°29′16″W﻿ / ﻿53.54556°N 113.48778°W﻿ / 53.54556; -113.48778

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Churchill Square, Edmonton

Buildings
(clockwise from North)|

* Edmonton City Hall
* Law Courts
* Art Gallery of Alberta
* Chancery Hall
* Winspear Centre
* Citadel Theatre
* Stanley A. Milner Library
* Churchill Wire Centre
* City Centre East
* Seniors Association of Greater Edmonton building

Official website

Events|

* Family Day (February)
* The Works Art & Design Festival (June/July)
* Edmonton International Street Performers Festival (July)
* Taste of Edmonton (July)
* Movies on the Square (July–August)
* Cariwest (August)
* Edmonton Pride Festival (August)
* Christmas on the Square Holiday Light Up (November)
* New Year's Eve (December 31)

Connections|

* Churchill LRT Station
* Edmonton Pedway

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