Sylvan Lake Stone House
Sometimes it takes us a while to get to things. Too much to do, not enough time, not nearly enough us. Anyway, here’s one from waaaaay back in late 2016. Yikes! We’re on the road and find ourselves passing through Sylvan Lake Alberta, a modest sized community west of the city of Red Deer. We’ve heard about some stone buildings there and wanted to scout them out. As it turned out we only had time to take in one – oh those tight schedules – but we hope to come back for the other at some point. And to spend more time with this one. It’s just so nice and deserves a better look.
Here, in “downtown” Sylvan Lake, one heck of an impressive building. We’re obsessed with stone places don’t you know. The skill of the mason…those details…spectacular! Built in the years 1912/1913, it was for a time a residence but most recently was home to various businesses. On our visit the last tenant was a spa but shortly after we understand a craft shop moved in. Is it still there? They have a Facebook page, but it’s been kinda inactive since last summer.
There’s a second stone building in town, a dwelling called the Stone Castle, that we’d like to check out too. For next time…
If you have or know of something you think we should see, please, by all means, contact us. We’re always looking for new subjects.
I said we have a thing for stone buildings…
These Stone Walls.
Short Subjects: reports that for any number of reasons are brief in nature. They might be updates to older articles, previews of posts planned or not yet published, brief snippets of things that don’t fit in anywhere else or subjects that are so obscure that information on them can’t be found. Or sometimes we just ramble on about Lord knows what.
If you need any more information on what we talked about here, by all means contact us!
Date of adventure: November, 2016.
Location: Sylvan Lake, AB.
Photos were shot from public property.
In Sylvan Lake Alberta, this fine stone house.
Front walk details.
On our visit (late 2016) it was empty and for sale.
My mom and her family moved into that house in the mid-1930s and she said they shared the house with mice and bats. My mom told me that it was a private residence until ~1994 when a man named Jack Smalley bought it and opened a framing and gift store there. We last visited it in the early to mid-2000s when it was The Stone House Spa.
What a cool connection to the house! Mice and bats? It could be worse…spiders! Thanks for sharing a bit of history. On our visit a few years back, you can see it was between tenants. Not sure the status now. Thanks!
My home town- used to be a tattoo shop/Internet cafe.
Oh, interesting. Another business that came and went. Tough sell operating out of that place.
Beautiful !!
It is a stunning building!
I have been inside its all renovated for the businesses in there.
There’s sure been a lot of businesses that called it home over the last while. Thanks for commenting.
Also it used to have a porch many years ago.
Oh, interesting. Wonder if there’s any old photos of it in that state?
The inside is cool, some original wood work, I was told the basement is a dugout. The staircase to the second floor is the narrowest I have ever seen and if you’re taller then me (most people are), you will need to duck at one point. No idea how the big jetted spa tub upstairs got inside.
Wow, sounds cool. A tub upstairs? Hmmm, it must have went up in many pieces. Dirt basements creep me out!
Hi! Yes the craft store opened and closed last year. It’s rumored to be haunted, a employee from when it was a spa told me of some ‘experiences’.
Looks like running a business there is tough proposition. Seems it’s been one after another. Haunted? It looks the part!
The other stone building, the Castle, also has a building beside it called Holbrook Cottage, built by the same original family I believe. It is currently for sale, who wouldn’t want to live castle adjacent? It does need some work though.
Oh yes I came across references to the Hollbrook place. Cool! Will have to drive by next time I’m up that way.