1915 Cement House (Vacant 55+ Years)

Over the years we’ve explored hundreds of forgotten farm houses, in cooperation with landowners, and never tire of it. Here’s one in a building material we’ve not encountered before in such an application, and we think you’ll agree it’s something special. Something a bit odd and out of the ordinary, plus also terribly interesting. Presenting a stately old place we call the 1915 Cement House* and scroll down for a photo tour.

The great majority of vacant rural dwellings we’ve visited have been constructed of wood and that’s always been the most common building material. Then and now. Country or city. Occasionally we’ve come across ones of brick, but not terribly often. Very rare, but still seen every once in a while, are ones of stone. We’ve seen examples of each, but to us this is a first.

This majestic and elegant building sits in the middle of an overgrown yard. Being swallowed up by encroaching vegetation means the exterior is hard to photograph and once things green up, it’d be nearly impossible. In spite of being open to the elements (no glass), the inside in places is oddly pristine, clean and tidy, and overall in better shape than one would expect. That’s bizarre since it’s been abandoned for many generations.

Structurally it appears very sound but of course that’s no surprise given what it’s built of. Oddly, the house does not seem to be sitting on much of a foundation.

Welcome to the amazing 1915 Cement House.

This post is one from 2016, reedited, updated and tided up but using most of the original parts.

Many nice touches and sometimes subtle details can be found all about the building, inside and out, and they’re particularly charming. Someone took pride in building this home. The textured concrete with alternating smooth bands is a wonderful feature. The dormers with those pleasant reverse-curve fronts are super nice. There are little carvings everywhere, gorgeous turned railings, corner details and decorative window frames. It’s wonderous and impressive.

It’s not over the top but at the same time reflects a sort of quiet confidence. In form it’s understated and reserved.

To protect the place from vandals and the like, we’re forced to be vague when it comes to certain details. Like in regards to the location and the names of people connected to the 1915 Cement House. It’s on private property (is watched) and not publicly accessible.

The region here was not heavily settled until just before World War One. Most newcomers to the area, including the couple who built this fine structure, were immigrants from the Ukraine. Many descents of those early pioneers still live in the area. Like everyone else in the area, the folks that lived here farmed and raised a few cattle.

The date 1915 is confirmed by a cast stamp seen on one outer wall and you should have seen our faces when it came into view. Mouths wide open, eyes big as saucers, and us standing there in silent awe. We were not told anything about our subject before going in so it came as a nice surprise.

They raised nine children here, but it’s a decent-sized home, so it wouldn’t have been too bad. Still, they had big families back then! How in the world did they find the time? One passage speaks of fourteen people living at the house at one point, but does not name who the others were. Family no doubt.

Around 1940 a son acquired it and they and their family stayed until the mid-1950s when sold to new owners. These new owners were the final people to live here and only stayed until the latter half of the 1960s before moving out (exact date not specified). Once bursting with life, the house has stood empty and quiet ever since. You can feel the presence of people here, but it’s sometimes fleeting.

It’s rather curious why they chose concrete for the main walls, but at the same time the use of this material was not unheard of. Perhaps they built to impress and in that regard, they succeeded. Maybe they just wanted the most solid structure EVER and one that would last to the end of time. Clearly, it’s not going anywhere soon and long after we’re all gone, it might still be here. Maybe they knew cement work and the choice a natural one? Only those who built it know for sure I guess.

Records found during research make mention of difficulties in heating it during the winter. The temperature out here in Northern Alberta can drop to the -20s and -30s and is often accompanied by a blustery wind. Cement is not known for its heat holding properties and no doubt it got brisk inside. On cold days condensation inside is also mentioned as an ongoing problem.

Come summer it would be nice and cool, one advantage perhaps, but not one big enough to cancel out the other. No doubt it proved to challenging to construct too. This is made all the more interesting, as the fellow who built it was said to be unable to read or write at the time. Neither did the Mrs.

In the end, it’s not a practical material for a farm house, at least in this part of the world and that’s why we find it so interesting. We doubt we’ll cross paths with many others like it, at least out in rural parts. We have seen the occasional cement house in urban settings but even they must have been less than ideal, and likely shared the same problems stated earlier.

The walls were made from a mix of cast rusticated (textured) and smooth blocks. It’s amazing and the effort needed to built it something to be admired. It’s not know if the blocks were cast on site or commercially made. The former is suggested, however, and note that one could buy moulds for just such an application. We found some in an old Eaton’s catalogue for example.

The back end of the house is rather plain in comparison to the front and to a lesser extent the sides.

Birds have gotten inside – an attic view here.

There’s a living room, dining room, kitchen and one bedroom (the ultra-PINK room) on the main floor. Porches grace both the front and back entries. Four bedrooms are located upstairs and the end of the hallway leads to a small outside balcony. A large open attic, easily accessed by stairs, likely functioned for storage.

Only the outer walls are of cement and the rest of the house uses traditional wood framed construction. Inner wall were then covered by lath and plaster.

It’s certainly on the big side of what would be usual for the local area and farm houses in general. We noted a lack of insulation in any places we could peek in to, which may seem odd, but common in old places such as this. They’re pretty exposed out there and it’s damn winter half the year but what the heck! Insulation is for wusses.

The dirt basement appears to have been used as a root cellar and is home to a huge central heating plant. A coal powered octopus furnace. Nothing much else is down there, except spiders and demons and portals to hell…sorry, old basements creep us out.

There is no bathroom, so outside biffies must have been the norm to the end. What fun is must have been doing one’s business in the middle of the night or during inclement weather. Of course, people were tougher back then. It appears the home got wired for electricity early on.

The curved elements in the dormers are actually a false front and have a normal peaked roof in behind. The interior is nicely painted up in soft pastels and of many colours. It’s all peeling and this exposes older layers of differing shades.

The unmistakable ghost outline of a phone is noted on one wall. Various numbers (one for the vet) are scribbled nearby in the old three or four digit local dialing format used way back when. We looked some up, just for fun, and many were to (now gone) farm related businesses. Interestingly, this area received the seven digit numbers about the time the 1915 Cement House was vacated.

Outside a couple things left behind, a water jug, an old cheese grater, a garter clip used to hold up stockings (oh-la-la), the place was otherwise completely empty of personal effects. Strange. There is usually more things left behind and often due to vandals coming later, they’re made into a big mess. Still, there’s old boxes and odd papers, but very little otherwise.

A big barn once stood on the property and that’s confirmed in a history book entry. Beside the west wall a small log structure is seen and perhaps it’s a chicken coop or some such thing. A much larger log building is found at further back on the property and it appears to be an old dwelling. Maybe the first house here? For farm hands? Who know? Some old granaries can be seen to the east.

Caraganas have taken over the property and are dense and difficult to navigate through. These were typically planted in farm yards as decorative elements and/or wind breaks. Hardy and quick growing, in spring they are resplendent in bright yellow flowers that mature into bean-like seed pods. If left unchecked they’ll quickly spread and take over any land they’re upon and turn it into a near impenetrable jungle. Case in point here.

Once they leaf up the 1915 Cement farm house will be mostly likely be lost from view with only the roof being high enough to be seen at a distance. Remains of an old picket fence can be found in the yard.

Joining us is good friend and oftentimes partner in adventure Rob Pohl. An Edmonton based photographer, he shoots a monstrous large format film camera and this odd old-fashioned looking thing seems terribly out of place among digital gear. Actually it’s something quite modern and a work of art in itself. Just the techniques are old-school.

Setting up his “Ebony” (the brand) is not quick and each photo takes many minutes to complete from start to finish. Then he has to go home and process the film. An artist suffers for his work. Most of what he shoots is monochrome, so black and white, and he’s good at it.

When we hang with Rob we sometimes break out the film camera too. Our rig is a more typical 35mm SLR, some old Minolta we picked up somewhere and for a song, similar to one that anyone into photography in the 1970s or 1980s might have used. Don’t recall any of the resultant photos shot by us at the 1915 Cement House being that good. We’re a little impatient with film and don’t do it enough to get skilled at it.

When documenting old farms we typically stay for an hour or two. This place, however, inspired us and so compelling in such a way that we lasted far longer. Even with every possible angle and shot in the can, we still didn’t want to go. It became hard to leave this special farm house and the urge to linger the strongest it’s ever been.

Yet, we had to go and ever since have longed to return. Maybe one day when if it times out right and landowner agrees again.

The one old photo of the 1915 Cement House shared here is a capture from sometime in the early 1940s period. That’s the wife of the son who acquired the home from his folks and she’s holding a cute little puppy.

*Technically cement is not the same as concrete and instead is but a component of. To the general public however, the two words are generally used interchangeably to describe that cast mix of stones and binders, which is how we approached it in this article. We were in the industry at one time, almost born into it, and everyone used both.

Film photographer Rob Pohl sets up for a shot below.

Anyway, “1915 Concrete House” as a title, verses “1915 Cement House” doesn’t seem quite right. Hope you had a good time and enjoyed this little diversion!

Rusticated Concrete Block Homes (Vintage).

They’re saying…

“It’s insane that this website even exists without me knowing about it before. It breaks all logic and yet I absolutely love it.” Tamara Christopher.

More abandoned farm houses…
The Family Homestead
80 Years Empty.
Peeling Paint and Lace Curtains.

Something to say and no one to say it to? Go here: Contact Us!

Date of adventure: Spring 2016.
Article references and thanks: Tom B, Theresa G, Local History Books and the Medicine Hat & District Genealogical Society (old phone records).

The phone was located here – note the scribbled numbers.

A garter clip to hold up stockings.

The old fence is being swallowed up by vegetation.

A former dwelling(?) at the back of the property.

A little peek inside…

Much of the interior is quite tidy.

The view from the kitchen.

The pink room.

You can almost sense the people who lived here before.

On the second floor.

Looking out back.

There are four bedrooms upstairs – looking from one to another.

Hanging with spiders in the dirt floor basement.

No doubt much work went into building it.

Made with a mix of textured and smooth blocks.

Window opening details.

Once in a while we shoot film.

Rob’s big view camera is a sight to see.

Nice little touches all over this house – look in the corner…

Last lived in during the 1960s.

Trees and shrubs surround the home.

It’s a fascinating rig.

Stair railing details.

A quiet moment at a break in the shooting.

In the back porch.

Once the vegetation greens up, this view would be gone.

The build date cast into one wall.

A closer look at the unique false-front.

Inset shows an early 1940s view of the 1915 Cement House.