Fonds RG-19 - City of Edmonton. Land Department fonds

Title and statement of responsibility area

Title proper

City of Edmonton. Land Department fonds

General material designation

  • Textual record
  • Graphic material - photograph

Parallel title

Land Department 1921-1957, 1959-1969; Land and Industrial Development Department 1957-1959

Other title information

Title statements of responsibility

Title notes

  • Source of title proper: Title based on name of creator.

Level of description

Fonds

Reference code

CA EDM RG-19

Edition area

Edition statement

Edition statement of responsibility

Class of material specific details area

Statement of scale (cartographic)

Statement of projection (cartographic)

Statement of coordinates (cartographic)

Statement of scale (architectural)

Issuing jurisdiction and denomination (philatelic)

Dates of creation area

Date(s)

  • 1893-1971, predominant 1945-1969 (Creation)
    Creator
    Land Department

Physical description area

Physical description

9.6 m textual records. - 1 photograph

Publisher's series area

Title proper of publisher's series

Parallel titles of publisher's series

Other title information of publisher's series

Statement of responsibility relating to publisher's series

Numbering within publisher's series

Note on publisher's series

Archival description area

Name of creator

(1921-1957, 1959-1969)

Administrative history

The Land Department was created in 1921 to take care of property acquired by the City through the Tax Recovery Act, whereby the non-payment of taxes would lead to the forfeiture of one's property to the municipality (prior to 1921 this function was undertake by the Assessor's Department). Due to massive land speculation prior to the dramatic recession of 1913, there were many such lots. In 1931 the City held the titles of approximately 50,000 lots, mainly in the outer zone, however the City only owned around 300 buildings. The lots and buildings were in some cases rented out, and at the time the City had a total of 1,015 tenants.

The duties of the department included negotiating sales, attending to enquires at the service counter, renting land for cultivation purposes, billing for and collecting rents, issuing notices for transfers, all the work necessary in keeping buildings in good repair, and all the different transactions relative to a real estate business.

In 1952 the department was responsible for records of city owned property; purchase, exchange, sale or expropriation of property for the City as directed; and selection of tenants, collection of rents and maintenance of City owned rented property.

In 1957 the Land Department was dissolved to create the Land and Industrial Development Department, which lasted until 1959 when the responsibilities were divided once more. The Land Department was re-established and combined with the Market and Emergency Housing Bureau, making the department responsible for operation of City Market, weigh scales and comfort stations, and the provision of emergency housing.

There were minor changes to the departmental structure every few years in the 1960s. In 1962 an Accounting section was added to the existing sections of Replot and Negotiations, Office and Sales, and City Properties. In 1964 the City Properties section was renamed the Rental and Property Management section, and by 1968, though their functions remained largely the same, all of the sections had been renamed: Negotiations Division, Land Sales and Office Division, and Rental and Property Management Division.

Custodial history

Scope and content

This fonds consists of correspondence, reports, land sales records, caveat lists, and financial records relating to the business of the Land Department.

An order has been imposed on the material. The arrangement includes 4 series which are as follows:

  • Series 1: Financial Records
  • Series 2: Civic Properties
  • Series 3: Land Transfers
  • Series 4: Rental and Property Management

Notes area

Physical condition

Immediate source of acquisition

This material was transferred to the City of Edmonton Archives between 1965 and 1993.

Arrangement

The photograph was assigned the prefix EA-8.

Language of material

  • English

Script of material

    Location of originals

    Availability of other formats

    Restrictions on access

    These records contain information that is protected in alignment with the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy (FOIP) Act.

    Terms governing use, reproduction, and publication

    Copyright may apply.
    Reproduction restrictions may apply.

    Finding aids

    Associated materials

    Accruals

    Further accruals are expected.

    General note

    The photograph (EA-8-1) is a street scene taken April 27, 1954 by Les Stephens. In the 1970s or 1980s it was removed from the textual records and described in isolation. The records from which it came (A75-136 - general correspondence) have yet to be processed, therefore the photograph is not currently part of a series.

    General note

    Accession numbers: A65-250, A75-68, A77-146, A80-118, A84-80, A92-101, A92-105, A93-47

    Alternative identifier(s)

    Standard number

    Standard number

    Access points

    Subject access points

    Place access points

    Name access points

    Genre access points

    Control area

    Description record identifier

    Institution identifier

    City of Edmonton Archives

    Rules or conventions

    Rules for Archival Description (RAD)
    Archives Society of Alberta Subject Terms

    Status

    Final

    Level of detail

    Dates of creation, revision and deletion

    Language of description

      Script of description

        Sources

        Accession area