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Steps from the mirrored facade of Hyatt Place Edmonton in The Quarters stands the majestic Tudor Gothic Grierson Centre, now used as a minimum security institution by the Correctional Service of Canada, but historically functioning as the original Edmonton Barracks of the Northwest Mounted Police. The L-shaped structure's red brick facade and crenellated towers endow imagery of a fortified castle, and later extensions represent the evolution of the RCMP from frontier policing to national law enforcement.
The North West Mounted Police established their first permanent home in Fort Saskatchewan in 1874. The force began relocating to Edmonton in 1909, but inadequate accommodations prevented the group from moving entirely. When the Edmonton Barracks were completed in 1912, the whole division made their move.
Alberta's police force was collapsed into the Royal Canadian Mounted Police in 1932, requiring expansion of the barracks to take in provincial officers. Three years later, a new addition was constructed on the west side bearing an architecturally sensitive design by W.G. Blakely. Another addition was built on the east side with a design by the Department of Public Works in 1955 in a more modern design language.
The registered federal heritage site reflects the prevailing architectural trends of the respective eras, and the successive decisions by the RCMP to adhere to those trends. The Collegiate Gothic and Tudor Gothic original structures contrast with the simpler mid-century addition, resulting in a potpourri of styles in an architecturally diverse part of the city.
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