Two more places in Olds were designated as municipal historic resources last week at council's regular meeting.
The two that were designated — the W.M. Craig house and Urban Rootz — bring the total number of designated structures in Olds to nine.
Michael Dougherty, heritage coordinator for Uptowne Olds, told council that the aim of designating these structures was to add more residences to the list.
“I'm really pleased to see there's more residential homes on our list,” said Coun. Mary Jane Harper.
In an interview, Dougherty said while the entire block is considered important due to various members of the Craig family building homes there over the years, the home in question is on the eastern-most end of the block at 4706-50 Street.
“It's been cared for and maintained by the Norres … and it's great to be able to designate that building and to move forward and it's also great for the Norres to have that prestigious honour put on them for the work that they've done,” he said.
The other structure that was designated, at 5206-50 Street, has a more difficult history to track, Dougherty said. It's believed that the structure was built by A.D. Lamont, sometime in the 1890s.
“One of the main reasons we're designating that one is for its age and its condition and it's a lovely representation of the turn-of-the-century house here in Olds,” he said, noting that the current owners were quite keen on designating the property.
Dougherty said the fact that four residences and five commercial structures have now been designated is a good sign, protecting more residences.
“It's a really good balance that we have going forward and we hope to be able to continue that balance into the future,” he said.
Mayor Judy Dahl said she admires the dedication of the uptown group for bringing the applications forward.
“We still, for the size of our municipality, are far, far ahead of other municipalities — even cities —for what we have to offer, so this is quite an accomplishment and they should be applauded,” she said.
