The Ross Flats in Edmonton Alberta Canada
Everyone remembers their first apartment.
I don’t just mean when you move into a two bedroom suite with five of your closest friends, I mean yours! Living it up bachelor style. No roommates to share the TV with, and definitely no parents to hear you . . . doing adult things.
I especially remember my first apartment, due to it’s character, history and individuality. I moved into the Ross Flats in 1999, just before my nineteenth birthday. It was a crazy dramatic time for me, and the stage was this building, which I was happy to see is still thriving ten years later.
The Ross Flats was built, originally, as a children’s shelter. I remember exploring the basement, where they would delouse delinquent and neglected children…it’s where I did my laundry.
Later, in 1925 (and continuing to 1942) it became a Salvation Army Grace Hospital, a stopping point for servicemen of the second world war.
After that it was a residential apartment and the first landlord in mid 1940’s, would be the very same I signed the lease with in 1999. The man (and his wife) were in their late 80’s. Now that posed some interesting problems, and a few episodes of comic relief. One of tenants, also in his eighties, was there for the fifty or so years. The Ross Flats had a mystique, that, despite its flaws, kept people there. There was even a waiting list for some suites.
All in all I would be there for less than a year. If I knew how much I would miss it later, how many times I’d dream of moving back (literally), I don’t think I’d have left.
Built in 1911 as a children’s shelter
Everyone remembers their first apartment.
I don’t just mean when you move into a two bedroom suite with five of your closest friends, I mean yours! Living it up bachelor style. No roommates to share the TV with, and definitely no parents to hear you . . . doing adult things.
I especially remember my first apartment, due to it’s character, history and individuality. I moved into the Ross Flats in 1999, just before my nineteenth birthday. It was a crazy dramatic time for me, and the stage was this building, which I was happy to see is still thriving ten years later.
The Ross Flats was built, originally, as a children’s shelter. I remember exploring the basement, where they would delouse delinquent and neglected children…it’s where I did my laundry.
Later, in 1925 (and continuing to 1942) it became a Salvation Army Grace Hospital, a stopping point for servicemen of the second world war.
After that it was a residential apartment and the first landlord in mid 1940’s, would be the very same I signed the lease with in 1999. The man (and his wife) were in their late 80’s. Now that posed some interesting problems, and a few episodes of comic relief. One of tenants, also in his eighties, was there for the fifty or so years. The Ross Flats had a mystique, that, despite its flaws, kept people there. There was even a waiting list for some suites.
All in all I would be there for less than a year. If I knew how much I would miss it later, how many times I’d dream of moving back (literally), I don’t think I’d have left.
Posted on Thursday, September 3rd, 2009 at 6:53 am. Filed under: Blog Tags: alberta, canada, edmonton, ross flats RSS 2.0 feed.
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Hey,
Really interesting article! I’m wondering how you landed this first apartment of yours …I didn’t have any luck in finding info online about the owner or landlord of the Ross Flats. Did you just knock on the door? : ) If you have any names or helpful info, I’d greatly appreciate it – thanks!
Hey Felix, I found the apartment in a newspaper (back in 1999) of course. It’s owned by the city, so I’d start there.
Hope this helps
Wow! The city actually had to advertise such a great apartment …that’s crazy! Anyway, thanks for the reply and I’ll see what I can do (fingers crossed).