Description of Historic Place
One of a complex of twelve buildings known as the National Training Centre, the Lodge is a one-and-a-half storey, gable-roofed structure constructed with a rustic vocabulary of materials. It is distinguished by its shed dormer, rubble stone chimney and a screened porch area on the main façade. The complex is isolated and self-contained around a large grassed area. The designation is confined to the footprint of the building.
The Lodge is a Recognized Federal Heritage Building because of its historical associations, and its architectural and environmental value.
The Lodge and its complex are associated with the early development of Jasper National Park. The National Training Centre was originally part of a homestead known as the Palisades Ranch. The Palisades Ranch had been established by Lewis Swift, a personality who figured prominently in the history of the area. The Palisades Ranch was a trail-related tourist industry and, as such, contributed to the development and use of Jasper Park. It remained privately owned until 1962 when it was purchased by the National Parks Branch. It began operation as a training center for Park employees in 1964.
The Lodge is a good example of a functional building type constructed in a rustic aesthetic. Its well-executed vocabulary of building materials consisting of horizontal log siding and shakes, conforms with the architectural character of Canada’s National Parks.
As a significant building within the National Training Centre (formerly the Palisades Ranch), the Lodge is compatible in size, design and placement with the character of the complex. Although the complex is self-contained and not visible from the highway, the Lodge, by virtue of the fact that it is part of the National Training Centre, is known to the communities of Jasper and Hinton.
Kate MacFarlane, National Training Centre (former Palisades Ranch), Jasper National Park, Alberta, Federal Heritage Building Report, 87-010.
National Training Centre (former Palisades Ranch) Jasper National Park, Alberta, Heritage Character Statement, 87-010.
The following character defining elements of the Lodge should be respected, for example:
Its functional design and rustic vocabulary, for example:
-Its simple massing, consisting of a one-and-a-half storey structure with a gable roof and
shed dormer, a rubble chimney, a one-storey addition on its east elevation and a
screened, roofed porch on its front.
-Its horizontal log siding and shakes.
-Its window treatment and arrangement.
The manner in which the Lodge is compatible with its setting, as evidenced by:
-Its scale, its functional appearance and rustic materials, all of which are sympathetic
with the other buildings in the complex.