Beveridge Block: Pre-Renovation

Downtown Medicine Hat, Alberta is changing, and it's especially evident along 2nd Street in buildings like the Beveridge Block. Several years ago I began documenting and photographing the exploration of old structures around the city, and amazingly, after a few renovations began much of that work became historical practically overnight. 


The Beveridge Block remained largely unused / nearly abandoned for years, but it's currently being renovated into an event space. I haven't seen the work they've done and I'm not connected to the project in any way. What's interesting about it from my perspective is what I captured of the space prior to there being any interest in the property. 

It was here in the Beveridge Block in 2013, that in collaboration with Spectacle, we hosted our Thinking Hat exhibition to showcase the historic fabric and future potential of Medicine Hat's downtown core. There have been a lot of champions for our downtown, and not surprisingly, with increased buzz a number of properties began renovation in the years that followed.    

In 2012 I first photographed the exterior, and followed up with interior shots in early 2013. You can see how raw the property was at that time. A faded mural covered one side of the building, original floor boards were stacked in the back, and layers of paint had been stripped from the woodwork. It'll be interesting to see the next chapter of the Beveridge. 

On the roof of the Beveridge during Thinking Hat.