McKernan Community Information

McKernan is a neighbourhood located in south west Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, named for James McKernan, a prominent businessman in the City of Strathcona.

Originally part of the City of Strathcona, McKernan became part of Edmonton when Strathcona amalgamated with Edmonton in 1912.

According to the neighbourhood description on the City of Edmonton map utility, "development of the area was delayed until McKernan was drained during the 1940s." The bulk of residential construction in McKernan occurred in the first two decades following World War II. Residences in modern McKernan are a mixture of single family dwellings and duplexes. The 2001 Federal Census shows a high percentage of renters in McKernan,

At the intersection of 76 Avenue and 115 Street, McKernan shares the convenience of a small neighborhood commercial area with the adjacent Belgravia neighborhood. This strip consists of three lots with two buildings, and the empty lot has been turned into a garden/green space with numerous large iron sculptures and many local prairie flora.

The corner building was built in 1948 of wood construction with stucco exterior, and constisted of two commercial bays on the main floor and three apartments on the second level. Originally, the southernmost bay was home to Rogers' drug store (the Rogers lived on the second floor) and the northernmost bay hosted Pridmore's Meat Shop. When the meat store closed down in the mid-1950s, the drug store took over the rest of the space and operated until 1976. The building was then sold to Monco Holdings Ltd., who has owned the property since then. Since 1976, the building has been home to various businesses including a Beauty Counsellor Franchise, the McPhee Workshop (a sewing and crafts studio), and a used bookseller/antiquariat called Belgravia Books & Treasures.

In 2005-2006, the building was renovated from a neglected and dilapidated state after three years of vacancy by the current main floor tenants: a locally owned coffee house/restaurant called Hulbert's, which features locally produced items on its menu and supports local artists and performers with an extensive program of live music and art displays.

The middle building was built in the mid 1950's with a concrete foundation and cinder-block wall construction. It was originally home to Purpur's Groceries, which operated as a full grocery until the Bateman's IGA opened a few blocks down 76 Avenue in McKernan. The store was renamed to Sunlight Foodland and operated as a neighborhood convenience store until its closure in 2003. The back portion of the building has been home to the Beaver Flats Pottery studios, but the studio has now closed as a result of the recent sale of the property.

The front portion of this building is now the current home of the second hand bookstore and antiquariat Belgravia Books & Treasures. They specialize in hard to find and out of print volumes, as well as an array of antique and intriguing treasures. Their selection also includes a large collection of children's books.

Commencing in 2008, McKernan will be one of two neighborhoods served by the new McKernan/Belgravia LRT Station currently under construction.

Community overview from Wikipedia.