Addisons Bungalows

Addison's Bungalows were built by Addison Scratch, a renowned builder and architect who built many of the Western Parks' original cabins including bungalows at Jasper, Banff, Lake Louise and Miette Hot Springs. These were so well constructed that when the bungalows at the Banff site were to be demolished to make room for higher density structures the bulldozer simply skidded them along. They were consequently moved instead and taken to Canmore without, of course, the stone fireplaces.

The construction favoured by Scratch was post and beam and one can see by examining these just how carefully fitted is each joint. The windows and doors were built by hand with many small panes of glass meticulously fitted into place.

Addison's Bungalows were built on a forested 1.8 acre site amid tall 110 year old douglas firs. Complicating the site design for Mr. Scratch was the 35 degree incline of the land. This incline and the denseness of the forest forced Scratch to take a full season to do the layout of the bungalows. It also made road construction particularly difficult. Looking at Addison's Bungalows today, one can appreciate how worthwhile was all the effort put into the project.

The original site boasted 21 bungalows. Later on, two duplexes, copying the floor plan of Cabin # 1, the last built by Addison, were erected. In 1979 the owners replaced the original office cabin with an updated office, laundry and house. That same year, a planned house was finished as a six room hotel. Since 1991 all the bungalows have been renovated and all in such a way as to leave them as close to the original as possible. These renovations and updating included new roofs, bedding, linen, flooring, curtains, decks, BBQs, walkways and other infrastructure. The current Addison's Bungalows is a mix of the 21 nearly original "rocky mountain chalets," 2 duplex bungalows containing four units and 6 motel units for a total of 31 units in the three differing styles.