Former Post Office/Federal Building

Former Post Office/Federal Building. . Red Deer's population grew rapidly during the Second World War due to the construction of military training camps and the onset of Alberta's energy boom. In response to the city's growth, the Federal Building, which housed the post office, was constructed in 1951. It was built atop the existing 1913 post office foundation, a forty-year-old reminder of an unfulfilled federal campaign promise to build a new post office in Red Deer., The building is consistent with the Federal Corporate style, which influenced the design of federal buildings across Canada in the 1940s and 1950s. It reflected a federal presence and acknowledged the emerging importance of Red Deer to Central Alberta., Many federal services were housed alongside the post office, including the customs office, the local RCMP and the National Film Board. Although postal services at the site were discontinued in 1991, the building continues to be used by the federal government., Images Left: Ross Street, ca. 1953 (Red Deer and District Archives). Centre: Federal Building and Cenotaph, ca. 1953 (George E. Fleming collection). Right: Memorial Day Parade, 1954 (George E. Fleming collection).