Right along Highway 2, the Nanton grain elevators have towered over the southern Alberta town long before the major route was even built.
Now, a special designation will ensure the long-retired buildings continue to stand tall.
“We just received the Provincial Historic Designation and it was really exciting for us because it is the beginning of being recognized as a serious player in the historic museum game,” said Leo Wieser, president of the Canadian Grain Elevator Discovery Centre Society.
He added it’s important to preserve the buildings, which are a symbol of the Canadian Prairies.
“It’s an area that is really, really steeped in history. We used to have the CPR station just 500 metres down from here and the CPR station saw soldiers come and go, saw immigrants coming to town — this was a really kind of a social and economic hub of the town.”
The designation will give the society an opportunity to apply for additional provincial and federal grants, helping with the big plans for the site which include the single orange building and the pair of green elevators.
“The twins (green elevators) are our museum so they’re our building of artifact. The single elevator is going to become more of our social gathering space. We don’t want to call it an event centre, we don’t want to limit it with some of those words, but we are looking at it as a centre for cultural engagement.”
Nanton Mayor Jennifer Handley said seeing the efforts going into preserving and advancing the elevators is exciting for the community.
“Anything that brings people to our town — of course visitors and also new residents — is important. So really, our business community is thriving right now so we want this to be a destination.”
The designation ensures the elevators will be standing tall for many more generations to enjoy.
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