If there was an award for the most unexpected, out-of-place, out-of-architectural context building in Edmonton, then surely El Mirador Apartments would be a contender. Dwarfed by modern buildings, tucked off 108th Street like a well guarded secret, this white-washed relic offers a touch of Spain just a few metres from the hustle and bustle of Jasper Avenue.

Many Edmontonians dont even know it is there. The three-storey, 45-suite walk up apartment at 10133 through 10147 108th Street boasts not only Spanish influenced decor but also an open courtyard, dominated by a massive spruce tree. Constructed in at least three stages beginning with a dozen suites in 1936, the building was designed and built by R.H. Trouth, a local contractor with his own firm, R.H. Trouth and Company.

Information sourced at the City of Edmonton Archives reveals that the building permit for the excavation of the property, numbered 341, was issued to Trouth on July 18th, 1935. The value of the work was placed at $200.

Three weeks later, August 3, 1935, Trouth applied for a building permit - numbered 386 - for a value of $10,000. It was the depression and not much was being built in Edmonton, but Mr. Trouth obviously felt the market was ready for new rental accommodation.

Apparently he was right because under two years later he was back at the planning department, applying for an expansion permit. That license, numbered 328 and dated May 28, 1937, authorized a $9,000 addition to the west of the original structure. That addition was completed in 1940. Another expansion, the 12-suite Patricia annex, was completed in 1953.

Yet the history of El Mirador, which roughly means outlook pointin Spanish, is somewhat hazy. The complex, which contains 37 one-bedroom, a pair of two-bedroom and a half dozen bachelor suites, exudes the romance of old Mexico.

The suites are fronted by verandas which face the courtyard and a spiral staircase adds to the mystique. Inside, hardwood floors and many original fixtures and design details add to the rich texture.

After Trouth died, the property reverted to his widow Annie in 1955. About that time, Dan de Ridder became manager of the complex - a post he was to hold for nearly 20, even after a change in ownership. In 1964, the apartment was purchased by a group of Edmonton investors comprised of J.C. Day, H. Day, L. Sherman and A. Hall.

In a 1978 article by writer James Adams in the Edmonton Journal, de Ridder talked about the eclectic mix of tenants and the characters the building had attracted over the years. They included teachers, university students, government employees, an Imperial Oil executive, English society ladies and at least one resident who logged 35 years tenancy.

He related the story of one elderly woman who asked him, Do you allow me to die in El Mirador? Her son tried to get her to move into a nursing home but she refused to go, declaring that as long as the de Ridders lived there, so would she. Every day Mr. de Ridder and his wife Ann helped the elderly woman and eventually she was so infirm that she had to go a nursing home, where she died 10 months later.

Then there is the story of a woman who held a fellow tenant at gunpoint after a long drinking spree. For reasons not clear, she forced the male tenant to write a letter for her and, when the womans guard was down, the man grabbed the pistol from her and ran down the verandah to the de Ridders suite in the rear, the distraught woman in hot pursuit.

The manager managed to corral the woman and the police were called. But somewhere along the way the police misunderstood the situation and sealed off the front of the El Mirador. Eventually everything was sorted out and life went back to its normal rhythm.

Just like it was in Alfred Hitchcocks 1954 landmark film Rear Window, not much goes on at El Mirador without the neighbours knowing about it. Youve got 10 or 15 apartments looking out on one another, noted Dan de Ridder, manager in the late 1970s.

That gives new meaning to the translated name Outlook Point.

Recognizing its significance to the citys built heritage, El Mirador is on the A list of the Register of Historic Resources in Edmonton. Any plan to dramatically change or demolish the structure must first be brought to a vote of Edmonton City Council.

Information for this article sourced with the kind assistance of the staff at the City of Edmonton Archives.