The City of Edmonton has designated the former home of Ronald (Ron) Myren, a prominent landscape painter, a municipal historic resource. Built in 1925 by Charles and Mabel Barker, the one-and-a-half storey home features a medium gable roof and dormers on the front and back, mimicking the Barkers former home in Westmount which received a historic designation in 2004. The Barkers raised three children in their 97 Street home until 1971, two years after Charles died. Daughter Claudia Barker Bain chronicled her family’s life in Spruce Avenue in her 2006 book Lilies of my Field. The property remained with the family until Ron and Joan Myren purchased it in 1976. Ron’s paintings focused on Edmonton, the Alberta foothills and the Rocky Mountains and were exhibited throughout Canada. His oil paintings are included in several permanent collections in the city. He also worked at the Edmonton Art Gallery for many years. Born in Galloway, B.C. in 1937, Ron spent most of his life in Alberta, attending the Alberta College of Art in Calgary in the 1960s before moving to Edmonton. Ron died in 2003 in Chemainus, B.C. “Homes like the Barker/Myren residence are a small but important part of the history of our city,” said heritage planner Sydney Gross in a media release. “They have been loved by the people who owned them and preserved to tell their story for the future.” A $15,000 grant will be awarded to the current owner of the home, courtesy of the city’s Heritage Resources Reserve Fund, to match their investment in refurbishing the residence. The Barker/Myren residence is the 199th building to get a municipal historic designation.
