Alberta House was first opened as a railroad hotel by a family that came from the Province of Alberta, Canada.  The photograph in the lobby shows the house as it was in 1903, with a very proper bunch of gentlemen in black hats and ladies in black skirts and white blouses with leg-of-mutton sleeves, arranged on the steps, across the porch and on the front lawn of the building.  "ALBERTA HOUSE" is painted on the side of the building near the front at the 2nd floor level, and for historical reasons, although our name now is Sault Area Art Center - a Gathering Place, the ALBERTA HOUSE name remains on both the north and south sides of the building.​

Alberta House was owned and occupied for many years by the Robertson family, who had a strong interest in the Visual Arts.  Half of the first floor was once a gallery, (circa1969) and some of the artists in the Le Sault Artists Guild remember meeting there when it was the home of Mary Robertson Wright.  Mrs. Wright’s sister, Mrs. Ida Stuart donated Alberta House to the Sault Area Arts Council in 1986.  There has been a strong emotional attachment to the building on the part of the arts community and this has aided greatly in bringing in donations of time, art and labor.  It is difficult not to enjoy its high ceilings, bright natural lighting, delightfully unique architectural detail and gallery space.