Heritage Calgary

𝐒𝐢𝐭𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐖𝐞𝐞𝐤: 𝐑𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐝 𝐇𝐚𝐫𝐝𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐒𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐞 – 𝟏𝟐𝟐𝟔 𝟗 𝐀𝐯𝐞 𝐒𝐄

Inglewood, Calgary’s oldest neighbourhood, is host to a large number of sites on the Inventory. However, most of these sites come from after 1905, when Calgary’s first big population and building boom occurred. There are only a dozen sites on the Inventory that were built before 1905. Including this week’s featured site, the Rutherford Hardware Store.

The Rutherford Hardware Store is a simple Commercial-style, single-storey building. Built in 1901, it is possibly the oldest extant commercial building in the community. The façade is composed of a plain parapet with coping and decorative brick detailing in the form of common bond brick pattern, the brick surrounds the fenestration of the building, which is made up of two large bay windows and a recessed entryway. The building is valued for its continuous service as a commercial retail storefront for over a century, including over 60 years as a hardware store and 40 of those years also serving as tin smith.

The building gets its name from its first occupant and builder, John J. Rutherford of Michigan, who moved to Calgary in 1907. Rutherford opened a business with W. Sanders, who had moved from Ontario the same year. Initially they were tenants of the building, but were able to buy the store in 1918. Rutherford passed away in 1933, and his widow Mary assumed control of the business and expanded to farming supplies.

Learn more about the Rutherford Hardware Store and other sites on the Inventory here: heritagecalgary.ca/explore-inventory

𝐃𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐇𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐚𝐠𝐞 𝐂𝐚𝐥𝐠𝐚𝐫𝐲 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐆𝐢𝐯𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐓𝐮𝐞𝐬𝐝𝐚𝐲

Join GivingTuesday, the world’s largest generosity movement. Everyone has something to give and every act of generosity counts.

We would greatly appreciate your donation to Heritage Calgary this GivingTuesday. Your contributions allow us to continue delivering important programs and services to the Calgary community.

Visit our donation page: https://civicrm.heritagecalgary.ca/donate

𝐒𝐢𝐭𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐖𝐞𝐞𝐤: 𝐁𝐞𝐚𝐮𝐦𝐨𝐧𝐭 𝐂𝐢𝐫𝐜𝐮𝐬 – 𝟒𝟓𝟎 𝟏𝟓 𝐀𝐯𝐞 𝐍𝐄

Many of the sites featured throughout the Site of the Week series have been built heritage. Very few sites on the Inventory are what is referred to as non-built heritage – parks, archaeological sites, etc.

This week’s site is a rare landscape form in Calgary and one of the non-built heritage sites on the Inventory: Beaumont Circus. One of two circuses in Calgary, the other being Balmoral, Beaumont Circus is a circular landscaped form which was conceived in 1906 when the subdivision was built. According to subdivision plans and fire insurance maps, it was initially going to be a traffic circle similar to the Circus in Bath, England. However by 1924 maps it was a four-way intersection with quarter-circular parklet segments on each corner of the intersection. It was recently updated from a four-way intersection to a small roundabout, though the landscaping has not been altered, so the unique quarter-circle parklets remain today.

Beaumont Circus was first described in the Parks Annual Report in 1945; it was noted that "the area took a very pleasing appearance as a result of a well-kept lawn, spring-time renovations, as well as the planting of trees and shrubs in the late summer". Beaumont Circle did not, however have the intricate planting beds and associated herbaceous planting that Balmoral Circus did. By examining the historical record it is clear that Beaumont Circus did not reach the same level of horticultural intensity and attention that Balmoral Circus did.

Learn more about the Beaumont Circus and other sites on the Inventory here: heritagecalgary.ca/explore-inventory

𝐈𝐧𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐲 𝐔𝐩𝐝𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐬 - 𝐎𝐜𝐭𝐨𝐛𝐞𝐫 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟑

At the October 2023 board meeting, the Heritage Calgary board approved the following sites to be updated or added to the Inventory of Evaluated Historic Resources:

𝑅𝑒-𝐸𝑣𝑎𝑙𝑢𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛𝑠
Petro-Fina Building, 736 8 AV SW
Petro Chemical Building, 805 8 AV SW
Jones Residence, 1302 PROSPECT AV SW

𝑁𝑒𝑤 𝐸𝑣𝑎𝑙𝑢𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛𝑠
McLellan Residence, 1701 24 ST SW
Worcester Residence, 1722 25A STSW
Henry Residence, 1723 24 ST SW
Moore Residence, 1716 25A ST SW
Biles Residence, 239 29 AV NE
Keith Residence, 2605 16A ST NW
Tyler Residence, 302 8 AV NE
W.O. Mitchell Residence, 3031 ROXBORO GLEN RD SW
Pauli Residence, 209 SCARBORO AV SW
Gordon Residence, 2710 21 AV SW
Lannan Residence, 1917 11 St SW
William and Florence Thomson Residence, 3038 1 St SW

Visit our blog for more information on each site: https://www.heritagecalgary.ca/heritage-calgary-blog/octoberinventory

𝐒𝐢𝐭𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐖𝐞𝐞𝐤: 𝐍𝐞𝐥𝐜𝐨 𝐒𝐪𝐮𝐚𝐫𝐞 – 𝟑𝟎𝟏𝟔 𝟓 𝐀𝐯𝐞 𝐍𝐄

Brutalist architecture emerged in the post-war period, following Modernist architecture and alongside the Impressionist movement. The style was attractive mostly with governments and public buildings. Universities, libraries, courts, city halls and other public buildings. The style is deliberately imposing: architects wanted to reflect the scale and importance of the work done inside. The style was not very popular with private enterprise, which tended to stick with Modernist or International styles. By the late 1970s, Brutalist architecture fell out of favour. This week’s featured site is one of the last examples of Brutalist architecture in Calgary, and also one of the best.

Nelco Square was built in 1979 in Franklin, and stands at the corner of 5 Avenue and 30 Street Northeast. The three-storey office building features concrete massing with two stacked square volumes, with the larger on top of the smaller, making a sort of reverse ziggurat. The façade features symmetrical fenestration separated by pronounced vertical window fins at the top storey and decorative concrete panels with embossed rectangular motifs. The lower, recessed two storeys have exaggerated pilasters and minimalist ribbon windows.

Nelco Square’s design was inspired by Le Corbusier’s Sainte Marie de La Tourette, built in 1953 near Lyon, France. Nelco Square has symbolic value for its association with Calgary’s thriving economy as a result of soaring oil prices in the 1970s. The Nelco Corporation was incorporated in 1968 by Hardy Neilsen, and was a holding company for the properties Nielsen developed. Nelco was heavily involved in the development of the Franklin Park Industrial area.

Learn more about Nelco Square and other Sites in the Inventory here: heritagecalgary.ca/explore-inventory

Today marks the 105 anniversary of the end of the First World War. The conflict ravaged the European continent for four years, saw the end of numerous empires, and led the foundations for the rest of the 20th century.

As part of the British Empire, Canada and Newfoundland joined the war immediately, sending over 650,000 men and women to Europe. Forty-five thousand soldiers were trained here in Calgary at the Sarcee Camp, directly to the south of Signal Hill. Sixty-six thousand never made it back, and we honour them today.

Lest we forget

Image: Cenotaph in Memorial Park encircled by Remembrance Day wreaths, via Calgary Public Library Williams & Harris Shared History Centre

𝐒𝐢𝐭𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐖𝐞𝐞𝐤: 𝐒𝐭. 𝐉𝐨𝐬𝐞𝐩𝐡’𝐬 𝐏𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐡 𝐂𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐞 – 𝟕𝟑𝟗 𝟐𝟎 𝐀𝐯𝐞 𝐍𝐖

The Catholic Church embraced the Modern period through the architecture of the time. This can be seen in prominently in Calgary, as a number of buildings built for the Catholic Church in Calgary are unorthodox church design. This includes this week’s featured site: St. Joseph’s Parish Centre.

St. Joseph’s Parish Centre was originally built as the dining hall and social venue for the St. Joseph Church, a block east and another block south. The Parish Centre, built in 1960, is a Modernist/Impressionist building that juxtaposes with the Church, which was built in 1914 in the Gothic Revival style. The Parish Centre has a notable saddle-style roof and its brick façade, which is laid out in Flemish bond pattern, and has the header bricks projecting, creating a missing brick-style façade. The saddle roof has exposed beams which hang over angled fenestration. The interior features parquet flooring, wood-panelled walls, open staircases, and the gallery room with curved wooden tongue-and-groove ceiling and exposed beams. Today the Parish Centre is the Scandinavian Centre, a cultural community hall serving Calgary’s Finnish, Icelandic, Norwegian and Swedish communities.

Learn more about St. Joseph’s Parish Centre and other sites on the Inventory here: heritagecalgary.ca/explore-inventory

Only a few spots left! Be sure to register for this event or register for the waitlist

civicrm.heritagecalgary.ca/form/the_many_stories_of_marda_loop

𝐇𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐞𝐧 𝐄𝐝𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 – 𝐒𝐢𝐭𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐖𝐞𝐞𝐤: 𝐍𝐞𝐰 𝐄𝐚𝐬𝐭 𝐖𝐚𝐫𝐝 (𝐀𝐥𝐞𝐱𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐫𝐚) 𝐒𝐜𝐡𝐨𝐨𝐥 – 𝟗𝟑𝟔 𝟗 𝐀𝐯𝐞 𝐒𝐄

One of Calgary’s many classical sandstone schools, New East Ward School. The school is best known for an early principal, William Aberhart. Aberhart moved to Calgary in 1910 and would later go on to found the Alberta Social Credit Party and serve as Premier of Alberta. The school is also noted for its architecture, as it displays Classical Revival Style details such as its axial plan with symmetrical façades and formal, linear fenestration. The formal design is balanced by the use of multi-pane, multi-assembly windows of varying sizes as well as its attractive roofline with overhanging eaves, cupolas, finial and flagstaff.

The school served in its original capacity until 1963 when it closed due to low enrollment. By its end there were only 163 students enrolled, and the Calgary Board of Education relocated them to a nearby school. After it closed as a school, it was repurposed into a community centre called the Alexandra Centre.

As it is Halloween, this building is allegedly haunted. The story goes that a troubled but loved caretaker named Joe was found in the stairwell. People who have worked in the school have reported seeing things in the shadows, hearing footsteps in empty halls, and other noises, as if someone was still working there.

You can learn about the New East Ward (Alexandra) School and other haunted sites in Inglewood with our Haunted Inglewood Walking Tour: heritagecalgary.ca/walking-tours

𝐑𝐞𝐠𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐢𝐬 𝐨𝐩𝐞𝐧 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐌𝐚𝐧𝐲 𝐒𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐌𝐚𝐫𝐝𝐚 𝐋𝐨𝐨𝐩!

From the earliest days, to the “streetcar suburb” era, the communities were changed by the military presence, the mid-20th century suburban boom, the evolution of the business district and events leading right up to today. There is a lot to unpack in this part of the southwest, which includes South Calgary, Altadore, River Park, Garrison Woods, some of Richmond, and the Marda Loop business district.

Come and learn about the Marda Loop history project and its next steps! Registration is at the link below.

civicrm.heritagecalgary.ca/form/the_many_stories_of_marda_loop

𝐒𝐢𝐭𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐖𝐞𝐞𝐤: 𝐍𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐡-𝐖𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐓𝐫𝐚𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐁𝐮𝐢𝐥𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 – 𝟓𝟏𝟓 𝟏 𝐒𝐭 𝐒𝐄

With thanks to Calgary’s position on the Canadian Pacific Rail main line, the city became a primary regional centre for wholesale and distribution of manufactured goods. With this came hundreds of commercial travellers and manufacturer agents to Calgary. A number of these travellers and agents belonged to the Northwest Commercial Travellers Association of Canada. Formed in Winnipeg in 1882, the NWCTA worked to connect commercial travellers, manufacturer’s agents; sales executives; and proprietors of wholesale and distribution companies, and secure benefits and travel arrangements for them.

The association established a branch in Calgary in 1905 and in 1912, it announced it would build a branch for its members in Calgary. The office was built by 1913 to house offices for the association, meeting and club rooms for the travellers, and rental space for commercial tenants and manufacturer’s agents.

The four-storey office is a very good example of the popular Edwardian Commercial style, with a stone ground floor and brick upper storeys, featuring giant pilasters with elaborate terra cotta capitals. A full and ornate cornice caps the building with a brick parapet, making the North-West Travellers Building one of the most attractive examples of pre-war commercial architecture.

Learn more about the North-West Travellers Building and other sites on the Inventory here: heritagecalgary.ca/explore-inventory

Today's Google Doodle features Violet King, a prominent Canadian and the first Black woman to be called to the Bar in the history of the province. Her childhood home, the King Residence, is on the Inventory of Evaluated Historic Resources and on February 25, 2022, the home was given a plaque commemorating Violet King and her family for their achievements. Today marks what would have been her 94th birthday.

You can learn more about Violet King by clicking on the link below:
https://www.heritagecalgary.ca/heritage-calgary-blog/violetkingresidence

Art Credit: Shanti Rittgers, via Google

𝐒𝐢𝐭𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐖𝐞𝐞𝐤: 𝐌𝐜𝐋𝐞𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐑𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 – 𝟏𝟗𝟏𝟗 𝟏𝟏 𝐒𝐭 𝐒𝐖

In the early 20th century during Calgary’s first major population boom, the City build a number of grand Classical sandstone schools; most of which stand today, and many still operate as schools. These schools were designed by Hugh McClelland, first Building Superintendent for the Public School Board.

McClelland bought a lot in Upper Mount Royal in 1909 and built a home later that year, and a year later, was contracted by the Public School Board where he oversaw the construction of 17 of Calgary’s sandstone schools. McClelland had a fairly singular vision, and many of the schools shared similar architectural features as his home, making it look like a miniature version of one of the schools.

As a trim material, sandstone was fairly common in commercial buildings and residential buildings to an extent, though brick was more common for residences at the time. As the main building and façade material, the McClelland Residence is very unique, as most buildings in Calgary that are mostly sandstone are commercial structures. The residence features an asymmetrical façade with an off-centre front door on a front porch, which is itself beneath a second floor porch. The façade is made up of rough-cut sandstone, with lintels reaching across the front of the residence.

Learn more about the McClelland Residence and other sites on the Inventory here: heritagecalgary.ca/explore-inventory

We have one more self-guided walking tour for Spooktober! With heritage comes haunted houses, and where else but Inglewood to go for haunted heritage?

Find the Haunted Inglewood walking tour and many others here: heritagecalgary.ca/walking-tours

𝐑𝐞𝐠𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐟𝐨𝐫 "𝐇𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐚𝐠𝐞 𝐌𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐬: 𝐃𝐞𝐦𝐲𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐟𝐲𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐇𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐚𝐠𝐞" (𝐒𝐚𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐝𝐚𝐲, 𝐎𝐜𝐭𝐨𝐛𝐞𝐫 𝟏𝟒)

Have you ever wondered how buildings get listed on the Inventory, or get designated as heritage sites, and what's the difference? Do you own a "century home" (or a mid-century modern gem), or deal with historic buildings in your work? Or are you just interested in protecting Calgary's heritage?

This Saturday, learn about historical designation from heritage experts and hear from homeowners about their designation experience. This event is for anyone interested in how Calgary’s heritage is identified and protected, and you don’t have to own a heritage property to attend.

Guest speakers include Cynthia Klaassen with Heritage Calgary, Simon Cheng with City of Calgary Heritage Planning, and a heritage property owner(s).

October 14, 10AM - 12PM
Inglewood Community Association Hall - 1740 24th Av SE
Please Register: https://civicrm.heritagecalgary.ca/form/demystifying_heritage

𝐒𝐢𝐭𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐖𝐞𝐞𝐤: 𝐇𝐚𝐲𝐝𝐞𝐧 𝐁𝐥𝐨𝐜𝐤 – 𝟏𝟏𝟑𝟒 𝐊𝐞𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐭𝐨𝐧 𝐑𝐝 𝐍𝐖

A prominent building at the focal point of Kensington, the Hayden Block is a standout example of turn of the century commercial architecture. It features a prominent and attractive pressed metal cornice with finials at either end. While the ground floor façade has been altered multiple times throughout the years, it has always been done in a way that is sympathetic to the original design. The upper storey is marked by sandblasted stretcher bond red brick with three large, symmetrical windows rested over sandstone sills, capped with a soft brick arch and sandstone keystones.

The Hayden Block was built in 1912 by Edward A. Hayden as the neighbourhoods of Hillhurst and Sunnyside were developing in Calgary’s pre-war boom period. The two-storey building has commercial on the ground floor and suites upstairs. The building has a long history of retailers and restaurants on the ground floor, and currently has a BBQ restaurant sharing the building’s namesake.

Learn more about the Hayden Block and other sites on the Inventory here: heritagecalgary.ca/explore-inventory

𝐒𝐢𝐭𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐖𝐞𝐞𝐤: 𝐓𝐫𝐞𝐞𝐧𝐝 𝐑𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 – 𝟏𝟗𝟑𝟑 𝟓 𝐒𝐭 𝐒𝐖

Prairie architecture emerged in the early 20th century and is meant to blend in with the flat, open landscape of the prairies. One of the most famous architects of the century, Frank Lloyd Wright, was a proponent of the style and used it frequently designing homes and sometimes even offices. In Wright’s words, Prairie-style houses are married to the ground. Despite Calgary growing rapidly as a city on the prairies, growth in the city had slowed significantly during and after the World War, and there are only a handful of Prairie-style buildings throughout the city, including this week’s featured site, the Treend Residence.

The Treend Residence is a solid-brick single storey house situated in Cliff Bungalow. True to the Prairie style, the home has a medium-pitched, front-gabled roof with tall, corbelled brick chimneys, deeply overhanging eaves and half-timbering and decorative wooden brackets in the main gable. The residence also features a wide, wrap-around verandah with stairs to entrances on the street-facing sides.
The house is named for its builder and first occupant, William Treend, who was a retired rancher when he built the home for himself and his wife Leona. The home stayed in the family until 1941 when Samuel Hanen and his wife Lena took ownership. Lena Hanen was a prominent businesswoman who ran a women’s clothing store called the Betty Shop, which at its peak had 40 outlets.

Learn more about the Treend Residence and other sites on the Inventory here: heritagecalgary.ca/explore-inventory

𝐍𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐃𝐚𝐲 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐓𝐫𝐮𝐭𝐡 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐑𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐜𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐎𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞 𝐒𝐡𝐢𝐫𝐭 𝐃𝐚𝐲

September 30 is National Day for Truth and Reconciliation and Orange Shirt Day. For more than a century, thousands of Indigenous children were taken from their homes and placed in residential schools as part of a policy of assimilation into European and Christian culture. This day is intended to honour the children who never returned home as well as survivors of residential schools, and to recognize the inter-generational impacts of residential schools on the community.

Join the City of Calgary to commemorate Indian residential school victims, honour survivors and their families, and commit to acting on reconciliation, with presentations from various speakers including the Mayor, Indigenous Elders and school board representatives. A blessing from an Elder will begin the event, and Indigenous dancers will entertain during. Learn more: https://www.calgary.ca/events/orange-shirt-day.html

Saturday, Sept 30, 9-10:30am
Fort Calgary, 750 9 AVE SE

Artist: Kristy North Peigan

𝐇𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐚𝐧 𝐢𝐧 𝐑𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞: 𝐌𝐞𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐲 𝐌𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐏𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐞𝐦𝐚𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠

"During my time as Historian in Residence, I have been looking at the maps in the Calgary Public Library collection and researching the history of maps and their deceptions.

Maps are generally created as charts and documents to portray geographic location and navigational potential, usually with an intent of accuracy for scale relationships. Maps contain an inherent authority. My research showed that we perhaps should not view maps as an authoritative record given the quantity of misrepresentations resulting from cartographers’ and publishers’ selective choices of what is represented and how, the imposition of arbitrary grid systems as defining boundaries, as well as the distortion that occurs through portraying 3-dimensional landforms as 2-dimensional surfaces."

Learn more from Kay Burn's final workshop as Historian in Residence on memory mapping and placemaking: https://www.heritagecalgary.ca/heritage-calgary-blog/memorymapping

Our last walking tour for the year is here! Scarboro was initially built as an extension of the Sunalta subdivision, targeted toward white collar Calgarians, and was designed by the same firm that made Central Park in NYC

Visit our website here: heritagecalgary.ca/walking-tours

𝐒𝐢𝐭𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐖𝐞𝐞𝐤: 𝐌𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐑𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 – 𝟑𝟎𝟏𝟓 𝐆𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐨𝐞 𝐑𝐝 𝐒𝐖

Built in 1914, the Millican Residence is a two-and-a-half-storey home located in the Glencoe Triangle – an irregular series of three plots sandwiched between 6 Street, Glencoe Road, and 29 Avenue SW. The Arts and Crafts home stands out thanks to its most prominent feature – a two-storey circular projecting bay marked by a recessed conical roof. The house is further characterized by its complex roofline with wide hip dormers on the side and rear, half-timbering on the upper storeys, overhanging flared eaves, wooden tongue-and-groove soffits, and tall stone chimneys.

The Millican Residence derives its name from its first and long-time owners, the Millican family, who were distinguished within Calgary’s legal community. Family patriarch William Millican was born in 1861 in Ontario, where he trained and practiced law for 17 years before moving to Alberta in 1903 with his wife, Mary, and their children. William’s brother Albert, who William practiced law with, followed suit, and the two formed Millican & Millican, a leading corporate and civil law firm.

The home would change hands, with the Nickles taking the house in the early 1940s. Between the Millicans and Nickles, the home served as a rest home. The Nickles donated the house to the Anglican Church in 1968, who operated the home as Anglican Synod offices until the 1990s.

Learn more about the Millican Residence and other sites on the Inventory here: https://www.heritagecalgary.ca/explore-inventory

Today's the first day of Fall! If you're looking for something to do, we still have a selection of self-guided walking tours, including this week's featured tour, Elbow Park, Rideau Park and Parkhill.

Find this tour and others here: heritagecalgary.ca/walking-tours

𝐒𝐢𝐭𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐖𝐞𝐞𝐤: 𝐀𝐥𝐛𝐞𝐫𝐭𝐚 𝐃𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐫𝐬 – 𝟏𝟓𝟑𝟏 𝟑𝟒 𝐀𝐯𝐞 𝐒𝐄

This week’s site is Alberta’s first distillery, and still its largest. Alberta Distillers was built in Alyth/Bonnybrook in 1949 as a complex of 18 buildings, and still serves its original purpose today. Alberta Distillers Limited emerged as a project started by Calgary Oilman Frank McMahon in a joint venture with BC distiller George Reifel. The two bought 27 acres of city-owned land adjacent to both Canadian Pacific and Canadian National Railways lines. Proximity to rail was not the only advantage to this land: subsurface water supply existed at the site; proximity to both the Canada Malting Company and the Canadian Government Elevator; and finally proximity to the Alberta Stockyards.

The Alberta Distillers initially adopted a newly-developed system that combined the entire process in a single building, which significantly reduced the time needed to produce alcohol. Initially producing industrial alcohols and commercial ones like 100 per cent rye whisky, the distillery expanded to produce products like gin and vodka.

Learn more about Alberta Distillers and other sites on the Inventory here: https://www.heritagecalgary.ca/explore-inventory

Fall is right around the corner, leaving a handful of weekends left for leisurely walks in old communities. Our Upper and Lower Mount Royal tour is perfect for this time of year.

Find this tour and many others here: heritagecalgary.ca/walking-tours

𝐒𝐢𝐭𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐖𝐞𝐞𝐤: 𝐇𝐢𝐠𝐡 𝐒𝐜𝐡𝐨𝐨𝐥 𝐓𝐞𝐫𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐞 – 𝟏𝟐𝟏𝟕 𝟗 𝐒𝐭 𝐒𝐖

Calgary’s pre-World War 1 building boom saw a great deal of gentle density introduced into its neighbourhoods. The Beltline communities of Connaught and Victoria Park saw a number of apartment buildings and terraced homes built up during this time, many of which are still standing today, like this week’s site: High School Terrace.

Built in 1910, High School Terrace gets its name from Calgary’s public high school across the street, the Central Collegiate Institute, now the Dr. Safran Centre. The school and the terraces would be joined by a streetcar route in 1912. High School Terrace was built for Charles Thomas Gilbert, an English-born baker that settled in Alberta in 1898, While a baker, Gilbert dabbled in real estate speculation like many other Calgarians in its early boom years, and was involved in the construction of High School Terrace and other projects.

The brick and sandstone building was modelled on English Terrace-style housing, and features pediments, square bay windows, open porches with pilasters, elaborate glazed front entryways and sandstone trim.

Learn more about High School Terrace and other sites on the Inventory here: heritagecalgary.ca/explore-inventory

𝐇𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐚𝐠𝐞 𝐌𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐬: 𝐃𝐞𝐦𝐲𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐟𝐲𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐇𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐚𝐠𝐞

Heritage Calgary has partnered with Inglewood Community Association to offer a “Heritage Matters: Demystifying Heritage” information session.

Have you ever wondered how buildings get listed on the Inventory, or get designated as heritage sites, and what's the difference? Do you own a "century home" (or a mid-century modern gem), or deal with historic buildings in your work? Or are you just interested in how to protect Calgary's heritage?

This event is for anyone who is interested in how Calgary’s heritage is identified and protected, and you don’t have to be the owner of a heritage property to attend. Learn about historical designation from heritage experts and hear from homeowners about their designation experience.

Guest speakers include Cynthia Klaassen with Heritage Calgary, Simon Cheng with City of Calgary Heritage Planning, and a heritage property owner(s).

October 14, 10AM - 12PM
Inglewood Community Association Hall - 1740 24th Av SE
Please Register: https://civicrm.heritagecalgary.ca/form/demystifying_heritage

The Beltline, made up of the communities of Connaught and Victoria Park, has seen massive change throughout its history. Its history and its diversity make it one of Calgary's best neighbourhoods.

Find the Beltline walking tour and others here: heritagecalgary.ca/walking-tours

𝐇𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐚𝐧 𝐢𝐧 𝐑𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞: 𝐒𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐮𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐒𝐮𝐛𝐝𝐢𝐯𝐢𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐄𝐚𝐫𝐥𝐲 𝐂𝐚𝐥𝐠𝐚𝐫𝐲

Speculative ventures for land purchase were not uncommon in Calgary. In 1884 when the CPR surveyors were laying out streets and avenues, real estate activity became feverish as speculators bid on prime lots in the downtown core in the hope of making a substantial profit through resale.

Kay Burns, Historian in Residence, explores maps in the Calgary Public Library collection which record a speculative subdivision that was never actually built.

Learn more: https://www.heritagecalgary.ca/heritage-calgary-blog/subdivisions

Image: "Lake View Park, Forty Acres, in the Center of Lake View Heights, The Beauty Spot of Calgary", 1912. William & Harris Shared History Centre.

𝐒𝐢𝐭𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐖𝐞𝐞𝐤: 𝐂𝐥𝐮𝐛 𝐂𝐚𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐬𝐞𝐥 – 𝟏𝟐𝟎𝟕 𝟏 𝐒𝐭 𝐒𝐖

This special edition of the Site of the Week series brings us to Club Carousel, Calgary’s first chartered gay members club, which represented affirmation of gay rights in Canada.

Club Carousel was built in 1905 but would not go by the name Club Carousel until 1969, when the gay members club opened in October. Before that, it was a branch of Toronto’s popular Depression Coffee House. In 1963 John Uren believed that Calgary was lacking in culture and opened the coffee house which doubled as a music venue, which saw a number of performances, including a young Joni Mitchell, a student at ACAD at the time. Before the coffee house it had a handful or tenants, including a tobacconist, a café, a hardware store and more.

Club Carousel opened in the basement of this building, replacing the Depression Coffee House. Grand opening day welcomed 300 people, despite challenges in obtaining a business license. The club was run by the Scarth Street Society non-profit. The club stayed in this location for a couple of years before moving to a bigger venue, but would eventually close in 1978 due to competition from other clubs.

The building itself is a modest Commercial-style building that has been altered over the years to accommodate commercial tenants. The one-storey flat roof design is typical of buildings from the early 20th century.

Learn more about Club Carousel and other sites on the Inventory here: heritagecalgary.ca/explore-inventory

Happy Calgary Pride from Heritage Calgary!

This Labour Day weekend, why not take our self-guided walking tour of one of Calgary's enduring working-class neighbourhoods, Ramsay?

Find the Ramsay Walking Tour and several others here: heritagecalgary.ca/walking-tours

𝐒𝐢𝐭𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐖𝐞𝐞𝐤: 𝐅𝐢𝐫𝐞 𝐇𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐍𝐨. 𝟔 – 𝟏𝟏𝟏𝟏 𝐌𝐞𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐚𝐥 𝐃𝐫 𝐍𝐖

Calgary’s older neighbourhoods are dotted with Edwardian red brick fire halls, ranging from the more ornate Fire Hall No. 1 located downtown, or Fire Hall No. 2 in the Beltline. Others, like today’s site, are more modest and smaller in scale to accommodate the smaller scale of newer neighbourhoods at the time.
Fire Hall No. 6 served Hillhurst, Sunnyside, and other immediate communities on the north side of the Bow River. The hall is the lone building on the south side of Memorial Drive, which gave it a unique vantage to overlook the surrounding communities, the downtown, and the river. The two-storey Edwardian Classical building is a significant landmark and a symbol of development in the area, and is one of three identical fire halls built in Calgary at the time to accommodate rapid growth.

While fairly small and utilitarian, Fire Hall No. 6 has numerous decorative elements, including the originally recessed apparatus entrances and the brick bands on the lower façade, brick arches, keystones, string courses, and billeted brick cornice. The building served its original purpose until 1964 when it was turned over to the parks department for equipment storage. The building was renovated in 1981, restoring the former fire hall and adding office space that would be leased to community groups. The former fire hall is now a meeting place and a part of Poppy Plaza.

Learn more about Fire Hall No. 6 and other sites on the Inventory here: heritagecalgary.ca/explore-inventory