Featured Articles - Changing the Face of Calgary

Changing the Face of Calgary
Heritage Architecture of the Past and for the Future

by D. Larraine Andrews

Restorations rub shoulders with new construction

The warmth of the evening holds the promise of spring. A soft steady rain begins to fall, and the streets are suddenly deserted. Many have darted across the road for shelter, drawn by the light flooding from the windows of the Alberta Hotel, one of Calgary's earliest sandstone buildings. The clink of glass and the sounds of laughter seep through the doorway and into the wet night. They welcome the weary traveller with the promise of a hearty meal in the company of good friends. And then the traffic lights change and the spell is broken. I hurry across the street unprepared for the rain. But as I pass Alberta Hotel, I can't help wondering how Bob Edwards (the hard drinking, cigar-smoking editor of the Calgary Eye Opener newspaper at the turn of the last century) would react if he stumbled out the door into the 21st century. What would he think if he strolled down Stephen Avenue Walk—the largest remaining collection of sandstone buildings west of Winnipeg? Would he write one of his scathing editorials, lambasting us about lack of vision and the destruction of some of our most magnificent sandstone landmarks? No doubt he would lament the loss of the Alberta Hotel's Long Bar, (said to be the longest between Winnipeg and Hong Kong), and the transformation of the Hotel through several renovations. On the other hand, he might be astonished at the frenzy of activity along the Avenue and the sense of pride in a heritage worthy of preservation.

A notorious cynic, perhaps Eye Opener Bob would ask us why we view these old buildings as part of our "heritage"? What, he might ask, are "heritage buildings" anyway? And which, if any, of our new buildings would be considered "heritage buildings" in the future?

A First World War military parade marches down Stephen Avenue in 1917.

"Heritage" is an elusive concept to define. People generally agree that in the context of buildings it is something worthy of preservation. Conservation architect Lorne Simpson, senior partner of Simpson Roberts, has worked on 21 Stephen Avenue buildings. A significant factor for him is the "rarity" of the collection on the Avenue. "One can see a streetscape and put oneself back in time to the pre-WWI boom era" As well, Simpson sees the integrity of the materials, in this case sandstone, and almost-forgotten technologies such as masonry as important elements to consider. He also believes "society adopts and values heritage buildings when no one is left to tell their stories." Rick Singleton, an architect with Cohos Evamy, believes that heritage buildings "have a quality that someone loved them and created them masterfully." Neil B. Watson, Chairman of Calgary's Heritage Advisory Board, feels that heritage buildings "evoke a sense of the past. They can be modest (or large in scale) but there is something singular in the design, the history or the people connected to them" Trudy Cowan, former Advisory Board Chairman, says in her foreword to Calgary: A Decade of Heritage, "Older buildings were constructed on a scale which related to the people who used them. . . . They used forms and materials which spoke of strength, stability and permanence. They were understandable" Heritage buildings help make our city unique, giving us an anchor firmly planted in the past that helps define who we are and where we come from. These concepts of heritage could also apply to buildings of our own era when someone assesses them in the future.

Calgary's Stephen Avenue at the turn of the century.

For many years, Calgarians were not good at preserving their heritage. Barry Graham, partner at Graham Edmunds architects, points out, "Heritage buildings reflect the evolution of the city. As many buildings related to our history were destroyed, there was a gradual realization that they could never be replaced" Over the last two decades this realization has led to a concerted effort to recognize the contribution of these buildings to the fabric of the city. Establishment of the Heritage Advisory Board (a voluntary advisory group to City Council on heritage issues) in 1979 and the Stephen Avenue Heritage Area Society in 1991 has resulted in increased interest in preserving and restoring remaining heritage buildings.