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DStephen Avenue TimelinedP.O. Box 2100, Station M, #8073Calgary, ABT2P lenbow Archives NA 2575-28Including Calgary’s National Historic DistrictDStephen Avenued1875 Inspector Brisebois and 50 members of the “F” Troop of theNorth-West Mounted Police (NWMP) establish a fort on thebanks of the Bow and Elbow rivers.1876 Fort Brisebois is renamed Fort Calgary by Colonel JamesMacleod of the NWMP after the ancestral estate of his cousinson the Isle of Mull, Scotland.1883 The Canadian Pacific Railway arrives in town. A young lawyer,James Alexander Lougheed, purchases five lots from the CPR at 300 each, on what became Stephen Avenue.1884 Calgary is incorporated as a town. Calgary has its firstnewspaper, 30 major buildings and a population of over 1,000. Stephen Avenue is named after George Stephen, President of the CPR.1885The T.C. Powers and Bro. (Pain) Block is built.1886 The great fire destroys most of the 70 wooden buildings indowntown Calgary. A law is passed by City Council that allpublic buildings were to be made from fire-proof materials suchas brick and locally-found sandstone. Sandstone is found inplentiful supply in the rich seams along the banks of the Bow andElbow rivers. Wesley Orr opens the first quarry. Buildingsalong Stephen Avenue are constructed to replace the woodenones burned in the fire. Skilled stoneworkers, many fromScotland with a long history of stone working arrive in the city toapply their trade. By 1890 over half of the city’s skilled tradeswere stonecutters or masons. fifteen quarries operated aroundCalgary supplying sandstone to construction projects. Calgarybecomes known as “The Sandstone City.” Colonel JamesWalker is sent east by Town Council to convince banks to locatein Calgary.1888Construction begins on the Alberta Hotel.1891 The Hudson’s Bay Co. buys I.G. Baker, eventually selling thebuilding to the Imperial Bank of Canada.1892The Calgary Tribune moves into the Tribune Block.1893 The Thomson Brothers open their bookstore on Stephen Avenue.1894 The Dominion Government builds a new structure on StephenAvenue to accommodate a post office.1898 The Glanville Block houses its first tenant, a dry goods storeowned by John Glanville.1900 The Lougheed Block, site of the present day Clarence andNorman Blocks, is destroyed by fire on Christmas Day, 1899.1901The Clarence and Norman Block are built and opened.1902The Calgary Milling Company opens on Stephen Avenue.1903The Neilson Block is constructed along Stephen Avenue.1906 Ashdown Hardware opens on Stephen Avenue and lasts until 1971.1907 City Hall approves a budget to construct administrative offices,a courthouse and a jail, replacing the 1895 Town Hall. TheCornerstone to the new City Hall is laid. The Doll Block is built.1910The Nielson Block is enlarged and two more storeys are added.1911 The Dominion Bank Building is under construction on StephenDowntow CalgaryHistoric2017-1509DowntowCalgaryin partnership withAvenue. The jewellery store in the Doll Block is robbed of 11,000 worth of diamonds.1912 The Molson’s Bank opens on Stephen Avenue. The CalgaryMilling Company is sold to Robin Hood Milling. The buildingis sold to John Irwin, who opens a fancy food grocery store.1913 The Burns Building opens as the head offices for Pat Burns’ cattleoperations. The Main Post office built in 1894 is torn downto make way for a newer and bigger building, but Calgary PublicBuilding, is not constructed until 1930. Hudson’s Bay opensstore #4, the site of the present “Bay.”1914 Rising costs for stone carving, the failure of the quarries tosupply desirable stone and competition from other buildingmaterials leads to the closure of the quarries. World War I breaksout and the “Sandstone Era” comes to an end. Constructionprojects along Stephen Avenue are left incomplete.1916Prohibition closes the Long Bar at the Alberta Hotel.1921 Fire guts the inside of Hudson’s Bay Store #3. The Palace(Allen) Theatre opens.1925 “Bible Bill” Aberhart makes the first of his historic radio broadcastsof Back to the Bible Hour from the Palace (Allen) Theatre.1929 The Great Depression results when the world economy nosedivesand the stock market crashes. Construction in Calgaryslows down and only governments and banks continue tobuild their buildings on Stephen Avenue (Bank of Montreal,Bank of Nova Scotia).1935- Most of Calgary’s growth takes place away from downtown in1946 the suburbs. Construction plans were put on hold since manyof the workers and building materials were required in the WorldWar II effort.1947 Oil is discovered in Leduc and the oil boom begins in Alberta,bringing a new prosperity to building in Calgary.1973 Eight gargoyles from the demolished Herald building are copiedand used to decorate the Alberta Hotel.1985 The Calgary Public Building reopens as part of the CalgaryCentre for the Performing Arts.1996The TC Power & Bro. Block is restored to its original style.1999The bronze sculpture of the “Famous Five” women is unveiled.2002 A portion of Stephen Avenue is declared a national historic siteby Ottawa Twenty-nine buildings from the 1880-1930 era,mostly stores, several banks and a church, are recognized.2002 The award-winning Bang and Olufsen building opensat 129 8 Ave SW and is a modern interpretation of the historicbuildings of the area.2011 Calgary Public Library was rehabilitated in 2011 and awardeda LEED Platinum rating, which is the internationally acceptedstandard for high performance green buildings.2012 Olympic Plaza held Calgary’s first Nuit Blanche event, a late-nightinternational contemporary arts festival.
Building IndexMore information inside on corresponding page.1 City Hall.p 439 Lougheed Building &2 Burns Building.p 4Grand Theatre.p 253 Calgary Public Building.p 540 AGT Building.p 264 Dominion Bank.p 541 Utilities Building.p 265 Neilson Block.p 642 Oddfellows’ Temple6 Doll Block.p 6(Chamber of Commerce).p 277 Thomson Brothers Block.p 743 Calgary Firehall #1.p 288 Lineham Block.p 744 North-West Travellers Building.p 289 Imperial Bank of Canada.p 845 Cathedral Church ofThe Redeemer.p 2910 Hudson’s Bay Company Store #3 .p 846 Grunwald (St. Regis) Hotel.p 2911 Glanville / Ward Block.p 947 Calgary (Royal Canadian)12 Ashdown’s Hardware.p 9Legion Hall #1.p 3013 Macnaghten Block.p 1048 Calgary Courthouse #2.p 3014 Lineham Block.p 1049 Knox Presbyterian Church.p 3115 Calgary Herald Block.p 1150 York Hotel.p 3116 Bank of Nova Scotia (1904).p 1151 Eaton’s.p 3217 Molson’s Bank.p 1252 Lancaster Building.p 3318 Tribune Block.p 1253 Canada Life Assurance Building.p 3419 Calgary Cattle Co.p 1354 Grain Exchange Building.p 3420 Calgary Milling Company.p 1355 Palliser Hotel.p 3521 Criterion Block.p 1456 Calgary Tower .p 3622 Jacques Jewellery Store.p 1423 Clarence Block.p 1524 Norman Block.p 15Calgary’s National Historic DistrictDStephen Avenued25 Bank of Nova Scotia (1930).p 1626 T.C. Power & Bro. (Pain) Block.p 1627 Alberta Hotel.p 1728 Bank of Montreal.p 18There is no set starting point29 Central Methodist Church.p 19on this tour. Simply orient30 Hudson’s Bay Company Store #4.p 19yourself to a landmark31 Alberta Block.p 20such as City Hall or32 Hodder (Hull) Block.p 20the Calgary Tower, use the33 Leeson & Lineham Block.p 21map and explore!34 Allen (Palace) Theatre.p 2235 MacKay & Dippie Block.p 2236 McFarlane & Northcott Block.p 2337 Western (Kraft) Building.p 2338 Macpherson Fruit Company.p 24
IntroductionOn July 19, 2002, the Historic Sites and MonumentsBoard of Canada declared a portion of Calgary’soriginal downtown one of only three National HistoricDistricts in Western Canada.Over thirty historic buildings have been restoredalong and around Stephen Avenue and today it servesas one of the central spines of Calgary’s downtown core.This tour celebrates Calgary’s architectural heritageand is centred on the Stephen Avenue NationalHistoric District (demarcated in red on the map) butextends to include other downtown heritage sites suchas City Hall, the Palliser Hotel and the Grain Exchange.Named after the first Canadian Pacific Railwaypresident, Lord George Mount Stephen, the Avenuewas Calgary’s main commercial street starting with thecoming of the railway in 1883. As the text from theplaque inscribed by the Historic Sites and MonumentsBoard of Canada reads:Lord George Mount Stephen2historic Downtown calgary
Introduction“Stephen Avenue is a superb illustration of the centralrole that retail streets have played and continue toplay in the Canadian urban experience. As a wellpreserved commercial street, the avenue bears eloquentwitness to the emergence of the modern retail sector inCanada from 1880 to 1930. With the coming of therailway, prairie cities grew at an unprecedented rate,and their gridiron urban plan reflected a new functionalpattern: financial and commercial sectors locatednear the train station, surrounded by residential areaswhile factories were farther away. Elegant illustrationsof Calgary’s sandstone era, the buildings of StephenAvenue are handsome representatives of the architectureof their time, featuring Victorian, Art Deco andBeaux-Arts elements.”Enjoy your walk through Calgary’s original downtown.The sandstone and brick buildings provide a glimpseinto the past and are a proud and essential part ofCalgary’s character.historic Downtown calgary3
1City Hall700 Macleod Trail S.E.1911The original Town Hall built in 1885 was onthe southeast corner of 7 Ave. and 2 St. East,in front of current City Hall. By 1906, newfacilities were planned, intended to house TheCity’s administrative offices, the Court Houseand the jail. On June 26, 1911, Calgary’snew City Hall was officially opened with a goldkey by the Honorable Robert Laird Borden,then leader of the Opposition and later PrimeMinister of Canada from 1911-1920.City Hall is one of Calgary’s best-knownlandmarks. It was designed by architectWilliam Dodd and shows a typically Victorianvariety of styles.2Burns Building237 – 8 Avenue S.E.1912Constructed during 1911-1912 by cattlebaron Patrick Burns as the head office for hiscattle operations, the building was plannedand originally constructed as a two-storeystructure. In 1912, the plans were alteredby the addition of four more storeys. It is afine example of the Edwardian CommercialStyle. The mosaic tile floor, brass fittings andcurving marble stairs and column facingsmade Burns’ ground floor meat market andoffice mezzanine one of Calgary’s mostelegant commercial interiors. The market andoffice entrance signs are beneath the strikingwrought-iron and glass canopy supported bylions’ heads.4historic Downtown calgary
Calgary Public Building3201 – 8 Avenue S.E.1929-1931The previous building on this site – the MainPost Office, erected in 1894, was demolishedin 1914 to make way for a larger structure.In 1929, the federal Department of PublicWorks began work on the site. The CalgaryPublic Building was opened by Prime MinisterR.B. Bennett on August 21, 1931.The classical detailing of the eight-storeyTyndall limestone-clad structure is typical ofgovernment architecture of the period.In 1979, the building was bought by The Cityof Calgary and adapted to incorporate theJack Singer Concert Hall as part of the CalgaryCentre for the Performing Arts. The old stylebrass elevators inside are the last manuallyoperated ones in this province.Dominion Bank4200 – 8 Avenue S.E.1911The original building on the site wasG. C. King’s general store. George Clift Kingwas the first man in the NWMP troop to setfoot on the land that was to become Calgary,and was known as Calgary’s First Citizen.The Dominion Bank broke with the establishedpattern of bank design in 1911 Calgary.The terracotta-clad building was Calgary’s firstexample of Beaux-Arts Classicism.historic Downtown calgary5
5Neilson Block (façade only)118 – 8 Avenue S.E.1903, 1910Furniture dealer Hugh Neilson came to Calgaryfrom Ontario, opened his first Calgary storein 1894, Neilson Furniture Co., and becameso successful that he had this larger buildingerected in 1903. The rough hand-hewn blocksused on the first three storeys are typicalof the sandstone construction which followedthe fire of 1886.The upper two storeys added in 1910 usedsmooth, or “dressed”, blocks of the locallyquarried stone. Both construction dates arevisible on the frieze below the cornice.6Doll Block (façade only)116 – 8 Avenue S.E.1907When L.H. Doll opened his jewellery storein 1907, it was hailed by the Calgary EyeOpener as Doll’s New Diamond Palace.Itself a gem, the first and second storeyssparkled with bevelled glass. The Doll Blockstands out primarily for the delightful thirdstorey oriel window with its leaded glass andsurrounding sandstone trim.D.E. Black, moved his jewellery store intothe building and, on December 18, 1911, hewas the victim of the largest diamond heist inCalgary’s history: a noon-hour Christmas heistof 11,000 worth of diamonds.6historic Downtown calgary
Thomson BrothersBlock (façade only)7112 – 8 Avenue S.E.1893The façade of the Thomson BrothersBlock is an excellent example of Calgary’searly sandstone period. The art of thestonemason is well-illustrated by the variedsandstone arches that define the ThomsonBlock’s third-storey windows.Originally built to house the Thomson’sbookstore, stationery and printing business,it has housed dry goods, hardware andbanking establishments, among others.Lineham Block (façade only)8106 – 8 Avenue S.E.1886, 1907Originally built in 1886 as part of the I.G.Baker Co. store, in 1891 it became theproperty of the Hudson’s Bay Company whenthey bought out Baker’s and was then re-soldto the Imperial Bank. In 1907, Lineham addedtwo new floors for business offices.In 1886, buildings alongStephen Avenue are constructed toreplace the wooden ones burnedin the fire. Skilled stoneworkers,many from Scotland who had along history of stone working, arrivein the city to apply their trade.historic Downtown calgary7
9Imperial Bank of Canada100 – 8 Avenue S.E.1886, 1909The original owner of the site, was theI.G. Baker Co. which had arrived in 1875 toprovision the North-West Mounted Police.Originally located near the Fort, the companymoved to better serve the expanding needs ofthe community. By 1892, the Imperial Bank ofCanada purchased the site and renovated it.From 1903-1906 the upper floor held theoffices of Sifton, Short and Stuart, Barristers,Notaries, etc. Arthur L. Sifton was the elderbrother of Clifford Sifton, the Minister of theInterior from 1896-1905, Calgary’s City Solicitor,1892-1897, Premier of Alberta, 1910-1917,and one of Canada’s representatives at the ParisPeace Conference, 1919.10Hudson’s Bay CompanyStore #3102 – 8 Avenue S.W.1890-1891, 1895, 1905Calgary’s NationalHistoric DistrictDStephen Avenued8This sandstone building replaced the Hudson’sBay Company’s first modest trading post builtnear the fort (1876), followed by a wood-framebuilding (1884) located on this site. Thisbuilding was constructed in 1890–91, thendoubled in 1895 and expanded again in 1905.The Royal Bank then bought the building,leasing the newest portion to the F.W.Woolworth Co. for a time. The building wasbadly damaged by fire in 1921, and theinterior was completely gutted and rebuilt in1976 – 1977.historic Downtown calgary
Glanville / Ward Block11105 – 8 Avenue S.W.1898The Glanville/Ward Block was built forJames A. Lougheed, grandfather of formerPremier of Alberta, Peter Lougheed.The original tenants were Great WestSaddlery Co. and the Union Bank. Glanville’sLtd., dry goods dealer, was the main tenantfrom 1906-1913 giving the block its name.Originally two distinct buildings – the easternone built of sandstone, the western one built ofbrick – they were joined later with a sandstonefaçade to appear as if they were one building.Calgary’s NationalHistoric DistrictDStephen AvenuedIn 1911, the name was changed to theWard Block, in honour of its newowner, Dudley Ward.Ashdown’s Hardware(Calgary Hardware)12110 – 8 Avenue S.W.1891This site, once James Lougheed’s first home,was purchased by James H. Ashdown in1889. Then a small hardware store namedRogers & Grant, Ashdown expanded hisWinnipeg-based hardware business. Twoyears later he had this sandstone structurebuilt. Ashdown’s adventures included fightingas a Royalist in the Riel rebellion and beingimprisoned in Fort Garry, and later serving asthe mayor of Winnipeg. He got his start in thehardware business by supplying Fort Garry withstovepipes. He renamed this store AshdownHardware in 1905, an enterprise that operateduntil c.1969, when the company’s numerousbranches were sold.Calgary’s NationalHistoric DistrictDStephen Avenuedhistoric Downtown calgary9
13Macnaughten Block109 – 8 Avenue S.W.1888F.A. Macnaughten, local rancher, built a onestorey brick building, in 1888. A second storeywas added in 1889. Early tenants includedPettit & Ellis, later Ellis & Grogan. By the turnof the century the building was known as theEllis & Grogan Block. Grogan, a former NWMPconstable, retained his office in the buildinguntil about 1909. He was an early treasurerof the Liberal Association in Calgary, andaround 1900 the Liberal Committee Roomswere housed in the building. The Liberal Partygoverned Canada from 1896-1911,during which time the provinces of Albertaand Saskatchewan were created fromthe Northwest Territories, thus importantdiscussions were undoubtedly held in theLiberal Committee Rooms.Calgary’s NationalHistoric DistrictDStephen Avenued14Lineham Block111 – 8 Avenue S.W.1889Calgary’s NationalHistoric DistrictDStephen Avenued10The Lineham Block was built in 1889. A manof all trades, including stockman, butcher andmember of the Northwest Territories Assembly,Lineham also founded the town of Okotoksand served as its first mayor. This versatiletwo-storey brick building was one of manysubstantial buildings constructed followingthe great fire of 1886 on Calgary’s premiercommercial street. The building once housedRiley & McCormick’s Saddlery.historic Downtown calgary
Calgary Herald Block15113 – 8 Avenue S.W.1887The Calgary Herald Block, a two-storeybrick and sandstone structure, was constructedin 1887 to house the Herald Printing andPublishing Company. Founded in 1883, theCalgary Herald was Calgary’s first newspaperand remains one of its oldest continuouslyoperating businesses. In 1886, the Herald waspurchased by Ontario-born businessmanAlexander Lucas and his partner. Calgarybecame a city near the end of Lucas’ termas mayor, making Lucas both the lastmayor of the Town of Calgary and the firstmayor of The City of Calgary.Bank of Nova ScotiaCalgary’s NationalHistoric DistrictDStephen Avenued16115 – 8 Avenue S.W.1904The main branch of the bank in Calgaryfrom 1904-1930, this building wasoriginally inset from the street. Renovationsin 1912 extended the front of the buildingand gave it a new façade typical ofmany of the banks from its era.The façade of English matte white terra cottahad a granite base. The windows on the groundfloor were metal casement, the floors wereof marble mosaic, the walls and ceiling wereof hard tinted plaster, counters of mahogany,fittings of bronze and the main vestibulewas paneled with Canadian marble.Calgary’s NationalHistoric DistrictDStephen Avenuedhistoric Downtown calgary11
17Molson’s Bank114 – 8 Avenue S.W.1911Banking was one of the many early enterprisesof the Molson family of brewers. This building,constructed in 1911 on the site, becamethe property of the Bank of Montreal afterthe merger of the two banks, who sold it tothe Bank of Toronto in 1925. In 1955, anamalgamation with the Dominion Bank ofCanada created the Toronto Dominion Bank.Calgary’s NationalHistoric DistrictDStephen AvenuedThe building differs greatly in style from thesandstone buildings constructed a decadepreviously. The architect made extravagantuse of classical features, including an imposingcentral bay with giant order ionic columns andan ornate cornice featuring lions’ heads. Thedates on the façade refer to the year Molson’sBank was chartered (1855) and the openingof the Calgary branch (1912).18Tribune Block118 – 8 Avenue S.W.1892The Tribune Block gets its name from havingbriefly served as the home of the CalgaryTribune newspaper (a forerunner of theAlbertan and the Calgary Sun).Calgary’s NationalHistoric DistrictDStephen Avenued12From 1907-1919, Charles Traunweiser(described in the City Directory as agentleman) owned the building and ranit as the Hub Cigar Store, Billiards Room andTraunweiser’s Bowling Alley. He also rented oneof the offices to Harry Pollard, a well-knownAlberta photographer.historic Downtown calgary
Calgary Cattle Co.(pioneer meat market)19119 – 8 Avenue S.W.1903Constructed in 1903 for the CalgaryCattle Company to house its meatmarket and offices, in 1905 it was purchasedby Patrick Burns and housed thePioneer Meat Market from 1908-1916,when it relocated to the Burns Building.The building is also associated with Max Aitken(Lord Beaverbrook) who operated abowling alley on the site, before he changed itto a tobacco and stationery store.Calgary’s NationalHistoric DistrictDStephen AvenuedThe building is architecturally significant forits Edwardian-era design and its red-brickfaçade, a feature that differentiated it from themany sandstone structures. The pressed brickexterior is heavily corbelled to form a distinctiveroofline cornice and recalls the popularity of theRomanesque Revival style at the time.Calgary Milling Company20119 – 8 Avenue S.W.1902The Calgary Milling Company building survivesas the only tangible reminder of what wasCalgary’s oldest flour milling company. It wasconstructed in 1901-03 as the company’sretail store. The company was founded in1892 as the Alberta Roller Flour Mill andwas instrumental in promoting economicdevelopment and agricultural settlement in theCalgary area. Apart from specializing in theirtrademark, Hungarian brand flour, the store wasconsidered to be the most luxurious, largest,and complete purveyor of groceries in the city.The store was locally famous for its marbletrimmed interior and technological innovations,such as sprinklers to keep the vegetables fresh.Calgary’s NationalHistoric DistrictDStephen Avenuedhistoric Downtown calgary13
21Criterion Block(merchants bank)121 – 8 Avenue S.W.1889, 1903Listed as the Criterion Block in Calgary’s firsttelephone directory (1903), this elegant littlebuilding housed the Criterion Saloon/DiningHall since 1892, run by Osborne Brown &Critchley Bros. In 1903, the building wassold to the Merchants Bank of Canada whoadded another storey and the façade you see,of machine-cut sandstone with occuli (smallcircular openings) and a graceful centralwindow. During WW1, this building becamethe headquarters of the 82nd Battalion and theCanadian Patriotic Fund. Later, it was the officeof the Assistant Receiver General, as well asthat of the Department of Labour.Calgary’s NationalHistoric DistrictDStephen Avenued22Jacques Jewellery Store123 – 8 Avenue S.W.c. 1893Moving to Calgary in 1881, George Jacqueswas the first watchmaker west of Winnipeg.In March of 1884, he set up shop near the I.G.Baker and Company store.Calgary’s NationalHistoric DistrictDStephen AvenuedIn 1893 this two-storey sandstone structurewas built to house his business and residence.Their second-floor living quarters featured thecity’s first oriole window, providing an excellentview of the busy street below.George Jacques retired in 1906 and diedin 1925. His son, George, later foundedJacques Funeral Home in Calgary.14historic Downtown calgary
Clarence Block23120 – 8 Avenue S.W.1901A fire on Christmas Day 1900 razedthe original 1890 rough sandstone ClarenceBlock, owned by Senator James Lougheedand named for one of his sons.The block was rebuilt and reopened in February1901. The architect for the present machine-cutsandstone Clarence Block was William Dodd,designer of Calgary’s City Hall.Calgary’s NationalHistoric DistrictDStephen AvenuedIt at one time housed the law office ofLougheed and his partner, R.B. Bennett,later Prime Minister of Canada; as wellas Max Aitken (Lord Beaverbrook)and John E. Brownlee, premier ofAlberta from 1925-1935.Norman Block24126A – 8 Avenue S.W.1905This building, like its neighbour, was namedfor one of Senator James Lougheed’s sonsand designed by William Dodd. It replacedan earlier structure, that was built in 1900and destroyed by fire in 1904. This buildinghas housed offices, retail stores, and the Lyric(later Pantages) Theatre – a venue for liveperformances, political rallies, and occasionallyboxing matches staged during 1911 – 1913by Tommy Burns, the only Canadian to winthe World Heavyweight Boxing Championship(1906 – 1908). The building became ashopping centre arcade in 1922.Calgary’s NationalHistoric DistrictDStephen AvenuedFire struck again in 1911 and 1933. Each timethe block was rebuilt, and the building’s façadewas restored in 1997.historic Downtown calgary15
25Bank of Nova Scotia125 – 8 Avenue S.W.1930This building served as the Bank of NovaScotia’s main branch from 1930-1976.Toronto architect John M. Lyle’s sophisticatedArt Deco bank is his only building on theprairies and represents a link between Calgaryas the Sandstone City and the modern era. Itcombines the Classical elements commonlyused in banks with the flattened façade typicalof the period’s Moderne style.Calgary’s NationalHistoric DistrictDStephen AvenuedLyle’s whimsy can be seen in the mainentrance where prairie wildflowers minglewith mounties, First Nations’ people, horses,buffalo, guns and arrows – the capitals featurea Model A Ford, flywheels, governors,gears, and an eagle.26T.C. Power & Bro.(pain) Block131 – 8 Avenue S.W.c. 1885Calgary’s NationalHistoric DistrictDStephen Avenued16This is the only wooden building remainingin downtown Calgary to predate the fire of1886. It was built as a general store for theAmerican firm T.C. Power & Bro. Like the rival,I.G. Baker & Co., T.C. Power & Bro. was basedin Fort Benton, Montana, and established athriving trade in prairie Canada before thearrival of the Canadian Pacific Railway in the1880s. The Wood & Green grocery storeoccupied it from 1901-1917, at which time itbecame a Macleod Brothers clothing store. In1933 Pain Furriers moved in and remained themain occupant for the next forty years.historic Downtown calgary
Alberta Hotel27804 – 1 Street S.W.1888, 1902The Alberta Hotel was one of the first buildingsto use sandstone after the fire of 1886.Its bar was reputed to be the longest betweenWinnipeg and China. It was patronized bymany of Calgary’s most memorable characters,notably Bob Edwards of EyeOpener fame,Ma Fulton, lawyer Paddy Nolan, and R.B.Bennett, Prime Minister of Canada from 19301935, who was once a resident in roomsthere. The names of the builders and the dateof construction are inscribed in stone high onthe north wall. The hotel was so popular that itwas necessary to expand the premises in1891 and again in 1906.Calgary’s NationalHistoric DistrictDStephen AvenuedThe building survived as a hotel untilProhibition in 1916 when it was converted toa commercial block. The gargoyles now seenbetween the gound floor arches were castfrom those taken from the 1913 (demolished1972) Herald Building on 7 Ave. S.W., and sodepict newspaper employees at their tasks ratherthan the usual medieval monsters and spirits.One of Calgary’s earliest sandstonebuildings, the hotel was popular amongranchers for their forays into town,and was home to a number of colourfulcharacters who frequented its Long Bar,reputed to be the longest betweenWinnipeg and Hong Kong.historic Downtown calgary17
28Bank of Montreal136 & 140 – 8 Avenue S.W.1929 – 1932A branch of the Bank of Montreal has stoodon a portion of this site since 1886.By 1928-1929 it was readily apparent newpremises were necessary and the building nextdoor, the Bank of British North America, waspurchased for the expansion.Calgary’s NationalHistoric DistrictDStephen AvenuedThe present Manitoba Tyndall limestonebuilding, designed by Montreal architectFrederick Rea, replaced an earlier, ornateVictorian one of rough sandstone. Neo-Classicalin style, it follows the tradition of using classicalforms to symbolize financial stability.A carved relief incorporating pine trees, beaversand First Nations’ people to symbolize Canada,surrounds the Bank’s coat of arms.Ornate brass doors open onto the onlyintact neo-classical interior (restored in 1993)existing in Calgary, which features spectacularcoffered ceilings, encrusted with 917ounces of gold leaf.18historic Downtown calgary
Central Methodist(United) Church29131 – 7 Avenue S.W.1905The Central Methodist Church is thesuccessor to the Calgary Methodist Church thatwas established by Reverend John McDougallin 1875. Planning for this building began in1898, at which time funds were raised to hirethe architectural firm of Badgely & Nicklasof Cle
Canadian Pacific Railway arrives in town. The A young lawyer, James Alexander Lougheed, purchases five lots from the CPR at 300 each, on what became Stephen Avenue. 1884. y is incorporated as a town. Calgar Calgary has its first news
