Welcome to the Beltline District!

These are the Moxam and Congress apartments. 

They were built in 1912 during Calgary's massive population boom just before World War One. The land was originally owned by Senator James Lougheed and sold to Winnipeg developer John Moxam. Part of his vision for this street featured multi-unit dwellings for wealthy tenants. When the two buildings went up they were originally called Moxam and Holton House. Sidney Holton was a local real-estate agent who first owned the building. There were just 12 suites in it and when it was subdivided in 1938, Holton became Congress. Today, there are 20 suites. Moxam even though it is practically identical to congress was never subdivided and remains mostly original. In the 1930s, Edgar Lougheed and his family lived in Moxam. Edgar was one of James and Isabella Lougheed's six children and his son Peter Lougheed was Alberta's 10th Premier. Another notable  tenant was Charles Comba, the general foreman of Calgary's streetcar system. Moxam and Congress are nee-Georgian structures each originally had large balconies supported by two ionic columns, they are dignified in their design and both retain many fine interior details. Today they are popular residences with Calgary artists. 

Moxam and Congress Apartments

Welcome to the Beltline District! Comprised of the historic communities of Connaught and Victoria Park, this area contains some of the earliest communities in the rapidly growing city and became a place associated with wealth and prestige. Mansions dotted what is today 13th Ave., so many that a writer later called it millionaires row. Connaught is home to Calgary's first library, several historic churches, and schools and the residence of Nellie McClung one of the Famous Five, who won the right for women to be called "persons" in Canada. The name Connaught comes from the Duke and Duchess of Connaught, who made a vice regal visit to Calgary in 1912 with their daughter Princess Patricia. In the decade before World War One, Calgary grew tenfold from 4,000 to 40,000 and much of that growth took place here. Eventually though, most of the great estates and large houses in Connaught were either torn down for redevelopment or split into smaller apartments. Today, the wide mix of remaining architecture in the neighborhood represents every decade in Calgary's rich history.

This is the Ranchmen's Club. It is Calgary's oldest and most prestigious social club and has been since 1891. The building you see before you though dates originally to 1914. It was also extended in 1925 and remodeled in 1981. Shortly after its construction, prohibition hit which led to members storing their bottles in a bedroom since rules stated that alcohol could only be consumed in a room with a bed. So began the tradition of Mr. Smith's bedroom. In 1919, with prohibition still in full force, club members held a white tie dinner here for Edward, Prince of Wales. The Alberta government had allowed liquor to be served at the function which turned into a loud and boisterous evening. At one point a Supreme Court judge began singing “another little drink won't do us any harm.” Many years later Edward himself recalled that a fire was lit on the floor in the room and the men danced around the fire. It was one of hundreds of memorable events held at the Ranchmen's Club. Despite its name, two of the club's original organizers were not even ranchers. They were however all men and that tradition continued for more than 100 years. Women were finally allowed to join in 1993. The building itself is a three-story renaissance revival structure clad in brick with terracotta string coursing, cornices, and window surrounds. You can also see many ornamental details in the terracotta relief panels which feature Western scenes - exactly what one would expect from a building named the Ranchmen's Club. 

The Ranchmen's Club

This is the Berkinshaw residence. Along with Lougheed House, it is the only surviving mansion on 13th Avenue. It is similar in style to the William Roper Hull mansion that once stood across the street. Notice it sandstone veranda and basement walls, which are typical of the most elegant mansions of the period. The home was built in 1908 by William Birkenshaw, but he only occupied it for a few years. It was later owned by O.S. Chapman president of a local implement and carriage business. He was followed by John Mosley, proprietor of the Imperial Hotel downtown. In 1930 the house was converted to apartments. 50 years later it became a clubhouse for senior citizens living in the Birkenshaw apartments next door, just before its designation as a Provincial Historic Resource in 1981. The house is notable for its refined design which was far less showy than the flamboyant mansions once located in this neighbourhood. Some of the unique architectural features include the triangular Bay windows and its wide eaves topped by dormer windows. If you look even higher, you'll notice its decorative brick chimneys which project upwards and enhance the roofline. 

Berkinshaw Apartments

True to his British heritage, Hull turned the grounds into a lawn for tennis, croquet, and lawn bowls. It was also the site of lavish garden parties. Tragically in 1970, Langmore was demolished to make way for the Hull Estates. The final photo of Langmore can be seen below. Even though Langmore was demolished, Hull left his mark on the city of Calgary in many ways. As a philanthropist, he contributed heavily to the local Canadian Red Cross and to various hospitals. Although childless he left the majority of his estate to a treatment centre for troubled children and that legacy continues today at William Roper Hall Child and Family Services (Hull Services).

These are the Hull Estates named for William Roper Hull. It's located on the former mansion called Langmore, a photo of Langmore can be seen below. Hull was born in England and left for North America in 1873 in his teens. After crossing Panama by foot and catching a steamer to Victoria, he ventured into the British Columbia interior and then over the Rocky Mountains to Calgary where he began selling horses to the Northwest Mounted Police. By 1886, he had expanded into ranching and meatpacking, supplying beef to the railroad construction crews. His new fortune allowed him to build Calgary's first opera house in 1893. He also built one of its first skyscrapers the six-story Grain Exchange Building that still bears his initials today. When he built his home here in 1905 on 1.7 acres of land, his only neighbours were Peter McCarthy across 6th Street and James Lougheed on 13th Avenue. The home which he and his wife Em named Langmore was a solid two-story mansion built on a sandstone foundation.

Hull Estates

Hi I'm Bob van Wegen with the Calgary Heritage Initiative. In 1998, a fire caused by careless smoking destroyed the roof and 4th floor of the Lorraine Apartments and gutted the 3rd floor as well. Many people were displaced and the building was left exposed to the elements for a couple of years, but fortunately the impressive exterior survived. The entire building interior was completely redone when it was converted into an office block in 2001. Coincidentally, the company that rehabilitated the Lorraine was the same company that rehabilitated the Lougheed Building downtown, which was Senator Lougheed's flagship office building.

These are the Lorraine apartments. They were built in 1912 on land that was sold by Senator James Lougheed to Omar H. Patrick. Patrick was a local physician turned businessman, as well as the founder of the Calgary Zoological Society. He named the apartments after his son Lorraine. He had also intended to build a second set of apartments to be named after his daughter Lenore, but the real estate boom went bust in 1913 and the Lenore was never built. The Lorraine was just around the corner from the Ranchmen's Club in a prestigious neighbourhood. It attracted some very well-to-do tenants they included Robert C. Marshall who lived here during his term as Calgary's mayor from 1918 to 1921. Omar Patrick himself lived in the building before moving to Mount Royal with his wife Lulu. Now you probably recognize the pattern, Lulu, Lenore, and Lorraine. Like the nearby Ranchmen's Club, the Lorraine is an ornate brick structure that features a large amount of white terracotta detail. While other apartment buildings of the time featured balconies made of wood, Lorraine is notable for its impressive brick balconies. The brick itself is unique - notice the herringbone pattern. Then there's all that wonderful terracotta. Some of it is ornamental like in the busts and medallions over the window. Some of it is geometrical and adds fine detail to the brick. Probably most impressive though is a large name block over the front entrance. 

Lorraine Apartments

You could think of this site as either the Burns Manor, the Colonel Belcher Hospital, or the Sheldon Chumir Health Centre. It is memorable really for what you can no longer see. What once stood on this spot was a grandiose mansion known as the Patrick Burns Estate, seen below. Burns was a penniless Ontario Irishman who became Calgary's first millionaire and established one of the greatest businesses in the British Empire. He was originally a rancher whose business rapidly grew into a meat industry. At one time his ranch lands extended 450,000 acres right to the United States border. He would go on to found the Calgary Stampede as one of the Big Four and was appointed Senator in 1931 at the age of 75. Burns built the massive sandstone home with touches of French Chateau and Irish Castle. Finished in 1901, the Burns residence was designed by architect Francis M. Rattenbury who also designed the Parliament buildings and the Empress Hotel in Victoria. With 18 bedrooms, the home was grand in every way with ornate gargoyle carvings and a three-story tower. Long after Burns himself had left, it was used as a convalescent home for patients discharged from the Colonel Belcher hospital next door. Sadly, Burns Manor was demolished in 1956 making way for the expansion of the hospital. All that remains today is the remnant of a sandstone fence with the Burns armorial shield located at the southeast corner of the block (SEE THIRD IMAGE). For more than 50 years the site was simply known as the Belcher. Named after Lieutenant-Colonel Robert Belcher of the Royal Northwest Mounted Police, the hospital was built in a classic H-shape and was considered the best place to work in the city. Eventually, the Belcher a treatment and convalescent facility for veterans, met the same fate as Burns Manor falling to the wrecking ball in 2003. Today the block is occupied by the Sheldon Chumir Health Centre. Opened in 2008, the facility includes an urgent care centre, a diagnostic imaging department and the Southern Alberta HIV Clinic.  

Burns Manor

This is the First Baptist Church. It is believed to be the largest Baptist Church in Canada. That's a far cry from the seven members it started with in 1888. The building you are looking at is in its third location for the church, following a spectacular fire that destroyed the second one in 1905. The property was purchased in 1910 from R.B. Bennett. He was also part of a church fundraising group that included Calgary Mayor Thomas Underwood. The present church was completed in 1912 it was designed by architect D.S. McElroy and is one of Calgary's finest examples of gothic revival style. You can identify it by the pointed arches, gables, copper shingles, attached buttresses, and soaring 125-foot-tall spire. Inside are amber-toned stained-glass windows imported from Germany and a 42 stop-pipe organ that was built and installed by the famous Casavant Freres company of Saint Hyacinthe Québec. The sanctuary which seats 900 features a barrel-vaulted ceiling and grid of oak moulding. It is truly a prominent 4th street landmark.

First Baptist Church

This is Central Memorial Park. It is one of Calgary's oldest parks and as the name suggests, it is known both for its central location and its importance as a memorial for soldiers. The park was provided to the city by the Canadian Pacific Railway in 1889. Five years later water was supplied to the park which allowed the city to create a tree nursery. In 1904, a bandshell was built along the western edge and the park began hosting musical performances. Then in 1908, the gardens were laid out in the way you see it today making it one of the last remaining Edwardian gardens in Western Canada. The garden plan was completed by William Reader, the first Superintendent of Parks for Calgary. The first memorial in the park was erected in 1914 and dedicated to soldiers who died in the Boer War. It includes a fine equestrian statue by Louis-Philippe Hébert and was Calgary's first significant piece of public art. The World War One memorial was added in 1928 at which point the park was renamed from Central Park to Central Memorial Park. The dedication was attended by 10,000 people impressive considering the population of the city was only 60,000. Following World War Two, the memorial was rededicated to Calgarians who lost their lives in that war. In 1967, the eternal flame was donated to the park by the Calgary Veterans. True to its name the flame was kept lit during recent renovations. There are a pair of other memorials in the park. One is the World War One statue in front of the Central Library and the other is dedicated to former Prime Minister R.B. Bennett to the south of the library. If you hunt around the park you will also find the geodetic marker which identifies the official altitude of Calgary at 3439.66 feet above sea level. It was set in place in 1928. Having trouble finding it? You can see a picture of it here. Today Central Memorial Park continues to serve as a focal point for services on Remembrance Day held every year on November 11th. It is also home to a new restaurant, an automatic light and sprinkler system, and flower gardens that continue to enchant locals and visitors alike. 

Central Memorial Park

Hi I'm Bob van Wegen with the Calgary Heritage Initiative. The Calgary Women's Literary Club was founded in 1906 to start a campaign to build this library and, as you heard, the site for the library was chosen in 1908 in a referendum. But the site did have its critics. One critic of the location noted the wealth of many nearby residents and commented that they didn't need the library there because they could well afford to buy books for themselves.

This is Central Memorial Library. It is one of over 2500 Public Library buildings in North America that was financed by American philanthropist Andrew Carnegie. It is also Alberta's first public library. The architects for the library were McLean and Wright of Boston. They modeled it on the Public Library in Attleboro, MA and the plans for both libraries are virtually identical. However, we’ll let you judge for yourself. You'll find a photo of the Attleboro library here. The library officially opened in 1912 with Alexander Calhoun as the first Chief Librarian. For the first three years, it hosted classes for the Calgary College. It also had a Natural History Museum and would later house the Glenbow and Muttart art galleries. Central Memorial was Calgary's only library until the 1950s and served as its main branch until 1963. In 1977 it was restored and renovated the library sits like a jewel at the east end of the park. Like nearby Lougheed House, it is built of sandstone. The structure is classical in design with a strong influence from the Beaux Art tradition. Its front entrance is flanked by ionic columns topped by an elaborately carved pediment. It also features balconies with iron railings and latticing on the second-story windows. The library is also significant for its copper roof, its Douglas fir floors, and its rich mahogany and birch trim. 

Memorial Park Library

This is the Haultain School originally called South Ward School. It was just the third school built in Calgary and dates back to 1894. It is also the oldest remaining school in the city. Interestingly there was a mistake made in the keystone. The date on the left reads 1892 when it was actually built in 1894 and the keystone itself was actually carved in 1920, not 1922. In the 1890s, the city was divided into wards and naturally, this school was located in the South Ward. It was the first school to have the luxuries of both running water and electricity. The building served as a school until a much larger one was built next door and named after Sir Frederick Haultain who served as Premier of the Northwest Territories until Alberta became a province. For several years it was the office of the School Superintendent before being annexed to a larger school in 1922. The large school which in 1925 had the most students in Calgary at 525 was eventually closed in 1962 due to declining enrollment. Then in 1964, the addition was destroyed by fire. After being registered as a Provincial Historic Resource, the smaller Haultain school was purchased by the City of Calgary in 1980 and became a new office for Calgary Parks. 

Haultain School

This former family residence was also known as Western Hospital. It was one of a number of private hospitals that came and went, many run by charities and specialized as nursing homes or maternities. The Western was somewhat special. For one, it ran for 18 years at this location from 1923 to 1941. For another, it provided a variety of services from tonsillectomies and maternities to the treatment of oilfield workers. Originally built by farm implement dealer H.P. Norton in 1906, it was sold in 1923 to nurses Veda Dyer Seller and Gladys Creeggan. At the time Calgary's major hospitals were the city-owned General and Catholic-run Holy Cross, who were often in fierce competition. It is said that doctors from those hospitals would not even speak to each other. However, they all relied on the Western when their wards were full and the 10 extra beds here were needed. Local historian, Jack Peach, remembered his parents being hospitalized here a few times and recalls that “those small rooms were shiny and cheerful, the meals tasty, the service personal and the medical services top-notch.” When the hospital closed in 1941 it went back to being a single-family home it then passed through a number of hands until, in 1965, it was converted to apartments. The Queen Anne style of the home is similar to many of its time, solid wood frame construction with the turret being its distinguishing feature. It's true historic value though lies in its use to treat the sick at times when others could not.

Western Hospital

This is St. Paul's Presbyterian Church. There is a much larger Presbyterian Church just eight blocks west on 10th Street -  Grace Presbyterian, but both have interesting histories. Grace was the largest church in Western Canada when it was completed in 1913 and is one of only four remaining sandstone churches in Calgary. St. Paul's is a good example of what might have been. It was started in 1911, even before its larger cousin, and it also features a sandstone base which you can still plainly see. However, the congregation ran out of money to complete the church and they worshiped in the basement for 44 years. Finally, in 1955 at a cost of $82,000 it was finished using cinder blocks. Local graffiti artists seemed to appreciate it, with large white walls offering the ideal canvas for their work. 

St. Paul's Presbyterian Church

This was the site of the first Junior Red Cross Children's Hospital, which was also the first Children's Hospital in Alberta. It opened in 1922 and was paid for by the Junior Red Cross Sick Children's Fund. With 22 beds, it was built to provide free hospital and medical care for those who could not afford private care. Remember, this was 40 years before public healthcare was introduced into Canada. In the early years, hands-on care was provided by volunteer members of the Children's Hospital Aid Society, a group of women who supplied linens, towels, pyjamas, and other necessary items. They also cooked, baked, sewed, and knitted to raise money for raffles. In 1942, the society raffled off a house selling over 80,000 tickets at $0.50 each. It was Calgary's first home lottery and raised nearly $20,000 for the hospital. The legacy of the hospital continues today at the Alberta Children's Hospital, the 750,000 square foot building located on the University of Calgary's West Campus.

Junior Red Cross Children's Hospital

Hi I'm Bob van Wegen with the Calgary Heritage Initiative. The original buildings of Western Canada College were built between 1904 and 1919 but they have all been replaced by the buildings you see here. The matching East and West wings were built in 1928 and 1929 in the Collegiate Gothic style. They flanked the original college building which was itself demolished in 1958 and replaced by a new building in a similar style connecting the two earlier wings. The historic building has recently undergone an extension rehabilitation.

This is Western Canada High School. Originally called Western Canada College when it was founded in 1903, it started out as a British style private school for Boys. It sits on a 20-acre schoolyard that was donated by the Canadian Pacific Railway. The school went looking for investors to raise funds with 5000 shares being sold for $10 each. Many of those original investors read like a “who's who” of Alberta - Senator Patrick Burns, Alberta Premier A.C. Rutherford, and even R.B. Bennett who later would become Prime Minister of Canada. With their influence, Western Canada College became an institution of great respect that continues to the present day with a list of alumni that includes Rhodes scholars, leaders, professional athletes, and entertainers. Some of the notable students who went to Western are television actor Conrad Bain, singer-songwriter Barney Bentall, Hall of Fame football player and former Lieutenant Governor of Alberta Norman Kwong, and Juno award-nominated singer-songwriter Kinnie Starr.

Western Canada High School

These are the Devenish Apartments. Built in 1911, they are a beautiful example of Calgary architecture prior to World War One. Optimism was at an all-time high and builders could hardly keep up with the demand for housing. Designed by renowned Calgary architect Alexander Pirie, the Devenish is unique in many ways. For one, it was one of the first apartment blocks in Calgary built with a reinforced concrete frame, as were the Anderson apartments nearby on 18th Avenue. That allowed more light to come in which you can still notice inside the building. For another its original facade was shaped like a castle complete with crenelated turrets at the corners. As well, the wooden balconies were supported by huge handcrafted brackets instead of columns. The apartments were built by Oscar Grant Devenish, a real-estate agent and oilman from Spokane, Washington. The buildings architect, Pirie, probably drew on his Scottish roots when making the plan. The Devenish was a luxury apartment complex and boasted of being the largest and most modern apartment block in the West. The building was steam heated and had its own steam laundry. As well, garbage was incinerated odourlessly in the basement. The Devenish certainly attracted the right people, a rapidly growing group of entrepreneurs and managers. The building retains its thick sandstone window-sills and lintels by the original turrets, seen here, have long since been lobbed off. Still it is a vibrant part of the neighbourhood and exists today as retail and office space. The Devenish was designated a Provincial Historic Resource in 1981. 

Devenish Apartments

This is Nellie McClung's house. It is far better known for its most famous resident than its architecture. Nellie McClung was a pioneer among feminists, and she was a key player in the fight for women to be allowed to vote, as well as to be appointed to the Canadian Senate. She was one of the Famous Five which included Henrietta Muir Edwards, Louise McKinney, Irene Parlby, and Emily Murph. Their struggle hinged on the right of women to be recognized as persons. McClung was born in Ontario in 1873 before moving to Winnipeg, Edmonton, and finally to Calgary in 1923 when she was 50 years old. In 1916, Manitoba became the first province to allow women to vote, largely through McClung's efforts. From 1921 to 1926 she served as a Liberal member of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta. Then in 1927, she and the Famous Five launched the Persons Case which was won in 1929. That cleared the way for women to enter politics in Canada and identified Canada as a leader in women's rights around the world. McClung lived with her husband Robert for 10 years in this house from 1923 to 1933. It was here that she wrote novels, baked, and held secret political meetings disguised as tea parties. The house is an upscale middle-class home built in 1907. The steep gabled roof and decorative wood trim, known as tutor half-timbering, identified it as an adaptation of the Queen Anne style. Inside the dark stained woodwork is still intact, as is the central staircase, art nouveau lamps, and arts and crafts fireplaces. The home was declared a Provincial Historical Resource in 1978. A well-known statue of Nellie McClung with the Famous Five now stands at Olympic Plaza across from City Hall.



Nellie McClung Residence

When this building opened in 1911, it was as the Wesley Methodist Church. Years later, in 1925, with the uniting of Methodist, Congregational, and Presbyterian churches in Canada it became known as the Wesley United Church. It is solid and Tuscan in its influence and is a good example of plain Methodist design. You can see even its Palladian windows are fairly simple. It was designed by architect F.J. Lawson who also designed the larger more elaborate Knox Presbyterian Church downtown. Some of its well-known members include R.B. Bennett, future mayor Herbert Sinnott, and feminist pioneer Nellie McClung. In 1930, galleries were installed to increase seating capacity and a two-story kindergarten was added at the rear in 1960. Church membership peaked at 1300, but then drastically dwindled to just 300. By 1984, the writing was on the wall and the church was desanctified and closed in 2003 amid plans to turn it into condos. Then in 2005, Calgary Opera converted the building into the Calgary Opera Centre complete with offices, rehearsal hall, wardrobe shop, and education wing. In 2007, the CEO of Centurion Energy Said Arrata cut a cheque to the Calgary Opera and saved it from bankruptcy. Though the amount has never been disclosed, it was said to be large enough to cover eight years worth of expenses. Today the building is known as the Arrata Opera Centre.

Wesley Methodist Church

This was the former home of Dr. George Francis Gilman Stanley, who designed the Canadian flag. It was built in 1911 by John Henry Stanley, manager of the local Stanley paper company. His son George was born in Calgary and lived here until leaving to study at the University of Alberta. George was the Rhodes Scholar for Alberta and went to Oxford University in 1929. He earned numerous degrees there including a fellowship in Imperial Studies and he even played on the Oxford University ice hockey club that won the Spengler Cup in 1931. After four years as a history professor at Mount Allison University in New Brunswick, Stanley left to serve in World War Two, leaving the army as a Lieutenant-Colonel in 1947. At the University of British Columbia, Stanley held the first-ever chair in Canadian history. He later became Head of the history department at the Royal Military College in Kingston, Ontario where he taught the first undergraduate course in military history ever, in Canada. It was during Stanley's tenure at the Military College that he suggested the basic design for the Canadian flag in 1965. Besides his countless recognitions and awards, Stanley was also a prolific writer. Some of his history books have become required reading at both universities and military colleges. In 1982 he became Lieutenant Governor of New Brunswick where he played host to the Pope as well as numerous diplomats and political leaders. Stanley was made an officer of the Order of Canada in 1976 and promoted to Companion of the Order in 1995. In 1998, he donated his book collection to a special collections library at the University of Calgary in recognition of the city of his birth. Today his childhood home serves as a restaurant.

George Stanley Residence

CORRECTION: The audio states that Central Collegiate was designed by W. M. Dodd this is incorrect the school was actually designed by Robert G. Gordon.

This is a Dr. Carl Safran Centre. It was originally named Central Collegiate Institute and was the first structure in Calgary built specifically for secondary education. When it was completed in 1907, it was the most modern school in Calgary featuring a self-contained heating plant and indoor plumbing. It is perhaps the most picturesque sandstone building in Calgary with its Castle-like roofline and ornate carvings. Perhaps not surprising since it was designed by W.M. Dodd who also designed Calgary City Hall. Like City Hall, it also has a clock tower and splendid arched entrances. Look closely and you'll notice one entrance is clearly marked for boys and the other for girls. School took on Dr. Safran's name in 1972. Carl Safran was Alberta's first school psychologist and began the special education system in the province. He was also the Chief Superintendent of the Calgary Board of Education, authored several key educational texts, and introduced culture-based intelligence tests that are used throughout the world. He has been called one of Alberta's great heroes of public education and the school name pays tribute to him as a leading light in the field. Now part of the adjoining Calgary Board of Education office complex, the school has been carefully restored. It retains its original stairwells, skylights, and dark wood windows.

Historic Beltline Walking Tour