Former Crooks Drugs building burns

[newsposter]

Today there was a major fire at the building that was formerly Crooks Drugs, on the SE corner of 14th Street and 17th Avenue on February 24 2008. The building was built in 1911 and remained a pharmacy until 2007. Recently the home of a snowboard and outerwear shop and other businesses. Global TV story: http://www.canada.com/globaltv/calgary/ ... 0ee&k=3198

Photo: Christina Ryan/Calgary Herald

The building is the site of a famed streetcar accident (see below). One of the best-known scenes from Calgary history. More history below the photo.

Glenbow images



Glenbow: Ivan Crooks fonds
Ivan H. Crooks, ?-[after 1960], was a Calgary pharmacist. He married Ruby Ellen Biggar, ?-1949, of Huntingdon, Quebec and they had two sons, John W. "Jack" and Edward H. "Ted". He established Crooks Drugs in 1911 at 1428-17th Avenue SW, Calgary. He also invested in oil leases in Fort Norman, NWT and in 1920 travelled there to inspect his leases. When Ivan retired to Victoria, British Columbia ca. 1951, George Crooks took over the drugstore. George, 1894-1965, was born in Ontario. He ran a pharmacy in Sedgewick, Alberta before moving to Calgary to work at Crooks Drugs in 1951. He and his wife, Ellen, had one son, Albert E. Albert studied pharmacy at the University of Alberta and by 1956 was managing the drugstore. In 1958 Crooks Drugs Ltd. was incorporated. Albert and his wife, Audrey, had two children, Maureen and George.

See also "History of pharmacy in Alberta : the first one hundred years (from leeches to lasers)" Quite a bit about the Crooks in this book:
http://136.159.239.228//medhist/page.aspx?id=15449

Harry Palmer photo 1982
http://www.harrypalmergallery.ab.ca/doc.html

[newsposter]

Firefighters were unable to determine the cause of the fire... ^

Also, a mural on the side of the building by the late Calgary artist John Snow was lost. His former house is a designated heritage site in Lower Mount Royal, now used for the U of C's writer in residence program..

Herald story about the mural, Feb 27 2008:
http://www.canada.com/calgaryherald/new ... 8d8384f472

About John Snow:
http://www.lieutenantgovernor.ab.ca/aoe/bio/snow.htm

[Chris E]

Calgary Sun story about the building:

Another piece of history up in smoke
UPDATED: 2008-03-02 02:13:53 MST



By MICHAEL PLATT

Motorists glance at the smouldering ruins, but they're more concerned with the fire-fighting equipment blocking the lane ahead.

Pedestrians are too preoccupied, having to detour around the closed sidewalk, to spare the doomed building more than a quick look: The scorched wood and blackened interior raise eyebrows, but not enough to warrant delay.

Hours later, the 98-year-old building on the corner of 17 Ave. and 14 St. S.W. is demolished, its brick walls too dangerous to leave standing.

And that's that -- a century of history reduced to landfill fodder, to be carted to the dump and forgotten.

...... continued at:

http://calsun.canoe.ca/News/Columnists/ ... 67-sun.php