City moves to protect five heritage buildings,,,

[newsposter]

Thread updated January 2009 - see bottom

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Good news!

The City intends to municipally designate (and therefore protect) the Hart-Crandell House on Broadcast Hill, the President Apartments, Nellie McClung House and the Customs Building in the Beltline, and the Mackay house in Parkdale. Below we have a Herald story, links to threads elsewhere on the website about the President Apts. and the Hart House, and the text of the report going to the Standing Policy Committee on Land Use and Transportation July 23 2008, which contains more background and historical information.


Calgary Herald story, July 18 2008:
..."These buildings are physical anchors to the history of the city," said Bob van Wegen, of the Calgary Heritage Initiative Society, who laments the demolition of the Penny Lane building and Curtis Block...
http://www.canada.com/calgaryherald/new ... fcf11fa8d8

Hart House thread:
http://calgaryheritage.org/CHIForum/viewto ... hart+house

President thread:
http://calgaryheritage.org/CHIForum/viewto ... ?p=164#164

LPT2008-45

SUMMARY/ISSUE
Council authorization is required for Administration to issue notices of intention to designate five separate properties as Municipal Historic Resources under Section 26 of the Alberta Historical Resources Act. The properties are: McKay House; President Apartments; Crandell–Hart House; Nellie McClung House; and the Customs House.

PREVIOUS COUNCIL DIRECTION/POLICY
2007 November 26, Council approved recommendations in LAS2007-129 which made designation of the McKay House Resource a condition of the sale of 142 – 37 Street NW.

2007 March 12, Council approved recommendations in CPC2007-029 which included retention of the President Apartments in association with Land Use Redesignation Bylaw 25Z2007.

2006 0ctober 16, Council approved recommendations in CPC2006-111 which included retention and preservation of the Crandell-Hart House in association with Land Use Redesignation Bylaw 96Z2006.

2006 May 15, Council approved the Beltline Area Redevelopment Plan which allows the transfer of unused density from properties designated as Municipal Historic Resources to other Beltline sites. Therefore, Municipal Historic Resource designation is required for the Nellie McClung House to benefit from this incentive. The President Apartments will also benefit from this incentive as a result of designation.

Council approved the Special Heritage Reserve Fund in 1995 and the Heritage Incentive Program in 2003, which both provide financial incentives for the rehabilitation of heritage resources. Designation as a Municipal Historic Resource will help to secure rehabilitation funding from these programs for the Customs House.

ADMINISTRATION RECOMMENDATIONS:

That the SPC on Land Use, Planning and Transportation recommends that Council:
1. Direct Administration to issue a notice of intention to designate the McKay House as a Municipal Historic Resource;
2. Direct Administration to issue a notice of intention to designate President Apartments as a Municipal Historic Resource;
3. Direct Administration to issue a notice of intention to designate Crandell-Hart House as a Municipal Historic Resource;
4. Direct Administration to issue a notice of intention to designate Nellie McClung House as a Municipal Historic Resource;
5. Direct Administration to issue a notice of intention to designate the Customs House as a Municipal Historic Resource: and
6. That this report be forwarded to the 2008 July 28 Regular Meeting of Council as an item of Urgent Business.

INVESTIGATION
Owners of each of these five properties have requested Municipal Historic Resource designation.

McKay House (140 – 37 Street NW; legally described as 8321AF; 33; 27, 28] is a Category ‘A’ property on Calgary’s Inventory of Evaluated Historic Sites. Purchase of the adjacent parcel (142 – 37 St. NW) by the owner of the McKay House from The City of Calgary is contingent upon designation of the McKay House.

President Apartments (809 – 12 Ave. SW; legally described as SA1; 85; 16-20) is a Category ‘B’ property on Calgary’s Inventory of Evaluated Historic Sites and merits designation as a Municipal Historic Resource.

Crandell-Hart House (435 Patina Place SW; legally described as 8255GA; A; 2) is a Category ‘A’ property on Calgary’s Inventory of Evaluated Historic Sites. A legal agreement is in place to protect the property until subdivision has occurred. Designation of the property once subdivision had occurred was a condition of the legal agreement; the subdivision process is in the final stages. Designation of the Crandell-Hart House property will reflect the subdivision with a different municipal and legal description. The notice of intention to designate will be issued when these new descriptions are available.

Nellie McClung House (803–15 Avenue SW; legally described as A1; 110; 17- 20) is a Category ‘A’ property on Calgary’s Inventory of Evaluated Historic Sites.

The Customs House (134 – 11 Ave. SE; legally described as A; 70; 21-24) is a Category ‘A’ property on Calgary’s Inventory of Evaluated Historic Sites.

IMPLICATIONS

General
Designating these properties will protect them from demolition. Designation will also ensure that future alterations are in keeping with the Standards and Guidelines for the Conservation of Historic Places in Canada (Parks Canada, 2003).

Designating recognized historic resources aligns with the principles of the Calgary Heritage Strategy (2008).

Social
Protection of historic resources is important because they are integral to the identity of our community and help to strengthen its distinctiveness. Historic resources add to the beauty, character and visual interest of our urban environment which contributes to the city’s livability and are sources of community pride.

ImagineCALGARY identifies the protection of our built environment, its aesthetic assets, and distinctive characteristics as being an important component in creating a desirable city.

Calgary’s Sustainability Principles for Land Use and Mobility supports the conservation of historic architecture and places. Principle Three – foster distinctive, attractive communities with a strong sense of place – aligns with the conservation of historic architecture and places.

Environmental
No implications are identified.

Economic (External)
No implications are identified.

BUSINESS PLAN/BUDGET IMPLICATIONS
No compensation pursuant to Section 28 of the Alberta Historic Resources Act is owing as a result of designating of these properties.

RISKS
Not designating these properties would be counter to the conditions of associated land use redesignations, where applicable. Also, not designating these properties at this time could result in the loss of the opportunity to secure designation due to potential changes in ownership and other circumstances.

ATTACHMENTS
None

[newsposter]

See above for more information on the buildings mentioned...

http://www.canada.com/calgaryherald/new ... ac3fdeca77

Celebrating our architectural past

Calgary Herald Editorial


Monday, July 28, 2008


Historic Calgary Week, which kicked off Friday, is a chance to explore the city's fascinating past. This year, there's even more to celebrate.

Five uniquely representative properties -- including Nellie McClung's residential home, an early 1920s apartment building, and the British Arts and Crafts-style Hart House -- come before council today for historical designation. Council's approval is a symbolic formality that will importantly save the buildings from the wrecking ball.

The city's heritage department worked diligently to reach deals with the owners, who have written letters asking for the historical designations. It's taken years of negotiation, but the payoff is of enormous benefit to present and future Calgarians. Buildings will often outlive us, and so stand as a testament of those who have passed before us.

Here's a snapshot of these heritage gems:

- The Crandell House: Built in 1905 as a country retreat for one of Calgary's earliest and most prominent businessmen, Edward H. Crandell and his wife. The Red Cross later rented the property and operated an orphanage. Judge Harry Patterson lived there in the 1940s, selling it to the professional wrestler Stu Hart. Today the house is being restored to a single-family home. Townhouses will be built around the property's edge.

- President Apartments: three-storey, wood frame structure with stucco cladding built in 1927 as apartments. Excellent example of Calgary's Spanish Colonial revival architecture. We almost lost this building because of development pressures in the Connaught/Beltline neighbourhood, The representative example of 1920s apartments will be rehabilitated, though, and the exterior fully restored to its original configuration. A restaurant may open on the main floor. Original apartments will be restored on the second level.

- McKay House: Eclectic two-storey brick home built in 1912 by pioneer Calgarian Alfred S. McKay. It was part of a real estate scheme. McKay is often credited with helping discover the Banff Hot Springs. Recently restored as a single family house.

- Customs House: The federal government's clearing house for goods and mail arriving from foreign countries. Served in this way from its completion in 1916 until 1979. The warehouse is architecturally significant as one of the city's best examples of Chicago Commercial style design.

- Nellie McClung House: The home of one of Alberta's first female legislators and women's rights advocate. The Famous-Five member lived here while commuting to Edmonton to sit in the Legislature. She wrote numerous books from her second-storey bedroom. The house represents early Tudor Revival style residential design. It's been restored and is currently used as a show suite for condos.

Never before have so many sites at one time come to council for designation. It marks a new chapter in the history books, shifting away from the days when no one cared about preserving old buildings.

The page hasn't been completely turned, as we are sadly reminded by a recent demolition permit to bulldoze a top heritage site, the Curtis Block. (see http://www.calgaryheritage.org/CHIForum/vi ... =1349#1349)

Still, the momentum to save heritage sites has picked up steam. City Hall, the private sector and the public finally understand the record of our history is more than texts and stories of early pioneers. It's found in the buildings and monuments, bricks and sandstone of where they lived, worked and played.

In this way, they live on among us, well into the future.

© The Calgary Herald 2008

[newsposter]

The designation for the Nellie McClung house at 7th Street and 15th Avenue SW goes to Council's LPT committee on January 21 2009. Here is a link to the report (word Document):

http://publicaccess.calgary.ca/lldm01/l ... n=Download

More about McClung:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nellie_McClung

And her house:
http://www2.calgarypubliclibrary.com/ca ... er/nmh.htm