Haultain Park re-opens

[Bob van Wegen]

Updated Sept 2009 - see bottom post


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Condo project gives Haultain School new life

David Bly
Calgary Herald

Sunday, October 23, 2005

(Note: Scroll to the bottom for a link to the Parks Foundation website regarding the Haultain Project)

New construction has often been the enemy of heritage preservation in Calgary, but a highrise condo development will help give new life to the city's oldest school building and its grounds.

Parks Foundation Calgary, which uses the old school as its headquarters, has embarked upon a three-phase restoration of the Haultain School and Park on 13th Avenue S.W. between 1st Street and 2nd Street.

At the same time, development of a condominium and townhouse project, called Union Square, has begun on the property adjacent to the park.

While development and preservation have sometimes been at odds in the past, in this case it's a partnership with considerable mutual benefit.

Apex City Homes, which plans to build two 27-storey condo towers, seven townhomes and ground-floor retail space next to the park, will build a parking structure under the eastern portion of the park.

The developers have also incorporated sandstone accents in the design to harmonize with the historical character of the neighbourhood, which includes the Memorial Park Library kitty-corner from the 111-year-old Haultain School.

"Development and preservation are going hand in hand," said Debra Klippenstein, fund development manager for the Parks Foundation.

She said the condo development and the restoration project will revitalize a neighbourhood that has become a bit down-at-the-heels through the years.

For the developers, the restoration is a major selling point. Residents of the condos will be able to look out over a green space, yet live within a few minutes' walk of downtown.

The townhouses that face onto the park will mean more eyes on the park, which will also help elevate the atmosphere, said Klippenstein.

The first phase of the

$3.2-million restoration project -- restoration of the school's interior -- has been completed, said Nicky Blackshaw, the Parks Foundation's communications co-ordinator.

The foundation spent more than $380,000 to restore the interior and officially reopened the school as its headquarters in January 2003.

The second phase will be restoration of the building's sandstone exterior, and the third phase will see the revitalization of the park, the original school's grounds. About

$1.2 million still needs to be raised to complete the project, said Blackshaw.

Haultain School, known as the South Ward School when it was completed in 1894, was the city's first sandstone school, and the first school with electricity and running water.

The two-room school was built at a cost of $2,500 by contractor Thomas Underwood. While many other sandstone schools were built in Calgary, Haultain is the only one built in the Romanesque style.

In 1906, a three-storey,

10-room sandstone school was built next to the smaller structure, which became known as the Annex.

In 1910, the school was named after Frederick Haultain, who had represented Calgary in the territorial legislature and was premier of the Northwest Territories before the provinces of Alberta and Saskatchewan were formed.

Between 1910 and 1914, Melville Schott, Calgary's first superintendent of schools, used the Annex for his office. In 1922, the building became classrooms again after the original frame entrance was replaced with a stone entrance, and a lobby and cloak room were added.

The Haultain School complex had 525 students by 1925, making it the biggest in the city.

Over the years, students of all grades attended the school, but by 1947, it went only to Grade 9, according to Jean Hendry, a Parks Foundation board member who was a Grade 9 student at Haultain that year.

She recalls the Annex being used for classes for visually impaired students when she went to Haultain.

By 1957, the school offered only elementary school grades. Calgarians were beginning to move to the suburbs, and enrolment at Haultain declined. By 1962, only 135 students were attending the school, so it was closed.

A 1964 fire gutted the three-storey building and damaged the Annex. The larger school was razed, and the grounds levelled.

The city developed the school grounds into a park after leasing the property from the school board in 1972. In 1979, the school was named a provincial historic resource. The next year, the city bought the property for $3.1 million.

In 2002, the Parks Foundation, which is a non-profit organization dedicated to developing parks and natural areas in the region, obtained a long-term lease from the city for the old school and its grounds.

The tennis courts on the grounds will be retained, said Klippenstein, and a mini soccer field will be developed.

"Memorial Park is close by, and it's a quiet place, a place for meditation," she said.

"So we're creating an active park."

The busy playground in the northwest corner of the park will be moved and expanded.

Hendry said the revitalization of the park will be a tremendous asset for the Beltline district, which is the most densely populated part of the city.

"It's so badly needed in that area," she said. "But it's a place for all Calgarians to enjoy."

Tanya Kahanoff, the foundation's project/grants manager, said one of the obstacles to raising funds is that people are under the impression the Parks Foundation is a city department.

"They say, 'I'm already paying taxes. Why should I donate?' " she said.

More information on Parks Foundation, Calgary can be obtained on its website -- www.parksfdn.com -- or by calling 974-0751.

Contact David Bly at 235-7550 or by e-mail:
dbly@theherald.canwest.com

© The Calgary Herald 2005

Parks Foundation site on the Haultain project:

[newsposter]

The Union Square project on 1st Street SW, which involves the preservation of 'core' of the old Underwood Block / Mescalero's, and the improvement on nearby Haultain Park (see David Bly's article above), had been on hold for a few months but is now moving ahead with construction. There has been substantial excavation on the site for the parkade, which will be underneath the eastern part of the park. See the photo below - note the old Mescaleros in the middle of the image. The familiar burned-out elevator tower was not preserved. The 'accordion guy' artwork now graces Hotel Arts in the next block. 'Phase 1' of the park improvements was completed in November 2006. See the blurb and the links below.

http://www.parksfdn.com/abcalasnpfc/doc ... aultain.cm
http://www.vcrossing.com/business_in_th ... ltain.html
http://www.unioncondos.com/

For info on other 1st Street SW projects, go here: http://www.calgaryheritage.org/CHIForum/vi ... .php?t=375

From the Victoria Crossing newsletter. www.vcrossing.com
November 29, 2006 marked the celebration of the completion of Phase One in the Haultain Park Restoration Project. Parks Foundation, Calgary held a commemorative event to show off the improvements surrounding their offices in the old Haultain School building. Phase One improvements included an upgraded pathway and lighting system and the addition of several new benches and trash cans, and wrought iron fencing to be installed this winter. Phase Two of the project, which encompasses the east side of the park, will commence upon completion of the underground parkade currently being built for the Union Square mixed use project. The parkade will extend underneath Phase Two of Haultain Park, which includes a new playground and a mini soccer field.

[newsposter]

From the Winter 2008 Parks Foundation newsletter info below.

Link to more about Haultain: http://www.parksfdn.com/abcalasnpfc/doc ... aultain.cm

Haultain School and Park Restoration Project

Phase II of the Haultain School and Park Restoration Project is now completely funded and features the creation of a front yard, formal entry way, new school accent lights and doors with brass fixtures.

The Foundation is pleased to point out the project’s recent addition of architectural lighting and lamp posts, enhancing pedestrian safety by illuminating entry ways and park features. Additional completed features include concrete pathways, wrought iron fencing, masonry posts, benches, picnic tables, trees, shrubs, sod and an irrigation system. We are currently seeking funding for restoration of the school’s exterior and revitalization of the park.

Phase III of the Park Project will involve building a large handicapped-accessible playground and a mini soccer field. A series of pedestrian pathways, wrought iron fencing and attractive seating areas will be extended throughout the park from Phase II, promoting daily commuter and multi-family use.

The Foundation’s construction on the west side of the park began in June 2006 with a target date for project completion in 2009. Haultain Park’s timeline is dependent on the Union Square development, located on the east side of Haultain Park. Union Square’s development plan includes building an underground parkade beneath a portion of the park, which will be overlaid with sod for the project’s soccer field and playground.

[newsposter]

From the Jan 2009 newsletter of the Victoria Crossing BRZ.
www.vcrossing.com

Revitalized Haultain Park aiming for summer 2009 opening

The Haultain School and Park
Restoration Project is now in
its final phase and is aiming for a
summer 2009 completion of the
revitalized Haultain Park. Through
this fi nal phase, the park will enjoy
a mini soccer fi eld, winding pathways,
additional seating, upgraded
landscaping, and a bigger and better
handicapped-accessible playground
designed for children 18 months to
12 years.

While Parks Foundation Calgary
has raised more than $1.1 million for
Phase III of this restoration project,
they are still in need of an additional
$380,000 before March 31, 2009.
In addition to providing a safe
outdoor environment for those living
and working in the Beltline, the
revitalized Haultain Park will help
enhance the quality of inner city living,
as well as provide much needed
green space among one of the highest
population densities in Calgary.

To make a donation, please call
Parks Foundation Calgary at (403)
974-1071. Or make a donation in
person by visiting their office, located
within the Haultain School
building, at 225 - 13 Avenue SW.

For more information about the
Haultain School and Park Restoration
Project, please visit their website
at www.parksfdn.com

[newsposter]

Haultain Park re-opens with the H-1 (Haultain and 1st) Street Festival September 13, 2009.

http://www.vcrossing.com/h1.html

Calgary Herald, Sept 5 2009
Redevelopment of park slated to be celebrated
http://www.househunting.ca/condos/calga ... 6e98e2b2be