THE PAST REBORN

OPINION: THE LAST WORD
Photo by Jared Sych
Worth preserving
Renewal needn’t mean tearing
down historic buildings
David Parker
business commentator,
analyst, writer and
consultant
“
Obviously we
cannot save
every old
building, but I
applaud those
owners and
developers
who have
made an
often-costly
effort.
I ONCE TOOK A photograph of a sign outside Ye Olde
Cheshire Cheese pub just off Fleet Street in London
that reads “Rebuilt 1667.” The establishment has
existed since 1538, and was one of many pubs renewed
shortly after the Great Fire of 1666. Today, London
continues to revitalize its historic buildings — for example,
an old warehouse in the Port of London is being
converted into a maritime museum that I look forward
to visiting.
Calgary is a lot younger than London, but our early
architecture is still well worth keeping. Obviously we
cannot save every old building, but I applaud those
owners and developers who have made an often-costly
effort to retain examples of our heritage. The Beltline
has some great red brick conversions, for example.
Too many have been lost, though. I can remember
being darned mad at the decision to level the Crown
Block to make way for the expansion of the Calgary
Telus Convention Centre in 2000.
Yet many other gems have been saved, such as the
Lorraine Building, which offers a fine suite of offices
today, and the Lougheed Building with its classy retail
and office space. One of this city’s most enthusiastic
redevelopers of heritage buildings is David Neill who,
through his company Encorp Inc., bought and renovated
the Alberta Hotel to accommodate retail and Murrieta’s
restaurant; turned the Macnaghten and Hull blocks
into Fashion Central; and renewed the Clarence Block,
which now houses Winners, and the Jubilee Block,
which was converted into Art Central but sadly bit the
dust recently to make way for the Telus Sky building.
Much of Stephen Avenue is in good hands: the Burns
Building, the Imperial Bank and Doll Block, Molson Bank
(a great home for the James Joyce pub), the Leeson-
Lineham Building — but I wish there were a better use
for the Bank of Montreal than as a fitness club.
I doubt that any of our more recent schools will
last, but we are thankful that the MacDougall School
building serves as a provincial government office today,
and that the King Edward School is being converted into
an arts incubator.
The city owns Firehall No. 1 and North-West Travellers
building on 1st Street S.E., I look forward to finding
out what the future has for them. Meanwhile, we await
with interest the renewal of the Uptown Theatre and
the former Calgary Science Centre. ■
66 BOMA CALGARY BUILDING GUIDE 2015-2016