Last Houses in Victoria Park

The inner-city community of (East) Victoria Park in Calgary, just north of the Stampede Grounds, has literally been wiped off the map. Once a working-class neighbourhood, and within sight of downtown, now there’s empty parking lots with nothing going on. Well, that’s unless there’s an event at the Dome or if the Greatest Show on Earth is in full swing, in which case it’ll be NYC @ 4:30pm busy, with cars everywhere and traffic at a standstill.

The Calgary Municipal Lands Corporation has plans for the property and with that, the face of the community can only change. Much of what’s seen in this post (captured late 2020) has vanished with many of the few buildings left standing likely to follow. Then redevelopment will start, but till then the rabbits will roam. Vic Park dates back to the late 1890s and makes up part of the Beltline District.

Here and there an occasional building of historic value will be kept and incorporated into the re-imagined neighbourhood. Of those to be retained it’s a former corner store and dating from about 1900, it’s an oldie by city standards. In new Calgary, structures from before the 20th century are rare. Wow moment: when built the city had a population approaching four thousand and what’s it like now, one point two mil or something? I know!

A ghost sign offers insight as to who occupied the building at various points. It’s a bit hard to make out, but we can see a grocery firm called Mossop once called it home as did a Fortune Grocery. It also once functioned as a postal outlet, as you can see. Other grocers did business here at various times, but they didn’t repaint the sign and most recently it was used by a local Kinsmen group. We have to come back to this place for a more detailed look.

Seen in back and explored on another visit it’s the 1906 built Oliver House. It will similarly be kept and interestingly is constructed of cast concrete blocks.

Sitting off on its own close to the bus barns it’s a house built around 1908-ish (somewhat conflicting data) and it’s the one with the gambrel (barn-style) roof seen in the first photo. It’s presently empty and that can only mean one thing, right?

In the shadow of gleaming condo towers, it’s a row of six tiny houses, seemingly out of place, that were occupied not that long ago. These date as far back as the early 1900s and contrast quite strikingly with modern day Victoria Park seen in behind. On this hand, it’s the Arriva, some forty stories tall, all shiny in the sun and on the other, tiny old bungalows not much bigger than a modern day garage.

All the houses seen here were bulldozed a few months after our visit.

On one wall there’s some odd signage and we’re not sure what to make of it…

“Canadian Military Takeover in Progress.”
“Federal Order.”
“Stop Work Order.”
“Military Personal Only Beyond This Point.”

These strange papers are signed Major T Perrin of the Canadian Military, which can only be a made up name. Or is it? Could this be some kind of weird tinfoil hat conspiracy or am ominous warning? X-files stuff? A New World Order foothold? REVERSE VAMPIRES? We’re through the looking glass here people…there’s white vans…everywhere…and helicopters…!

Who ever wrote these displays decent cursive, so in that respect their teacher should be proud. The rest of it, however, I don’t know.

Voices could be heard in more than a few of these houses and one showed signs of being stripped of wood. The homeless often take up residence in places due for demolition (making them temporarily not-homeless I guess) and we understand it’s an ongoing problem for local residents in Victoria Park. One fellow we chatted with out walking his dog spoke of frequent bonfires at these properties with the fire department showing up regularly. Maybe that wood being scavenged was used for this?

Interestingly, these disadvantaged folks are living in dwellings valued at $800K-$1.2M! Sure, it’s the land that’s worth the money and while empty lots close by come in at about the same value, still it’s crazy.

In any case, who ever lived inside got rousted out when the bulldozers came. One wonders with all the homeless shelters out there, why some keep to the streets instead of finding refuge at the Drop-in Centre or Sally-Ann? It’s a complex social issue, but it seems to make no sense.

This historic house in the area went up in flames a couple years back with the fire being started by some street-folk trying to keep warm one frigid winter’s night: Last Photos of the Enoch Sales House.

A small apartment block (Harvard Manor) remains as one of the last holdouts in the area. There’s still people living in it and we understand it functions as low income housing. It’s relatively “new” (early 1950s), but we can’t help but think, even in spite of this, its days are numbered.

In that same view, the Calgary Saddledome seen in back might too be on borrowed time. There’s been talk of replacing this event/sports stadium for a while now, but as the years pass the noise grows louder.

There’s still a few other buildings in Victoria Park serving various purposes. Over there it’s the most popular low cost (meaning free) wedding backdrop in the city, the old Rundle Ruins, a few stone walls marking the site of one of Calgary’s earliest hospitals. A car repair place specializes in old VWs and not far away and anchoring one corner of the neighbourhood it’s a Calgary Transit facility. How weird that in spite of the nothingness, the streets can be busy with the comings and goings of buses.

In the western section of the neighbourhood redevelopment is in full swing. Victoria Park gets its name from Queen Victoria, Commonwealth Monarch at the time, whose strong will made her a legend. The city de-listed the community so it’s now a non-neighbourhood…it’s almost like it’s been erased.

The community sits right beside the Canadian Pacific Railway mainline and as luck would have it a train makes an appearance. A from the hip shot is captured and unremarkable in every way, if not for the fact that the one locomotive seen, #8876, is familiar to us. Over the last dozen years we’ve run into a million times. What’s the odds?

More bunnies and more concerning noises from the open door of a doomed house. Knock-knock? They ain’t answering! The train’s gone and we’ve covered what needs to be covered. Next time we visit “Vic Park”, we imagined the view will be different and sure enough that held true. Revisiting it many months later, we see the houses photographed here (all but that barn roof one) are now gone.

How long the lots will remains empty can only be guessed at. But know this, change will come and at some point in the future, all we see here will be completely forgotten. We’re looking at the last remnants of old Victoria Park in these photos and come back in a few years to see what’s changed.

Know more about the neighbourhood and plans for it (new tab): Calgary Victoria Park Redevelopment.

Till next time, keep being awesome.

They’re saying…

”These two are amazing!! I love following their adventures and the photography is…..jaw dropping. Enjoy your working vacation, Chris & Connie !! I’m looking forward to living vicariously” Dayna Kent (AWESOME!).

More vanished Calgary…
Lynnview Ridge Revisited – On dirty ground.
Gonesville: Stadium Shopping Centre – A 1960s strip mall before it being leveled.
Blackfoot Farmer’s Market Today – No more tube socks!

If you feel like chatting or want more information on what you see here feel free to contact us!

Date of Adventure: September, 2020.
Location(s): Vic Park Calgary, AB.
Article references and thanks: City of Calgary and Old Phone Books and Henderson Directories @ Calgary Public Library.

Still stranding…for now.

It’s a three-way bunny standoff!

Ghost signage will take a little deciphering.

This former grocery store will be saved.

The Oliver House in back (link in article).

Empty and soon gone.

Some voices inside…

Military personal only…?

Not long after an empty lot.

Someone’s been stripping wood.

Knock, knock!

We like it because it’s yellow.

Bad photo – but we know this engine (on right).

Quite a contrast.

Come back in a few years and see…