Heritage Character Statement
The Building Is Designed In A Simplified Edwardian Commercial Style Featuring - Brick Construction, Recessed Wood Storefronts With Clerestorey Glazing And Bulkheads, Cast Iron Column, Pressed Metal Signband Cornice, And Upper Parapet With Three Recessed Signage Panels. The Building Is Part Of A Grouping Of Buildings Which Are Compatible In Era And Design, And Form A Continuous Streetscape.
Summary History
This Building Is Part Of A Nearly Intact Streetscape Of Early-Twentieth Century Structures On The South Side Of 7 Avenue Between Centre Street And 1 Street S.w. Between 1900 And 1914, This Block Was Transformed From A Lightly-Developed Residential Block To A Bustling Commercial Centre. Beginning In 1923, And As Late As The 1950's, 7 Avenue Was Part Of The Calgary Stampede Parade Route. This Block Was Apparently A Favourite Vantage Point For Photographers To Capture The Parade. 7 Avenue Was Also Part Of The Motorcade Route For The Prince Of Wales' Visit In 1919, And For The Calgary Stampeders' Post-Grey Cup Parade In 1949.
As A Shopping District, 7 Avenue Lacked The Cachet Of The Higher-Class 8 Avenue A Block South. 7 Avenue Declined As A Shopping District When 8 Avenue Became The Stephen Avenue Pedestrian Mall In 1969-70, And It Declined Further Following The 1980-81 Conversion Of 7 Avenue Into The Downtown Light Rail Transit (Lrt) Corridor. The Original Centre Street Platform On This Block, Constructed In 1980-81, Was Demolished In 2004 And Replaced By A New Platform At The Calgary Telus Convention Centre One Block Further East.
This One-Storey Brick Building Was A Late Addition To This Streetscape. It Is A Contemporary With The Jubilee Block (Now Art Central) Across 7 Avenue. The Site Was Part Of A Block Of Four Lots (Lots 16-20) That The Canadian Pacific Railway Donated To The Oblates Of Mary Immaculate, A Roman Catholic Missionary Order, In 1886. Over The Following Decades, Several Christian Denominations Built Churches Along 7 Avenue, And In 1912 A Calgary Daily Herald Feature On The Avenue Observed That It Could Rightly Have Been Called Church Avenue. But The Catholics Decided In 1887 To Build A New Sandstone Church In What Is Now The Mission District And Not On These 7 Avenue Lots. The Oblates Later Sold These Lots. William H. Willson Of Standard Agencies Became The Lots' Owner In 1927, And On September 29, 1927, Willson Received A Building Permit To Build Three Stores At 105, 107, And 107A - 7 Avenue W. (Now 109 - 7 Avenue S.w.) At A Cost Of $10,000. While The Identity Of The Architect Is Unknown, An Annotation On The Assessment Card Suggests It Was George Fordyce. The Builders Were Mcdonald Bros.
From About 1928-36, The Building's Chief Occupant (In Its Western Storefront At 107A - 7 Avenue W.) Was The Army And Navy Store, Which Willson Managed For Its Owner, British Surplus Supplies Ltd. Despite The Similarity In Names, Willson's Store Was Not Associated With The Vancouver Based Army And Navy Stores Chain Founded In 1919, And Expanded Into Calgary In 1980.
The Second Storefront Originally Housed The Bee Hive Store, A Knitting, Yarn, And "notions" Shop Founded As Greig's Ltd.
The Building Is A Single Storey Brick Structure Designed In A Simplified Edwardian Commercial Style. Built In 1928, This Style Was Simplified And Ornamentation Eliminated In Keeping With The Shift Towards Modern Design Occurring At That Time. The Building Facade Is Comprised Of Three Bays Reflected In The Upper Parapet Which Contains Three Recessed Panels. The Storefront Is Designed In The Traditional Configuration Of Recessed Entrance, Large Display Widows With Clerestorey Glazing Above And Bulkhead At The Base. A Single Cast Iron Column Located At The Entrance Is Another Detail Typical Of The Style. The Wood Storefronts Are Contained By A Pressed Metal Signband Cornice.
Earn 10 points!
Photo: Image from yelp.ca (https://s3-media1.fl.yelpcdn.com/bphoto/dPmUcnjoLrUm2XWBywAgyQ/ls.jpg)