First Developed After The Turn Of The Century, Calgary's Bridgeland Area Was Annexed To The City By 1910. Among The Schools Built To Serve The Growing Community Was Bridgeland Cottage School, Built In 1912 At 404 - 10 Street N.e. The Original Bridgeland School, A Two-Storey Sandstone Building At 8 Avenue And 6 Street N.e., Was Built In 1913 And Renamed Stanley Jones School In 1916.
In March 1921, Calgary School Board Superintendent A.m. Scott Reported That At Least Four New Classrooms Would Be Required In Bridgeland For The Next School Year. The Board Acquired Property On 11A Street N.e., Two Blocks East Of The Bridgeland Cottage School, For The New Four-Room Bridgeland School. The Building Was Designed By William Branton, The School Board's Building Superintendent And Architect; The Contractors Were Bennett And White. Construction Began In 1921 And The School Opened Februrary 1, 1922. Miss M. Clarke, Principal Of Bridgeland Cottage School, Became The First Principal Of The New Elementary School. School Board Minutes Suggest That The New School Operated In Conjunction With The Older Cottage School.
The New Brick School Was The First Two-Storey Public School Built Since 1915. A 1913 Amendment To The Building By-Laws Required Two-Storey Schools To Be Fireproof. Single-Storey Bungalow Schools Were Built As A Cost-Saving Measure. The Fireproof Requirement Was Relaxed By The Early 1920S, Allowing The Board To Build Two-Storey Schools Of Semi-Fireproof Construction, If The Ground Area Did Not Exceed 3000 Feet.
Plans Of The Original School Suggest That An Addition Was Anticipated. A Two-Classroom Addition, Designed By Branton, Was Constructed In 1930.
Between 1930 And 1933, Special Education Classes For What Were Then Referred To As Sub-Normal Students Were Held At Bridgeland School. The Board Had Previously Segregated These Students, But In 1930 Single Classes Were Opened For Them At Bridgeland, Central, King George And Victoria Schools. The Bridgeland Class Closed In 1933, And Another Opened At Victoria School Where A Manual Training Room Was Available.
A Further Addition, Which Included A Gymnasium, Administration Offices, A Classroom, And A New Front Entrance And Stairwell, Was Constructed In 1960. J.j. Smart Was The Architect, And The Bird Construction Company Was The Contractor. As Early As 1946, The Bridgeland Home And School Association Urged That Certain Improvements To The School Be Executed, Including The Construction Of An Assembly Facility. The Association Repeated Its Request In A 1959 Brief To The Board, Calling For The Construction Of An Auditorium And Two New Classrooms To Replace Those Still In Use In The Bridgeland Cottage School. In 1970 A Staff Lounge, Library And Portable Classroom Were Added.
In 1984, As Part Of A Larger Scheme For Closure And Consolidation Of Schools, The Calgary Board Of Education Proposed Closing Bridgeland Elementary School. The School Closed By The Fall Of 1985, And Has Subsequently Been Rented To Educational Institutions: Rundle College, A Private School (1986-1996); Abc Charter School (1996-1998); And Delta West Academy (1998).
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