Furniture Dealer Hugh Neilson Came To Calgary From Ontario, Opened His First Calgary Store In 1894, And Became So Successful That He Had This Larger Building Erected In 1903. In 1910, Two Floors Were Added To Bring The Structure To Its Present Five Storeys.
The Building Is Significant Both As The Home Of A Long-Established Furniture Store, And For Advances In Design Reflected In The Constrasting Building Techniques Of The Two Portions. The First Three-Storeys, Built In 1903, Are Faced In Rough, Hand-Hewn Sandstone Typical Of That Used In The First Buildings After The 1886 Fire. Windows On These Floors Are Framed In Round-Headed Arches. The Two Top Storeys Are Clad In Dressed Stone, Made Possible By The Introduction Of Stone-Cutting Machinery To Calgary. Pilasters Divide This Portion Of The Facade Into Three Vertical Bays, With Flat-Headed Windows Surmounted By A Frieze And Cornice. The Neilson Block Forms Part Of An Excellent Grouping Of Historic Structures. Its Distinctive Design And Detailing Makes It An Excellent Component Of The Streetscape. (1982)
Earn 10 points!
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