Heritage Character Statement
A Substantial Sandstone School Built During The Apex Of The Pre-Wwi Economic Boom To Service A Rapidly Growing School Population. A Free Classic Design Featuring; Rock Faced Sandstone, Pressed Metal Entablature/ Pediment, Central Cupola And Simple Front Entrance With Engaged Pilasters. It Is A Strong Point Of Reference In The Community And Forms Part Of A Distinctive Grouping Of Urban Buildings: Terrace Housing, Former General Hospital, And Warehouse Structures.
Summary History
Between 1892 And 1920, Calgary's Public School Board Built Some Twenty Sandstone Schools To Accommodate The City's Growing Prosperity Prior To World War I, And Their Edwardian Designs Evoked The Connection To The British Empire In The Minds Of Anglo-Saxon And Immigrant Schoolchildren, Their Parents, And The Population At Large.
The Original Victoria School, A Four-Room Sandstone Building Designed By Calgary Architect William Dodd, Was Constructed In 1903 At A Cost Of $12,800.00. Along With The Second Calgary General Hospital, Built In 1895, The School Was One Of Two Sandstone Institutional Buildings In The Emerging District Known As East Ward And Soon Renamed Victoria Park. A Four-Room Sandstone Addition, Also Believed To Have Been Designed By Dodd, Was Built In 1907 By Contractors Mcneil And Burns. Both The Original 1903 Structure And 1907 Addition Were Demolished In 1961. The Remaining Historic Structure Is The Extant 1912 Addition, Built By Contractor J.a. Mcphail At A Cost Of $63,000.00. It Was Designed By Hugh Mcclelland, Superintendent Of Buildings For Calgary Protestant Public School District No. 19. Mcclelland Was Evidently Assisted In This Work By William A. Branton, Who Had Been Hired As A Draftsman. Branton Later Served As The Board's Building Superintendent And Architect.
From 1914 To 1930, The Building Housed Both Academic Classes And The Victoria Prevocational School, A Program For Students Who Did Not Intend To Pursue A Higher Education. During World War I, Soldiers At The Ogden Convalescent Home Attended The School's Typing And Shorthand Classes. The Pre-Vocational Program Was Transferred To Another Facility In 1930.
Like All Schools In The City, Victoria School Closed From October 1918 To January 1919 Owing To The Worldwide Spanish Influenza Epidemic At The End Of World War I. Victoria Was One Of Four Schools Used As Emergency Influenza Hospitals. Through Public Availability Of Its Auditorium, Victoria School Accommodated A Variety Of Organizations And Purposes Through The Decades. During World War Ii, Such Users Included The Calgary Sea Cadets, The Calgary Special Constabulary, And The War Time Prices And Trade Board, Ration Division. Distinguished Alumni Have Included: Restaurateur Hy Eisenstadt; National Hockey League Player Dutch Gainor; Calgary Herald Columnist Pat Mcmahon; Eric Musgreave, Alderman (1967-1974) And Mla (1975-1989); Businessman Jack Singer; And Auctioneer Bob Smithens.
In 1961, The Original Structure And Its 1907 Addition Were Demolished To Make Way For A Modern Wing That Included New Classrooms, A Gymnasium, And Industrial Arts And Music Rooms. The New Concrete Addition, Officially Opened In October 1962, Physically Linked Victoria School To The Bungalow School That Had Been Built Immediately To The West In 1919. Victoria Was Designated As A Community School In The 1970's, And Began Offering Continuing Education And A Variety Of Social Programs And Services.
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Photo: Image from beltline.ca (http://beltline.ca/media/Buildings_Victoria%20School%205.jpg)