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Macnab Wing of the Holy Cross Hospital
Calgary
Other Names:
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Holy Cross Hospital
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Statement of Significance
Description of Historic Place
The Macnab Wing of the Holy Cross Hospital is a Classical Revival-style structure that was built 1928-29. The four-storey structure is “L-shaped” in plan and constructed of brick and reinforced concrete. It is distinguished by a covered driveway supported by paired and grouped Ionic columns. The property is located near the Elbow River in a residential area of the Mission community.
Heritage Value
The Macnab Wing of the Holy Cross Hospital is of heritage value for its role as a significant component, and most historic and distinctive portion, of the Calgary medical institution known as Holy Cross Hospital.
Founded in 1891, the institution was the second oldest medical facility to be established in Calgary after the Calgary General Hospital (est. 1890). Started by the Grey Nuns, Sisters of Charity in an eight-room, wood-frame structure, the institution outgrew its earliest buildings - on the same site - many times to become the largest private hospital in Calgary, serving southern Alberta until its closure in 1996. During this period, the institution became a leader in several fields, including training, cancer diagnosis and open heart surgery. From 1907-79 the hospital operated a well-regarded school of nursing, graduating more than 2400 nurses. After 1922 it became an official training hospital for interns, laboratory technicians and radiological technologists. In 1942 the hospital became the pre-eminent centre in Alberta for cancer diagnosis. In 1960 the institution achieved greater fame with the establishment of its open-heart surgery programme and the first open-heart surgery to be performed in southern Alberta. The hospital subsequently became known as a Canadian leader in cardiovascular care and angioplasty procedures. In 1974 the 1928-29 wing was named in honour of Dr. D.S. Macnab, long-time surgeon at Holy Cross Hospital.
The Macnab Wing of the Holy Cross Hospital is symbolically important within the community context, being a key tangible reminder of the Roman Catholic origins of the Mission area, originally a French-speaking settlement known as Rouleauville. The hospital, along with Sacred Heart Convent, St. Mary’s Church, and St. Mary’s School, helped form the most significant institutional elements of the Roman Catholic community which characterized the area.
The Macnab Wing of the Holy Cross Hospital is a significant example of Classical Revival style architecture in Calgary and one of the most elaborate buildings in the community. Built 1928-29 as an extension to an earlier, 1906 structure, the building became the focal point of the facility upon its completion, with the facility’s main entrance and many of its principle quarters. The building retains an exterior of multi-coloured tapestry brick and cast-stone (concrete) detailing, including Ionic columns and pilasters that form a covered driveway and mark the historical main entrance. The rusticated base, cast-stone cornices and outlines of the multi-storey, roundheaded windows of the building (now infilled), reinforces the building’s classical character. An inset, cast-stone cross atop the façade of the building signifies the hospital’s original religious association. A central staircase inside the building’s main entrance comprises Tyndall limestone, mosaic tile work and iron balustrades.
When completed, the fireproof building contained 112 beds in private and semi-private wards – rather than the standard, open wards – as well as a wide array of administrative offices and teaching facilities, such as a lecture hall and library. Other notable features of the building included a rooftop garden for patients, and an elaborate, Roman-style chapel. The chapel, subsequently removed and renovated in 1974, was two stories in height, with impressive plasterwork, stained glass windows, and Carrara marble fittings.
Calgary architect, W.S. Bates, who designed other Calgary landmarks such as the Lancaster Building was responsible for the building’s design. The J.L. Guay Construction Company, a favoured firm in western Canada for projects associated with the Roman Catholic Church, was the builder
Due to the building’s unique architecture in the community, its substantial size, and long-standing presence as the most notable part of a well-known city institution, the structure has taken on a landmark status in the community.
Character-Defining Elements
The character-defining elements of the Macnab Wing of the Holy Cross Hospital include features such as its:
- Four-storey, “L-shaped” and flat roof form incorporating an integral covered driveway (porte cochere) and polygonal bay features;
- Reinforced concrete and brick construction comprising buff-coloured and multi-coloured red and brown, tapestry-brick cladding;
- Concrete detailing including a rusticated, board-formed base; the cast-stone (concrete) detailing associated with the driveway including Ionic columns and pilasters, ashlar cladding, casings and plaques with founding and construction dates; cast stone cornices, sills, and parapet elements such as the inset Celtic Cross and scrolled braces; ‘HOLY CROSS HOSPITAL’ cornice lettering
- Regular fenestration of rectangular window openings; large, multi-storey, roundheaded window frames;
- Main entrance doorway opening (within the driveway) with rounded head;
- Interior, main staircase with Tyndall limestone treads and risers, iron balustrades, oak handrail, and mosaic tile stringers and landings with insets depicting the Holy Cross insignia (Celtic Cross); and
- Associated landscape features comprising the open space fronting the Macnab wing.
Location
| Street Address: |
2210 - 2 Street SW |
| Community: |
Calgary |
| Boundaries: |
Block 1A, Plan 9210957 |
| Contributing Resources: |
Buildings: 1
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ATS Legal Description:
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Mer |
Rge |
Twp |
Sec |
LSD |
5
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1
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24
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10
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12
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PBL Legal Description (Cadastral Reference):
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Plan |
Block |
Lot |
Parcel |
9210957
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1A
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N/A
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Latitude/Longitude:
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Latitude |
Longitude |
CDT |
Datum Type |
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51.04517038270 |
-114.06867999100 |
Secondary Source |
NAD83 |
UTM Reference:
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Northing |
Easting |
Zone |
CDT |
Datum Type |
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Recognition
| Recognition Authority: |
Local Governments (AB) |
| Designation Status: |
Municipal Historic Resource |
| Date of Designation: |
2009/09/21 |
Historical Information
| Built: |
1928/01/01 |
| Period of Significance: |
N/A |
| Theme(s): |
Peopling the Land : Settlement
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| Historic Function(s): |
Health and Research : Hospital or Other Health Care Institution
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| Current Function(s): |
Health and Research : Hospital or Other Health Care Institution
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| Architect: |
William Stanley Bates
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| Builder: |
J. L. Guay Construction Company
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| Context: |
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Additional Information
| Object Number: |
4664-0269 |
| Designation File: |
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| Related Listing(s): |
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| Heritage Survey File: |
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| Website Link: |
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| Data Source: |
City of Calgary, Heritage Planning, File No. 06-157 |
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