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Baird (Miller) Residence
Calgary
Statement of Significance
Description of Historic Place
The Baird (Miller) Residence is a 1½ storey, Arts and Crafts-style, sandstone bungalow constructed in 1912. The house features a half-timbered and rough-cast-stucco upper storey, a full-width front veranda and bay windows. The property is located in the inner-city area of Elbow Park adjacent to other pre-World War One-era houses.
Heritage Value
The Baird (Miller) Residence reflects a period of great development in Elbow Park, when from 1911-14 the earliest homes in the community were built. The house was one of six to be constructed by Joseph Howard, a contractor, who built five other sandstone houses in the immediate vicinity. It shares a distinctive block known as the “Glencoe Triangle” with two of the other homes built by Howard; the three others stand in a row across Glencoe Road SW. Each set of three was designed with a river-rock fence, which along their architectural similarities, makes a unique grouping.
The house is an excellent and unique example of Arts and Crafts-style architecture in Calgary. The use of local sandstone in its construction imbues it with a refined, vernacular character, while imparting it with a substantial quality uncommon to most other homes of its scale. Residences erected in Elbow Park were more typically constructed of wood or brick, making the house all the more exceptional.
The picturesque appearance of the exterior is further characterized by its rough-faced stone finish, half-timbered and pebble-dash-stucco upper storey, leaded bay windows, and gambrel roof with bell-cast dormers. The front of the home is notable for its full-width front verandah with balcony above.
The original Arts and Crafts-style design extends to the interior of the house which features beamed ceilings, paneled walls, built-in cabinetry, and tiled fireplaces.
While the first owner-occupant of the property was Barbara Baird, 1913-20, the property is significant for its association with a number of prominent Calgarians starting with Wilfrid V. Oaten, director of the Canadian Academy of Music and founding director of Mount Royal College’s Conservatory of Music. Oaten was a well-known organist and choir director at Central Methodist Church, occupying the home with Baird 1918-20.
Fred McCall, Canada’s fifth-ranking flying ace in the First World War, lived in the house 1930 -32. His fame grew after the war as a stunt pilot and commercial aviation pioneer. He established the first passenger flights between Calgary and Banff as managing director of Great Western Airways Ltd and served as President of the Calgary Aero Club and Canadian Air Service Association. The Calgary airport was originally named McCall Field in his honour.
Frank Freeze, a prominent Calgary businessman who served 21 years on City Council (various terms 1916-47) , lived in the residence 1924-25. Freeze gained enormous success by founding his own companies, Frank Freeze Ltd and the Western Union Insurance Company.
Architect James MacIntyre Stevenson made the property his home from 1944 -56. He was resident architect in Alberta for the Federal Government from 1919 -28, before forming one of Calgary’s most successful architecture firms. Under various names and partnerships, his companies were commissioned for important Calgary buildings such as the Sacred Heart Roman Catholic Church (1929), Athalone Apartments (1940), and Petro Chemical Building (1956).
Frances and Gary Miller were the longest owners of the property, from 1973 to 2012. The Millers were pillars of the arts community in Calgary, devoted to building music and theatre culture in a broad spectrum of capacities, especially upon returning to the city in 1972. Frances first rose to prominence in Calgary in the early 1950s through weekly performances on Central United Church’s Sunday broadcasts and was recognized at the Alberta Musical Festival (now Kiwanis) for her vocal talent with a record five Stutchbury Cups. Frances taught voice lessons in the house for 35 years and was known to generations of Calgary vocalists. Gary was an actor and singer whose career stretched from New York to Stratford to London in radio, theatre, film, television and music. Upon return to Calgary, he was known for his Directorship roles of Calgary Theatre Singers and the Alberta Games, as well as acting and singing in hundreds of performances.
Character-Defining Elements
The exterior character-defining elements of the Baird (Miller) Residence include but are not limited to its:
- Rough-faced sandstone lower-storey finish, foundation, and stair walls laid in irregular courses; half-timbered and pebble-dash-stucco upper-storey, bay window and verandah finishes;
- 1½-storey form with one-storey rear extension; bay window protrusions;
- Gambrel roof with overhanging gables (and mouldings), hipped-roof, bell-cast dormers; wooden, tongue-and-groove soffits; two stone external chimneys;
- Integral, full-width front verandah with wooden tongue-and-groove ceiling and open balcony above;
- One-over-one and leaded multi-pane upper-sash wooden hung-sash windows; leaded fixed windows; wooden storm sashes;
- “Gibboney Self Locking” coal chute doors with visible 1910 patent dates; and
- River rock fence at rear of property, continuous to both sides of the block.
The interior character-defining elements of the Baird (Miller) Residence include but are not limited to its:
- Historic configuration of the first floor comprising stair-hall, parlour, dining room; historic configuration of the second floor comprising four rooms (bedrooms), bathroom, and central corridor;
- Coffered and beamed ceilings throughout the principle areas of main floor;
- Open staircase with panelled balustrade and newel posts;
- Original wood mouldings throughout including baseboards, corniced door and window casings and picture mouldings (principle areas of main floor);
- Built-in second-floor corridor linen cabinet; and
- Glazed, multi-pane parlour doors; second-floor corridor doorways with transom lights and six-panel wood doors.
Location
| Street Address: |
635 - 29 Avenue SW |
| Community: |
Calgary |
| Boundaries: |
Portion of Lots 1 to 4, Block C, Plan 1553R |
| Contributing Resources: |
Building: 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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9
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07
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PBL Legal Description (Cadastral Reference):
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Plan |
Block |
Lot |
Parcel |
1553R
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C
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pt of 1-4
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Latitude/Longitude:
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Latitude |
Longitude |
CDT |
Datum Type |
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51.028058 |
-114.079814 |
Digital Maps |
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: |
2013/09/16 |
Historical Information
| Built: |
1912/01/01 |
| Period of Significance: |
N/A |
| Theme(s): |
Peopling the Land : Settlement
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| Historic Function(s): |
Residence : Single Dwelling
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| Current Function(s): |
Residence : Single Dwelling
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| Architect: |
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| Builder: |
Joseph Howard
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| Context: |
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Additional Information
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