Lougheed Building

Calgary

Street Address:	604 - 1 Street SW
Community:	Calgary
Boundaries:	Lots 1 to 8 and a Portion of Lot 9, Block 43, Plan A
Contributing Resources:	Building: 1

ATS Legal Description:

Mer	Rge	Twp	Sec	LSD
5	1	24	15	14 (ptn.)

PBL Legal Description (Cadastral Reference):

Plan	Block	Lot	Parcel
A A A A A A A A A	43 43 43 43 43 43 43 43 43	9 (ptn.) 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

Latitude/Longitude:

Latitude	Longitude	CDT	Datum Type
51.047223	-114.064781	GPS	NAD 83

UTM Reference:

Northing	Easting	Zone	CDT	Datum Type

Recognition

Recognition Authority:	Province of Alberta
Designation Status:	Provincial Historic Resource
Date of Designation:	2005/05/11

Historical Information

Built:	1911 to 1912
Period of Significance:	N/A
Theme(s):	Developing Economies : Trade and Commerce Expressing Intellectual and Cultural Life : Architecture and Design Governing Canada : Politics and Political Processes
Historic Function(s):	Commerce / Commercial Services : Office or Office Building Commerce / Commercial Services : Shop or Wholesale Establishment Residence : Multiple Dwelling
Current Function(s):	Commerce / Commercial Services : Office or Office Building Commerce / Commercial Services : Shop or Wholesale Establishment
Architect:
Builder:
Context:	HISTORICAL CONTEXT When the Canadian Pacific Railway arrived near the site of Fort Calgary in 1883, the cattle industry of the southern Alberta foothills took heart, for, now, an avenue was provided for them to sell local beef to markets in eastern Canada and the United States. The little community which had instantly sprung up outside the Fort continued to grow at a rapid pace, and, in 1884, Calgary was incorporated as a town with over 400 people. It was also the largest community between Winnipeg and Vancouver, and, in 1893, it was incorporated as a city with over 2,000 people. Among the entrepreneurs to take advantage of the commercial opportunities presented by the rapid growth of Calgary and the expanding cattle industry in the region was James Lougheed. He was born in Brampton, Ontario in 1854, and, although trained as a carpenter, he decided to study law at Osgoode Hall. After a short practice in Toronto, he came west in 1883, and served as the CPR's chief legal counsel in Calgary. Apparently believing that Calgary was on the eve of rapid urban growth, he acquired much property in what would become Calgary's downtown core. This would eventually make him very wealthy. By virtue of his connections with the CPR, he was also able to become a much sought after lawyer. In 1888, he formed a partnership with the future prime minister of Canada, R.B. Bennett, and the firm of Lougheed and Bennett soon led all other law offices in Calgary in the magnitude of business. Having strong Conservative connections through the CPR, Lougheed was named to the Senate in 1889 and became the Conservative leader in the Senate in 1906. He would be appointed to two Dominion cabinets, in 1916 and 1920, and would serve as the President of the Dominion Military Hospitals Commission during World War One. The latter role earned him a knighthood in 1916. By the early twentieth century, James Lougheed was one of the wealthiest men in Calgary. This was due mainly to his many business interests, the most successful being the brokerage company of Lougheed and Taylor. On his extensive real estate holdings in the center of the city, he built a large number of office buildings, such as the Clarence Building, the Norman Block, the Alexander Corner, and the Glanville Block. These and his other properties were managed through Lougheed and Taylor. The most ambitious of his property developments was the Lougheed Building, built on the corner of First Street and Sixth Avenue during 1911-12. This was actually not an original Lougheed property, but a lot he acquired for 70,000 dollars in May, 1911 from Edna Taylor, the wife of his business partner. This was at a time when Calgary was expanding commercially as never before, and, in the downtown core, other buildings, such as the Maclean Block, the Burns Building, the Beveridge Building and the new Hudson's Bay store were in the process of going up. The six-storey Lougheed Building was designed in Chicago commercial style by L.R. Waldrop to facilitate several uses, including residential, office, retail and entertainment. The builders were McNeill and Trainer. The visual centerpiece was the theatre, with the rest of the building designed as an 'L' around it. When it was opened, 15 retail stores with large bay windows were located on the ground floor on Sixth Avenue and First Street, with the main lobby and the Sherman Grand Theatre lobby also facing First Street. Cronn's Rathskeller restaurant was located over the lobby, while most of the second, third and fourth floors were given over to office space. The fifth and sixth floors were set aside as apartments which included fireplaces and their own bathrooms. The total cost of the building was estimated to be between 600,000 and 700,000 dollars. The Lougheed Building was to remain in the hands of the Lougheed family until 1973. Throughout the years, it was always a hub of business development, retail sales, apartment living and entertainment. A host of Calgary's commercial and professional elite maintained offices there, while apartments were let to hundreds of professional and managerial level residents. The Grand Theatre was a mainstay of Calgary's entertainment scene for years, while the ground level commercial outfits added to the hub of activity which always surrounded the building. HISTORICAL SIGNIFICANCE The historical significance of the Lougheed Building lies in its provision of structural evidence of the dynamic growth of the commercial core of Calgary during the years leading up to World War One. This is done by its direct association with the large number of commercial, retail and professional concerns of note which maintained offices there, but also by its direct association with Senator James Lougheed, one of the most dynamic entrepreneurs, lawyers and political figures in the history of southern Alberta. It is also important as an office building serving a variety of purposes, accommodating, office, retail, apartment and entertainment uses, not common prior to World War One.

Additional Information

Object Number:	4665-1045
Designation File:	DES 2035
Related Listing(s):	4664-0126
Heritage Survey File:	HS 6958
Website Link:
Data Source:	Alberta Culture and Community Spirit, Historic Resources Management Branch, Old St. Stephen's College, 8820 - 112 Street, Edmonton, AB T6G 2P8 (Des. 2035)