Key Number:	HS 15801
Site Name:	Devenish Apartments
Other Names:
Site Type:	0104 - Residential: Apartment Building

Location

ATS Legal Description:

			Twp	Rge	Mer
			23	1	5

Address:	904-908 - 17 Avenue SW
Number:	4-8
Street:	9 SW
Avenue:	17 SW
Other:
Town:	Calgary
Near Town:

Media

Type	Number	Date	View	Source

Architectural

Style:
Plan Shape:	Rectangular
Storeys:	Storeys: 3
Foundation:	Basement/Foundation Wall Material: Concrete
Superstructure:	Nailed Frame
Superstructure Cover:
Roof Structure:	Flat
Roof Cover:
Exterior Codes:	Roof Trim - Eaves: Brackets Window - Sill Material: Stone
Exterior:	Dimensions: 250' x 60' Basic simplicity. The Devenish Apartments is a 250 foot by 60 feet, three storey flat roofed red stretcher bond brick structure with sandstone trim. The facade is a sequence of irregular three storey bays, projections and indented entranceways. All apertures have lugsills and lintels of rough faced stone. The slightly projecting square edged three storey bays are capped by bell cast hoods supported by brackets placed so as to suggest capitals above piers. Wooden columns support wooden balconies over the entrance and wooden porches run the width of the east facade, between octagonal corner bays. The irregular parapet edge is trimmed with sandstone coping. Structure: reinforced concrete frame; brick exterior bearing walls. Balcony, awnings.
Interior:	N/A
Environment:	The building is located on the northwest corner of Seventeenth Avenue and Ninth Street southwest in an area of Lower Mount Royal which is being extensively redeveloped.
Condition:	Structure: Good. Repair: Fair. 14 JAN 1980.
Alterations:	N/A

Historical

Construction:	Construction Date:
Constructed	1912/01/01
Usage:	Usage Date:
Apartments	1912/01/01
Owner:	Owner Date:
Devenish and Company Maritime Life Assurance Company	1911/01/01 1983/10/03

Architect:	Alexander Pirie
Builder:	O.G. Devenish
Craftsman:	McDougall & Foster
History:	The firm of O.G. Devenish and Company was founded in Calgary in 1903. Devenish, a native of Indiana, began his financial career in Calgary with investments in real estate. The business continued to evolve into a most substantial company offering investment, insurance, loan and real estate related services. In 1914, Mr. Devenish was president of the Calgary Industrial and Development Bureau. The Devenish Company was involved in the development of residential suburbs and placed on the market such well known subdivisions as Westmount, Capitol Hill, and Manchester. Owing to the rapid growth of population the demand for well situated houses in Calgary far exceeded the supply, and the construction of a series of apartment houses met the need. Amongst the most prominent of these, was the Devenish Apartments. Designed as a luxury building the Devenish possessed a number of amenities including telephones, laundry room, built-in furniture and extensive safety features. Advertised at the time of its construction as 'the largest and most up-to-date building of its kind in the west', the Devenish Apartments project the image of handsome solidity for which it was renowned in 1911. The owners and developers of apartment structures in this period worked through their advertising to dispel any notion that apartment living was in any way cramped or uncomfortable. Advertisements emphasized all the space saving built in conveniences, design considerations such as bay windows, relatively large window areas, and balconies that helped to create a sense of spaciousness. The external appearance of the Devenish was thus partially determined by interior space considerations. The structure is massed in three major blocks to allow inset entranceways and balconies. A complex rhythm of irregular bays creates an asymmetrical horizontal pattern once balanced by picturesque vertical elements (gables and turrets) which no longer exist. * * * - Built by O.G. Devenish who formed a real estate investment company in 1903 - Arrived in Calgary from Indiana via Spokane - Devenish also owned two business blocks in the city - Apartments a very indicative of the spirit of optimism which prevailed at this time when men could rise rapidly through 'Keen business foresight and sheer hard work'. - Each suite had a reception hall, bathroom dressing room, large clothes presses, disappearing beds, six-foot mirrors, sideboards and bookcases - When built, this block was described as 'the largest and most up-to-date building of its kind in the west'. * * * Prestigious Buildings Gave Calgary a Colorful Past Calgary Herald, March 13, 1982. by Jack Peach ... One of the prestigious apartment blocks in town was the Devenish on the northwest corner of 17th Avenue and 8th Street SW. Built of Alberta red brick and Calgary sandstone, it had turrets and balconies, columns and cornices - everything to make it 'the largest and most up-to-date apartment of its kind in western Canada.' Its creator, oilman O.G. Devenish, who also made his name in real estate, advertised his pride and joy in these words: LUXURY ITEMS. 'Each suite has a reception hall, bathroom, dressing room, large clothes presses, disappearing beds, six-foot dressing mirrors, sideboards surmounted by serviceable and artistic bookcases. The kitchens are supplied with gas range, cabinets and everything for the convenience of the housewife, finished in white enamel.' The building itself boasted individual call bells, lockers, double maple floors, elevator service and laundry service with hot air dryers, very advanced for their time. Even a self-contained garbage incinerator was part of the building. Built at a cost of $200,000 quite a sum in those days, the block was always known to us children as the 'Devilish Apartments' for we didn't know the origin of its rather strange-sounding name. * * * DRAFT PRESS RELEASE The Devenish Building in Calgary has been declared a Provincial Historic Resource by the Minister of Culture, the Honourable Mary J. LeMessurier. Constructed in 1911 for O.G. Devenish, an early financial entrepreneur, the building was designed by architect Alexander Pirie and constructed at a cost of $200,000.00. Opened as a luxury apartment block, the building continued to serve a residential use until 1980. It was then purchased and renovated by Christopher Maier, and reopened in 1981 as the Devenish Design Centre.

Internal

Designation Status:	Designation Date:
Municipal A List Provincial Historic Resource	1982/08/03

Register:	11-105

Links

Internet:
Alberta Register of Historic Places:	4665-0561