Key Number:	HS 6608
Site Name:	Calgary Cattle Company Building
Other Names:	Pioneer Market Pioneer Meat Market Silk-O-Lina
Site Type:	0409 - Mercantile/Commercial: Specialty Store or Shop

Location

ATS Legal Description:

			Twp	Rge	Mer
			23	1	5

Address:	117 - 8 Avenue SW
Number:	17
Street:	1 SW
Avenue:	8 SW
Other:
Town:	Calgary
Near Town:

Media

Type	Number	Date	View	Source

Architectural

Style:
Plan Shape:	Rectangular Short Facade
Storeys:	Storeys: 2
Foundation:	Basement/Foundation Wall Material: Concrete
Superstructure:	Brick
Superstructure Cover:
Roof Structure:	Flat
Roof Cover:
Exterior Codes:	Massing of Units: Row, Non-Related, Intermediate Wings: None Plain Eaves Roof Trim - Verges: Not Applicable Roof Trim Material - Verges: None Dormer Type: None Chimney Location - Side to Side: Other Chimney Location - Front to Rear: Other Chimney Stack Material: Unknown Chimney Stack Massing: Other Roof Trim - Special Features: None Window - Structural Opening Shape: Flat Window - Trim Outside Structural Opening - Head: Plain Flat Window - Trim Outside Structural Opening - Sides: Plain Window - Trim Outside Structural Opening - Material: Tile or Terra Cotta Window - Sill Type: Plain Slip Sill Window - Sill Material: Tile or Terra Cotta Window - Number of Sashes: One Window - Opening Mechanism: Fixed Window - Special Types: None Main Entrance - Location: 2 or More (Facade) Main Entrance - Structural Opening Shape: Flat Main Entrance - Trim Outside Structural Opening - Head: Plain Flat Main Entrance - Trim Outside Structural Opening - Sides: Plain Main Entrance - Trim Outside Structural Opening Material: Tile or Terra Cotta Main Entrance - Trim Within Structural Opening - Head: Plain Main Entrance - Trim Within Structural Opening - Head: Flat Transom, Single Light Main Entrance - Trim Within Structural Opening - Sides: Plain Main Entrance - Number of Leaves: 1 Main Entrance - Number of Panels Per Leaf: 1 Main Entrance - Leaves - Special Feature: Glass Main Stairs - Location and Design: None Main Stairs - Direction: None Main Porch - Type: Recess Main Porch - Material: Brick Main Porch - Height: First Storey
Exterior:	Dimensions: about 25 x 100 x 45 Covering: none; tile, metal and stucco on north elevation. North elevation: plain parapet and umbrage. South elevation: natural faced sandstone window surround heads and sills. Full stone basement; brick and wood frame; flat built up roof; stucco on brick facade; kawneer doors and windows; terrazo, stucco and vitrolite.
Interior:	Lino on softwood flors, V joint and wallboard, fir trim. Offices - part softwood, part maple floors; lameron board walls, fir dado trim. Low pressure steem heating.
Environment:	Lot size: 25 x 130. Property Features: None Located on Pedestrial Mall.
Condition:	Good (1978)
Alterations:	Apparent Alterations and/or Additions: Wall Apparent Alterations and/or Additions: Window Apparent Alterations and/or Additions: Door Site: Original North elevation altered. Fluorescent lighting. July 1967 - renovations connecting 117 to 119 - 8 Ave SW.

Historical

Construction:	Construction Date:
Construction Started Constructed Construction Started	1912/01/01
Usage:	Usage Date:
Pioneer Market Mercantile/Commercial: Specialty Store or Shop Office or Administration Bldg Ladies Wear/National Credit System	1912/01/01 1968/03/10 1978/07/03
Owner:	Owner Date:
William Robertson The Calgary Cattle Company Limited Patric Burns P. Burns & Company Limited P. Burns Holdings Limited John Forbes (Merchant) Hanover Estates Limited Silk - O - Lina Ltd. Pioneer Meat Market	1892/09/01 1903/02/28 1905/09/22 1909/10/09 1928/05/28 1948/12/04 1964/07/07 1967/04/27 1978/07/03

Architect:	N/A
Builder:	N/A
Craftsman:	N/A
History:	No earlier owner. Mortgage with Peter Turner Bone, $2500 at 8b - Sept. 1892, 1903. Party wall - west 1' of 12 and east 1' of 11 made between the Calgary Milling Co. Ltd and William Robertson, 6 Sept, 1901. Party wall - east 1' of 12 and west 1' of 13 between Calgary Cattle Co. Ltd. and George Kidd Leacon John Lenakom, 31 March 1903. Dates of Construction are 1903 and 1910 and 1912.? This building was probably erected in the 1890's by a local contracting firm for W.R. Hull's Meat business. In 1906 it was sold to Patrick Burns, and was then known as the Pioneer Market. In 1920 the building was purchased from P. Burns Co. by CPC Robinson for $75,000. The block was renovated and used as a dry goods store. This block is also associated with Lord Beaverbrook, the friend of R.B. Bennett, as it was here that he helped operate a Bowling Alley with a friend during his brief stay in the city in 1898. * * * It is believed that the building was erected in the 1890s by a local contracting firm for W.R. Hull's meat business. In 1906, it was sold to Patrick Burns and became known as the Pioneer Market. In 1920, CPC Robinson purchased the building from P. Burns for $75,000. It was renovated and used as a Dry Goods Store. The block is also associated with Lord Beaverbrook, the friend of R.B. Bennett, as it was here that he helped operate a Bowling Alley with a friend during his brief stay in the city in 1898. * * * Henderson's Directories: 1884 - no mention 1902 - no mention 1906 - Pioneer Market - P. Burns Co. Ltd., Proprietors; Hans Stoecke, Manager 1910 - 117 - Pioneer Meat Market 117a - Stuart Lathwell - Christian Science Hall - Adams J.H. 1912 - 117 - Pioneer Meat Market - Chazen Joseph photog. 117a - Crawford H. R. G. real estate - Lathwell Waters barristers - Pinkham MacLeod real est. - Margulis H. photog 1915 - 117 - Pioneer Meat Market 117a - Chazin Joseph photog. - Christie Neil A phys. 1920 - Robinson Co. Gry Goods 1925 - Marting Alex Sporting Goods Co. Ltd. - E.G. Folez, mgr - Thompson Glumerfelt 1930 - Martin Sporting Goods. 1935 - Pruddens Ltd. - 117a - Barclaz Seed Co. 1940 - Prudden Ltd - Hughes J. 1945 - same as 1940. 1949 - 117 - Prudden Ltd. - 117a - Hughes Home Furniture - Smart Shop 1954 - 117 - Burrows China 117a - Amantea Shoes 117b - Gairdner Co. Ltd. - Loders Linu Co. Ltd. - Smith L.O. and E. Securities * * * Pioneer Market The exact date of the construction of this building is difficult to ascertain. But like the other half of the Silk-O-Lana store it has been associated with the names of some very famous Calgary pioneers. The property was first owned by the clothing merchant, William Robertson, the fist deed dating from September, 1892. Robertson, who had been a teacher in Dus native Ontario, came to Calgary in 1883 and for seven years worked in 15 Freeze's genral store. He than opened a men's clothing store with John F. Glanirllo (Glanirllo and Robertson), a partnership which was dissolved around 1902. However, in 1902 they were occupying the Norman Block. Another source has implied that the block was built for William Roper Hull's meat business, but again this seems unlikely as the Hull Block in 1902 was located on the corner where the Bank of Commerce is today. What is certain is that in 1902 the premises were occupied by perhaps the Alberta Reataurant and Fruit Store (Orarles Sing, prop.) and certainly by GE Duke's tobacconist shop. (By 1906 George Duke was a clerk in the confectionary and bakery business of Stirrett Hoad). Thus the building, or location, has a direct connection with Lord Beaverbook, the great newspaper magnate. After Beraverbook (then Max Alfren) and his friend Jack McLean and become bored with their Bowling Alley, 'we persuaded Gerald Dyson to take over from us in exchange for a stationery and tobaco store. This we sold to a man named Duke. As a result Jact McLean and I paid off our debt to the Bank and pocketed a handsome profit.' From 1903 to 1905 the building was owned by the Calgary Cattle Company Ltd., and from 1905 to 1909 by Patrick Burns when it passed into the Burns Company until 1948. However, in 1906 and 1907 the Pioneer Market of the Burns Company was located at 103 8 Ave. W (the Hull Block), and didn't move to this location until 1908. The Pioneer Market remained here until 1920. The Market did noth occupy the entire building, other tenants before 1920 being the law firm of the WTD Lathivell and Duncan Stuart, the Cristian Science reading room and hall, Parisian Millinerry parlors, the photography studios of Harry Margolis and Joseph Orazin and the real estate firm of Pinkham and Macleod in 1911-12. James Pinkham was the son of the first Anglican Bishop of Calgary, and NT Macloed the nephew (?) of Colonel Macleod. From 1920 to 1923 the building was occupied by the Dry Goods store of George C. Robinson, the Pioneer market having gone out of business. A newspaper clipping in 1920 said that Robinson was intending to completely remodel the front of the building and that he had paid around $75,000 for it. However, there is no record of this in the land titles. From 1923 to 1931 the building was occupied by the Alexander Martin Sporting Goods Company Ltd., which was associated with the Scottish company of the same name. It sold guns, rifles, ammunition, fishing tackle etc. It was then occupied for some years by Prudden Ltd. * * * RESOURCE Calgary Cattle Company Building/Pioneer Market ADDRESS 117 – 8 Avenue SW, Calgary BUILT 1903 DESIGNATION STATUS Provincial Historic Resource HERITAGE SIGNIFICANCE In 1883, the CPR arrived at the site of Fort Calgary. In 1884, the Town of Calgary was incorporated. Being at the centre of a burgeoning cattle industry, it was not surprising that the community would evolve as a service centre for this industry. By the turn of the century, Calgary had become the largest city between Winnipeg and Vancouver due mainly to the raising and marketing of livestock. Most of its wealthier citizens were tied in some way or other to this industry. One of these wealthy citizens was Pat Burns. A poor, undereducated young man from Ontario, he had come west to Manitoba in 1878 where he homesteaded and shipped cattle. With the coming of the CPR, he began to ship cattle to construction sites. With the completion of the railway, he moved to Calgary, where he bought a cattle ranch and opened a meat packing venture in 1890. He continued to supply meat to construction workers in the region, and also expanded into British Columbia and even the Yukon. Over the years, he built up an integrated company that controlled all aspects of production from raising livestock to delivering dressed meats. In doing this, he amassed one of the first great personal fortunes in southern Alberta. One of Burns' chief competitors was the Calgary Cattle Company. Incorporated in 1902, it sought to emulate Burns by developing an integrated beef production firm. Their head office was a two-storey brick structure on Second Street and Twelfth Avenue S.W. From here, with a staff of 20 and a capital stock of $100,000, Managing Director Charles Knight set out to challenge Burns and others in the business. The company developed its own stockyards, abattoir and cold storage plant. Burns recognized the challenge, but rather than engage in competition, he chose the more comfortable method of corporate take-over, and, in 1905, bought out the Calgary Cattle Company. He thus took over offices on 2nd Street, but rather than relocate his own head office there, he converted the structure into the Pioneer Meat Market. This enterprise would continue as part of the Burns cattle empire until 1920, after which the building was converted into other commercial uses. Burns sold it in 1931. By this time, his interest in cattle was confined to his several ranches. The historical significance of the Pioneer Meat Market lies mainly in its association with the cattle industry in southern Alberta, and, in particular, with one of its most successful and publicly recognized members, Pat Burns. Burns was one of four financial backers of the Calgary Stampede in 1912, and would eventually become a Canadian Senator. The building is also significant in its representation of the economic boom experienced by Calgary at the turn of the century.

Internal

Designation Status:	Designation Date:
Provincial Historic Resource	2001/05/22

Register:	N/A

Links

Internet:
Alberta Register of Historic Places:	4665-0969