|
The Middle Years
 Between the First and Second World Wars, the community of Victoria Park settled into a period of limited growth compared to the furious pace of the early 1900s. Once the economic hub of Calgary, mobility and transportation systems no longer dictated that managers and CPR workers needed to live in Victoria Park. With this came a change in the type and number of merchants and support services in the area, and Victoria Park's residential nature began to change.
An economic decline in the early 1920s brought additional problems to the community. Transient labourers, unable to find accommodation or work, were given temporary living quarters on the exhibition grounds. More and more of the community's residences were being converted into boarding homes - a somewhat unfavourable trend in the eyes of established community members.
Throughout the 1920s and 30s, the Stampede
continued to take on a great deal more importance in the community. In 1923,
the Calgary Stampede merged with the Calgary Industrial Exhibition to form what is now the
Calgary Exhibition and Stampede. This significant step would increase the event's popularity resulting in a complex relationship between Victoria Park, the Stampede and the City of Calgary that would change to the face of the neighbourhood for many years to come.
Just prior to the Great Depression of the 1930s, several changes in industrial activity took place in Victoria Park. In the Warehouse District, existing warehouses took on a new role as the demand for agricultural equipment declined. New businesses and light industry entered the district. The Imperial Tobacco Warehouse was constructed in 1929, the Independent Biscuit Factory was established in the old Neilson's Furniture warehouse, and the Tudhope Anderson Company warehouse became the home of Bekins Moving and Storage.
In the late 1940s, single family properties continued to be modified to accommodate tenants, and early duplexes were refurbished to small apartments and bachelor suites. By 1966, the number of apartment units had increased from 23% to 50% creating a "mono-culture" environment of people with fixed or low incomes, or whose employment was of a seasonal or transitional nature.
After the war, many Victoria Park landmarks met with change. A disastrous fire in December 1950 destroyed the Calgary Transit Bus Barns. The building was leveled and in March 1951, the land was handed over to the Calgary Exhibition and Stampede by the city.
In 1954, the Victoria Park Power Plant was declare out-of-date, and the offices moved out in 1957. The Calgary Exhibition and Stampede acquired this building as well for its expansion purposes.
Around this time, Victoria Park's existing warehouses took on a new role once again and they were redeveloped into office space for smaller businesses.
In 1962, Haultain School - once the largest school in the city with a
capacity of more than 500 students - saw enrollment drop to only 135
students as children grew up and others were swept away to the rapidly
growing suburbs. The school was officially closed. On May 12, 1964, a
three-alarm fire engulfed the larger 1907 three-storey building and
destroyed it completely, leaving only the original two-room school
house behind.
Between 1960
and the oil boom of the 70s, a number of factors resulted in a serious decline
in the community's overall health. Decreased property values, depopulation,
absentee ownership, uncertainty regarding the Stampede expansion, competition
with other areas and the classic cycle of urban decay all took its toll on the
area. Within this context private investors were cautious, choosing suburban environments to invest in.
The oil boom
of the 70s and a growing population brought a significant change to West
Victoria and neighbouring Connaught in the
form of new apartment buildings and in 1979, this side of the Beltline was
designated "high density residential."
By 1980, the Calgary
Exhibition and Stampede had acquired about half of East
Victoria's residential properties for its expansion purposes. The
south LRT line was also built along Macleod Trail, resulting in the clearance
of more homes as well as further isolating the east side of the community from
the west.
The oil bust hit Calgary
in 1981 essentially putting an end to development for the next 20 years. The
recession and the never-ending uncertainty regarding the Stampede expansion continued
to afflict East Victoria. Over the next few
years the community's continued deterioration strongly influenced proposals
for future development of the area and, until about 1998, Victoria Park became
the subject of one of the city's most intense planning and development debates.
|
|
Did You Know?
Opened to the public in January 1930, Golden West Bakeries was Calgary's most up-to-date bakery. The building housed an operation that was capable of producing 1,800 loaves of bread each hour.
It was not until 1948 that Victoria Park finally acquired designated park space in the neighbourhood when four lots on the northeast corner of 15 Ave and 3rd Street east were set aside for playground purposes. This also resulted in the creation of the
Victoria Park Community Association in 1949.
- Opened in December 1950 to 7,000 people, the
Stampede Corral was praised for its
innovative construction and design technology. The Corral, prior to the
construction of the Jubilee Auditorium, was the focus of Calgary's sporting and cultural activities.
- In the 1960s, Eagle Hall (1207 - 1 Street SW) was home to a club called 'The Depression'. A young student from Alberta College of Art named Joni Mitchell started singing folk songs there in 1964.
- The grayish yellow sandstone that is so
prevalent throughout Calgary
is a popular stone called Paskapoo. Most of this stone came from a quarry where
Canada Olympic Park exists today.
|
