Lougheed House

Lougheed House, or as it was originally known Beaulieu, (French meaning "beautiful place") is a National Historic Site located in the Beltline district of Calgary, Alberta. Lougheed House is operated by Lougheed House Conservation Society, an independent, non-profit society devoted to the restoration and public enjoyment of the historic house and its Gardens.[2]

Lougheed House
Beaulieu National Historic Site of Canada
Lougheed House Calgary
TypeMansion
LocationCalgary, Alberta, Canada
Coordinates51.040591°N 114.07715°W / 51.040591; -114.07715
Built1891
Built forSenator James Alexander Lougheed
ArchitectJames R. Bowes
Architectural style(s)Queen Anne[1]
Governing bodyLougheed House Conservation Society
WebsiteLougheed House
Official name: Beaulieu National Historic Site of Canada
DesignatedJune 10, 1992
Official name: Senator Lougheed Residence
DesignatedNovember 29, 1977

Over its long history, Lougheed House has been a family residence, a training centre for young women, a women's military barracks and a blood donor clinic. Then, for many years, it sat empty — cared for, but unused until its restoration started in 2000.

Description

Detail of the east wall of Lougheed House.

Lougheed House is a 14,000 square foot mansion[3] designed by James C. Bowes to incorporate High Victorian aesthetics and is influenced by Queen Anne Revival style. This is evident through the rough-faced sandstone exterior, asymmetrical massing, and corner towers. Influences of Romanesque Revival is found with the steep roof, and the cone shaped towers emanate French Chateau architecture. The mansion was constructed with what was considered at the time "modern luxuries" including running hot water and electricity.[4]

The mansion was built in 1891 by Senator James Alexander Lougheed for his wife, Isabella Hardisty Lougheed, and their two sons, Clarence and Norman. Following the move to the large mansion the Lougheeds had four more children: Edgar, Dorothy, Douglas and Marjorie. In 1907 the house was enlarged to accommodate the family and their large social calendar. The mansion was built of sandstone per the municipal building code as a result of the Calgary Fire of 1886.[5]

Beaulieu Gardens

The Beaulieu Gardens which surround Lougheed House and were part of the original formal garden of the mansion are operated as a municipal park by the City of Calgary Parks Department.[6]

Historical Use

The Lougheed estate continued to own the property following James Lougheed's death in 1925 until 1934 when the estate was unable to pay the municipal property taxes and the City of Calgary took possession of the home. Lougheed House was used during the Second World War as a barracks for the Canadian Women's Army Corps and for the Canadian Red Cross as a blood donor clinic. In 1978, following the Alberta Provincial Historic Resource designation, the Province of Alberta took possession of the house and began restoring the property.[7]

Historic Site

On November 29, 1977, Lougheed House was designated the "Senator Lougheed Residence", an Alberta Provincial Historic Resource, due in part to the mansion's association with James Lougheed, and its representation of upper-class sandstone archetecture from the period.[8]

On June 10, 1992, Lougheed House was designated "Beaulieu National Historic Site of Canada", a National Historic Site. This was due in part to the mansion being a rare example of an upper-middle class eclectic mansion on the Canadian Prairies.[9]

References

  1. "Senator Lougheed Residence". Alberta Heritage Survey Program. Government of Alberta. Retrieved 15 May 2020.
  2. Senator Lougheed Residence. Canadian Register of Historic Places. Retrieved September 26, 2013.
  3. "Plan Your Visit". Lougheedhouse.com. Lougheed House. Retrieved 12 May 2020.
  4. Farooqui, Salmaan (July 25, 2016). "Five things about the 125-year-old Lougheed House". Calgary Herald. Retrieved 12 May 2020.
  5. Shiels, Bob (1974). Calgary : a not too solemn look at Calgary's first 100 years. Calgary: The Calgary Herald. p. 69.
  6. "Beaulieu Gardens". Calgary.ca. City of Calgary. Retrieved 12 May 2020.
  7. "Lougheed House". nationaltrustcanada.ca. National Trust for Canada. Retrieved 12 May 2020.
  8. "Senator Lougheed Residence (Provincial Designation)". Canada's Historic Places. Parks Canada. Retrieved 12 May 2020.
  9. "Beaulieu National Historic Site of Canada (Federal Designation)". Canada's Historic Places. Parks Canada. Retrieved 12 May 2020.

Bibliography

  • Cook Bobrovitz, Jennifer and Cowan, Trudy (2006). Lougheed House: More than a century of stories....Calgary: McCallum Printing Group Inc. ISBN 0-9780544-1-5


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