Trouble is brewing for one of Calgary's oldest buildings. Only the actions of one minister has kept it from the bulldozers
The news would have you choking on your beer, if Molson's hadn't shut the doors of Calgary's oldest brewery, way back in the dark days of 1994.
Indeed, the eastern brewer's decision to abandon a landmark once as prominent as the Calgary Tower, is the main reason the 117-year-old historical site is threatened with demolition at all.
Calgarians can't be expected to care, when they have no idea what they should be caring about.
And so, the request to bulldoze buildings dating back to 1892 has been made, in a demolition order filed with the City of Calgary.
If not for the remarkable intervention of a provincial minister, Inglewood's beloved brewery might soon be history, following countless Calgary historical treasures onto the garbage heap of our disposable past.
Of course, the industrial relic built by A.E. Cross may yet fall to a developer's wrecking ball, but not before Alberta Culture Minister Lindsay Blackett has a chance to measure the value of the old sandstone, brick and mortar.
"There's a recognition, that for a province that's so young, we don't have many buildings that are a hundred years old, and if we destroy all of them, we'll be wondering where our heritage of significance is," said Blackett.
"We'll be left with 30- and 40-year-old buildings and lose a lot of our character."
Blackett said he will no longer allow buildings so old to be destroyed without a provincial assessment.
Those who have watched beautiful relics of Calgary's history ripped down for new retail space, condominiums and even parking space will view Blackett's unexpected interference as a miracle.
The provincial government can, if it chooses to, declare any structure a historic resource, preventing the owner from altering it or harming it in any way.
In Calgary at least, it's almost unheard of that a minister would even consider standing in the way of a private property owner's wishes.
But Blackett says he'll do what's right, and if the brewery is worth protecting, the province won't shy away from saving it.
In the past, it seemed nothing could stop a developer determined to milk a piece of land for every penny of profit.
Owned by Ronald Mathison of Matco Investments, the brewery site is apparently slated for a combination of retail and residential, though Mathison didn't return calls.
One only has to look at the gaping hole downtown, where Penny Lane once stood, for a recent example of loss.
Penny Lane, at least, was a bustling shopping stop filled with restaurants, bars and human activity.
The Inglewood brewery, all but derelict behind its iron 9 Ave. fence, has meant nothing to Calgarians since Molson pulled the plug.
Not that the former home of Calgary Beer was at its heyday, even then.
To really understand what the brewery once was, you'd have to rewind to the 1970s.
That's when the immaculate gardens in front of the beer-making factory, opened in the 1930s, last bloomed with flowers and trees, while waterfalls, ponds and streams teemed with trout.
The brewery wasn't just about beer either -- a world-class aquarium and the Horseman's Hall of Fame museum were housed inside.
Find a postcard of Calgary dating back 40 or 50 years, and there's a good chance the brewery will be featured.
Viewing the graffiti-stained, shabby complex now, you'd never guess that underneath, some of Calgary's oldest buildings are preserved.
The demolition request includes the 1892 Brew House and Ale Cellars, considered the heart of the original Calgary Brewery and Malting Co.
Somewhere inside, there's a brew-house bar rivalling the ambiance of Europe's finest, with a grand stone fireplace and heavy wooden beams spanning a vaulted ceiling.
"To the average Calgarian, it may not be the prettiest building, or the sexiest, but even if it was the ugliest building in the city, the amount of history alone means it deserves protecting," said Chris Edwards, spokesman for the Calgary Heritage Initiative.
Edwards and his group are the civilian watchdogs for local history, and he says they are determined not to let the brewery fall, by helping to publicize its value to Calgarians.
"Our main focus right now is to draw attention to the issue."
http://www.calgarysun.com/news/colum...60151-sun.html
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