Historic house near Saddledome burns down (Enoch Sales)

[tvp2003]

Somewhat Flames related but I thought it was better off in the OT Forum -- if you've been to a game at the Saddledome chances are you've walked past it:

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calga...fire-1.5003574

The historic Enoch Sales House in Calgary's Victoria Park neighbourhood went up in flames early Saturday.

Fire crews were called in at about 7 a.m. as flames and heavy smoke billowed from the building.

"They declared a working fire on arrival and shortly after that a second alarm was struck," said Capt. Paul Frederick. "Due to the extreme temperatures extra apparatus were called to make sure we had enough to rotate the crews."

[you&me]

That doesn't seem suspicious in any way, at all.

[Fuzz]

I'll take "homeless trying to stay warm for $800, Alex."

[GreenLantern2814]

I look forward to driving by its burned out husk for the next forty years.

[Locke]

Originally Posted by Fuzz

I'll take "homeless trying to stay warm for $800, Alex."

I'll take 'Hard Economic Times and an easy Insurance cheque and passing on destruction costs.'

[Jiri Hrdina]

Just drove by it
It’s still standing but the top floor is destroyed. It kinda looks like that’s where it started but that’s a highly uneducated guess

[Ozy_Flame]

I know it was an eyesore, but it was pretty nostalgic to see it still around. Deserved a better rate though, and it was close to getting a new life.

[Locke]

They should have used it to start up a second Hop-in-Brew location.

[Joborule]

They should've kept the balloons.

[Bunk]

It was publicly owned - site bought by CMLC a few years back.

[JD]

For me, it doesn't seem all that long ago that Vic Park was full of houses like that. The residents would charge a couple bucks less than the Grounds to let you park in their yards. Not sure what made this one so special that people considered it "historic".

[DeluxeMoustache]

Tough after seeing Rock Central go.

[Russic]

Originally Posted by JD

For me, it doesn't seem all that long ago that Vic Park was full of houses like that. The residents would charge a couple bucks less than the Grounds to let you park in their yards. Not sure what made this one so special that people considered it "historic".

Here was a cool article on it from a few years back. Creepy photos included!

https://www.avenuecalgary.com/city-l...h-sales-house/

I worked next to that house for 3 years. Kiiiiinda seemed inevitable.

[GGG]

Originally Posted by JD

For me, it doesn't seem all that long ago that Vic Park was full of houses like that. The residents would charge a couple bucks less than the Grounds to let you park in their yards. Not sure what made this one so special that people considered it "historic".

Agree

Old does not mean historic.

[Julio]

Originally Posted by GreenLantern2814

I look forward to driving by its burned out husk for the next forty years.

Nope...already torn down. They were working on it by supper last night.

[WhiteTiger]

Originally Posted by Julio

Nope...already torn down. They were working on it by supper last night.

Yup. You don't want to leave something like that standing. It's in rough shape to begin with, and the fire would have damaged it further. Need to knock it down fast before someone gets hurt.

[Harry Lime]

The conspiracy theorist in me says that if some monstrosity of a building goes up there fairly quickly, it was an inside job.

[frinkprof]

From beltline.ca:

This square plan, Queen Anne style house is an unusual architectural example still standing in the East Victoria neighbourhood of the Beltlne. Highly detailed, it's hipped roof, cross gables, patterned shingles and classical columns are intact.Constructed in 1905 by, founder of Sales Clothing Company and Board of Trade promoter, Enoch Samuel Sales, the residence represents the occupational diversity found in early Victoria.
Prior to the establishment of elite subdivisions, Victoria was the preferred choice of the managerial class. Sales resided at this address until 1931. In 1941, the house was suited to accommodate eight borders. A strong point of reference along 12th Avenue, this residence is a significant end post to Dafoe and Fairey Terraces and Victoria School. The house was later converted into apartments.
Plans are afoot for its restoration as part of a park to be located immediately to the west on top of the McLeod trail LRT tunnel at 12 avenue SE.

https://beltline.ca/community/heritage/enoch


From "Historic Walks of Calgary" by Harry Sanders (2005):

This two-story wood frame house was another of Victoria Park's early high-class dwellings, originally the home of clothing merchant Enoch Samuel Sales (1860-1930), founder of the Sales Clothing Company. Sales was a militia captain, treasurer of the Alberta Rifle Association, and, according to his obituary, "one of Calgary's most famous rifle shots." He built this house by 1905, and here he died at the age of 70. It was later converted into apartments, which it remains.

These two sources seem to disagree a bit on when Sales died. Also, both show their date. It may have still been apartments in 2005, and when the online source was written, the nearby park hadn't been built yet.


At that time, the private developer wanted to build a hotel on the current site, and the house would have been moved to the new park, restored, and possibly connected to the hotel to use as amenity space (hall/banquet, retail maybe, etc.). Moving the house to the park could have worked with or without the hotel.


This deal fell through and the park went ahead without incorporating the house.


CMLC then acquired the house later and plans for it hadn't materialized yet, but they wanted to keep and restore it.

[Barnes]

I would like to know what people consider historic in Calgary if it isn't the last Victorian era Queen Anne revival house in the pre-war era neighbourhood of Victoria Park?

[Jbo]

Eyesore. Bulldoze and move on.