A former nurses’ residence linked to Calgary’s old General Hospital is at risk of being torn down due to redevelopment.
The historic house in the community of Bridgeland could soon be replace with a 22-unit multi-residential housing development, but some residents feel its history brings value to the community.
The home, one of three set to be torn down, sits on McPherson Road NE. According to Heritage Calgary, the nurses residence was built in 1911.
Josh Traptow, the CEO of Heritage Calgary, says the home is the last physical link to the old general hospital that was torn down in 1988.
“I always encourage developers to retain a heritage asset and incorporate it into their development,” says Traptow. “And if that is not possible, is there somewhere to move it? Or use elements of it in a future development.”
But even with its direct link to history, the home isn’t legally classified as a historic site.
“In the case of the nurses’ residence, the current or previous owners never requested a municipal designation, so it is not a municipal historic resource.”
Traptow says he is still hopeful the building won’t be demolished as the developers application is still under review with the city.