‘Heritage site at risk’: National Trust for Canada on vacant Hudson’s Bay building in Calgary

The Hudson’s Bay Company building in downtown Calgary is still sitting vacant, prompting one national charity to classify it a Heritage Site at risk.

The National Trust for Canada, a charity focusing on encouraging communities to preserve old historic buildings across Canada, says there is a risk if the Calgary site is lacking a heritage designation — it could be left open to demolition and redevelopment.

A woman who was laid off from the Hudson’s Bay Company in June when the store shut its doors for good, is reflecting on its heritage.

“This building is so historical, so many memories for 100 years and more. So, we should keep it as a national heritage,” Spaska Urumova told CityNews.

The downtown location was originally finished in 1913 and expanded in 1930 and 1958.

One man tells CityNews that he agrees the building should be protected in some way.

“I think it is a responsibility of the city to preserve it in some way if the private market is not filling that niche,” said Ali Imran Ashiq. “I think it is something that has intrinsic value because of its history, because of the art style that has gone out of fashion, and nothing like it will ever be built again.”

The Calgary Downtown Association says it isn’t aware of any interest from any business to take over the spot.

“If we don’t engage and make this a collective priority for downtown and draw attention to the maintenance and preservation requirements she has, then this building could stay vacant and enter a phase of continual deterioration,” it added in a statement. “There are numerous organizations in the city, at the provincial and at the national level that should engage and determine her future.

The time to act is now before we lose an important part of Calgary’s architectural and cultural history.”