Doherty Hall @ Stampede Youth Campus

Today we’re in the Calgary community of Victoria Park and right beside the Stampede Grounds. Stampede? It’s a low-key, intimate event that’s been around for a few years, so maybe you haven’t heard of it. The first of our subjects is a replica of Westbourne Church that once stood a few blocks away and includes some salvaged pieces from the original. It’s now called Doherty Hall but still looks the part of a church.

The second is a dwelling original to the property and it’s rather unique in that it has walls of concrete. Indestructible! This is the Oliver House and it’s one of the last vestiges of the original community. There’s been such great change since this home’s construction some hundred seventeen years ago and this former single family dwelling neighbourhood completely transformed from the early days.

Lastly, there’s the old Golden West Bakery building, seen briefly, and it’s been lovingly restored. Overshadowed by towering condo towers and within a stone’s throw of the Saddledome, these three structures, along with some other buildings, some still under construction, together will make up the Calgary Stampede Youth Campus.

Welcome to the Calgary Stampede Youth Campus.

It’s a wonderful summer’s evening and we’ve arrived itching to explore. The Young Canadians band is practising out on the plaza for the upcoming “Greatest Show on Earth”, mere weeks away, but today it’s a concert just for us. Our visit happened during the summer of 2022 and this the first real Stampede since Covid hit. Everyone seemed stoked and the thought of playing for a live audience again, after a couple year absence, must have been intoxicating.

In a moment we’ll give you a little background on everything documented here, with emphasis on our namesake building.

Doherty Hall. In their own words: “A one-of-a-kind performance space that incorporates the unique historic design elements of the Westbourne Baptist Church.” That building is most famously associated with William “Bible Bill” Aberhart, lay minister at Westbourne (1915-1927), broadcaster (1920s-1930s) and later Alberta Premiere (1935-1943, on his passing).

Westbourne dates back to 1904 and remained in use into the 2000s. Originally at one location within the community it was moved early on, to a point a few blocks away where it stood into about 2016.

They found it unsound to be moved one final time to the campus (a short journey), so instead they salvaged what they could and incorporated it in the new building. That included brick cladding, window frames, sashes and sections of wainscotting.

Westbourne Baptist Church remained active into 1967, sat vacant for a time after and then in 1975 became home to a Pentecostal Congregation. From 1992 to 2007 the building served as Victory Outreach Centre for the homeless and downtrodden.

It sat empty again for a time and the lot where it last stood presently a parking lot for the Stampede (Cowboy’s) Casino.

The current building is a faithful copy, but inside has all the modern conveniences and is well equipped to handle any modest sized event. So shows, performances, events and get-togethers. It’s too bad the original couldn’t be saved, but this is the next best outcome and still pays it honour.

Doherty Hall is in recognition of the Doherty family for their philanthropic work with the Stampede Foundation and charities elsewhere in the city.

Oliver House. It dates back to 1906 and named after its first owner, one Ernest Oliver, whose family occupied the building for many decades. It remained lived in up until the early 2010s and then sat empty for a stretch.

When built Calgary was a modest city with a population at about 12k, but today it’s over one hundred sixteen times that. So about 1.4 million…yikes…and it just keeps growing! This reminds us just how young the city of Calgary is and almost everything here (buildings, plus people in the buildings) are all fairly new to the city.

The Oliver House is uniquely made of concrete (blocks cast on site) and it’s one of a handful of homes we’ve seen built of this material. Here’s another: 1915 Cement House. Wood of course is common, brick sometimes used, and occasionally even stone, but one made this way is rare. It must be something close to bomb proof and perhaps this is the reason it was kept. It looks like it’s being used as storage right now, but we understand they have future plans for it. But they didn’t say what.

We visited the home years ago, empty and when its future was uncertain. You can read about it here: Oliver House.

Golden West Bakery. This building dates back to 1929 and remained in use for sixty years before being acquired by the Stampede Foundation. It’s on the very last street before you hit the grounds as they are present day, but back then the two were several blocks apart. The Stampede has grown a lot since and we’ll have more on that in a minute.

In 1939, the business became part of the Weston Bakery chain but otherwise it didn’t change. An old sign out front, uncovered during renovations, advertises Sunbeam Bread and dates from the 1940s or a bit later. Imagine the wonderful aroma that came from the building and drifted over surrounding homes each work day. Nothing smells better than bread baking. Well, maybe coffee brewing…fresh popcorn popping…and homemade soup simmering away. It’s a top five anyway.

The building is used by the Calgary Arts Academy and will be a cornerstone of the completed Youth Campus. It’s going to be big and world class.

We’ve came here for the history, of course and that’s our thing, but stayed for the ambience. First a little music, then later after everyone left, a haunting stillness in the air, there in the soft twilight, and blended together it’s something magic. Standing there, alone and looking about this way is a feeling like no other.

Downtown and the twinkling condos of Vic Park are so close by, yet there’s nothing going on here. It’s just us wandering about. Mere blocks away, there’s much hustle and bustle, but somehow this little corner of the big city is oddly quiet.

The Youth Campus is not yet completed and in addition to what you see in this post, another extant building nearby, along with others to be newly constructed, will be added to the mix. The complex will be several times what we documented here and where you see the mighty BIGDoer-mobile parked (note how it always sneaks into photos) will no longer be a road, but part of the plaza.

Since our visit last year, work has progressed and the site already quite different.

The community of Victoria Park is just south of downtown and dates back to the late 1880s, so very early in Calgary’s history. It’s always been a working class kind of place and mostly comprised of single family homes. Many of these lasted into the 1980s-1990s period, but where they stood today is mostly event parking lots.

Doherty Hall is a replica of Westbourne Baptist Church.

As the Stampede has grown over the years they’ve expanded into Victoria Park to the point they’ve taken over pretty much all of it, save for a few block section in the northwest corner. That’s where all those condo-towers are located. A few years back: Last Houses in Victoria Park.

The campus sits on the far southeast corner of the community present day and super convenient to the Stampede grounds. The Saddledome features prominent as a backdrop in our photos and nicely lit up. Talk about a great evening to get in a little photography and exploring.

Know more (new windows): Calgary Stampede Youth Campus and Calgary Victoria Park.

They’re saying…

”One of the great places to see great places, online! Wonderful work Chris and Connie…!” Greg Herman.

More Calgary…
Ogden Block – Hong Lee Laundry Calgary.
Mayland Heights School.
Little Green Mart.

If you wish more information on what’s seen here, don’t hesitate to: contact us!

Date of Adventure: June, 2022.
Location(s): Calgary, Alberta.
Article references and thanks: Rory Siddall (super thanks) & the Calgary Stampede Foundation, Calgary Heritage Authority, Calgary Heritage Initiative and University of Calgary Archives.

Just north of the Saddledome and Stampede Grounds.

It’s used for events, performances and get-togethers.

Uniforms of the storied Young Canadians.

The Oliver House is oddly constructed of concrete.

This little fellow (Vole?) scurried past.

Elements of the original building were used in its construction.

The ugly BIGDoer-mobile, sneaks into a photo.

Victoria Park is now condo-tower central.

At the Golden West Bakery building.

It’s also part of the campus.

As night falls we find ourselves alone and love it.

The house has stood here for 110+ years & seen much change.