In 2018, Matthew Kennedy purchased the Grant (Jones) Residence in Parkdale on the condition he’d not only designate it, but also restore it to its former glory.Hayden Pattullo/Hayden Pattullo/Studio North
In Calgary, many homeowners worry that designating their heritage dwelling could limit the property’s potential. As a result, homes of historical significance are often lost to redevelopment, eroding the unique sense of place an array of building styles and eras create.
“If there’s no sense of history, we have less connection to what a city could be for us in the future, and we lose our sense of identity,” says Cynthia Klaassen, a heritage resource program manager at Heritage Calgary, a civic partner of the City of Calgary.
In an ever changing city, designation can be perceived as a hindrance, even by those who list their home in the heritage inventory, Ms. Klaassen says.
“People don’t want to prevent future buyers from making changes to the property,” whether those changes are as simple as a renovation, or as complex as a land-use change to allow for more density.
Built in 1913, the Craftsman style bungalow had undergone several changes by the time it received heritage designation in 2020.Hayden Pattullo/Hayden Pattullo/Studio North
Despite existing incentives, including a 15-per-cent property tax reduction, restoring and preserving heritage homes in Calgary remains a challenge. In 2023, a City of Calgary survey identified more than 4,000 residential properties as heritage assets, but only 329 homes are currently listed in the city’s inventory.
But Ms. Klaassen is hopeful.
“There are many people who are very committed to owning heritage properties and want to make them work for them,” Ms. Klaassen says. “We have an obligation through Heritage Calgary, to provide them with incentives to make it a viable home.”
The Grant (Jones) Residence in Parkdale, a Calgary neighbourhood established in 1910, proves that heritage designation doesn’t imply stagnation.
In 2018, Matthew Kennedy purchased the 1½-storey home on the condition he’d not only designate it, but also restore it to its former glory.
“The homeowners of this house reached out to my company, Studio North, to see if we’d be interested in buying their house because we’ve restored a few other heritage properties in Parkdale,” he says. “So I took a look at it, and fell in love with the house right away.”
Built in 1913, the Craftsman style bungalow had undergone several changes by the time it received heritage designation in 2020. Defining the elements worth preserving was key to ensure the dwelling’s long-term flexibility.
At some point in the home’s lifespan, the upper balcony was enclosed, and two one-over-one windows replaced the original fenestration, giving the façade the appearance of a “frowny” face. More recently, a garden room was attached to the back of the house, overseeing the park adjacent to the property’s backyard.
By the time Mr. Kennedy and his wife moved in, the home’s interiors boasted the design fads of previous generations, including sunshine ceilings and a kitchen that wasn’t practical for a family.
Today, Mr. Kennedy's 1,745-square-foot home, located on a corner lot, is a light-filled wonder.Hayden Pattullo/Hayden Pattullo/Studio North
Mr. Kennedy was familiar with the heritage designation process. In Calgary, homeowners participate in framing the individual bylaws covering a home’s heritage designation and the specific elements to be preserved. Mr. Kennedy carefully selected these elements, which enabled Mr. Kennedy to adapt the home to his family’s needs while preserving the property’s character.
“When I wrote this bylaw with the City of Calgary, I knew I wanted to do an addition on the back, I knew I wanted to rebuild the garage and do things in the inside too,” he says. “So in the bylaw we just said that this house cannot be torn down, and that the front elevation is going to be maintained as it is – thinking ahead of time is really beneficial when you go through the designation process to make sure you’re not going to pigeonhole yourself in the future.”
Today, the 1,745-square-foot home, located on a corner lot, is a light-filled wonder.
Adorned with a curved opening that spans the dwelling’s façade, a unique feature protected by the designation bylaw, the front porch leads into a cozy dining room punctuated by a whitewashed brick fireplace and a trio of single-hung windows encased in Douglas fir. Facing southeast, an open-layout kitchen equipped with granite and leather countertops bridges the living and garden rooms, creating an ambience ideal for entertaining – but it wasn’t always this way.
“The only way to enter the kitchen was through an entryway on the side,” Mr. Kennedy says, noting that the wall that used to divide the kitchen from the living room was replaced with a peninsula supported by a wooden spindle crafted by Shane Arsenault, a local artisan, aligning with “the idea that this house was built by a craftsman.”
Restoring the Grant (Jones) Residence wasn’t cheap, but the City of Calgary’s Historic Resource Conservation Grant helped foot the $150,000 bill.Hayden Pattullo/Hayden Pattullo/Studio North
Up the original staircase, whose dark wood balustrades and newel posts have been refinished, the primary bedroom blends seamlessly into an ample bathroom whose reed-glass, replica windows offer both privacy and an expansive view of the aspen and poplar tree tops rising in the adjacent park.
To maximize its lifespan, the home’s exterior is clad with meticulously treated cedar and Douglas fir shingles. “All the shingles are dipped in a primer, so they’re totally sealed,” says Mr. Kennedy, who spent the past seven years renovating the Parkdale property, mostly by himself.
Restoring the Grant (Jones) Residence wasn’t cheap, but the City of Calgary’s Historic Resource Conservation Grant, a cost-sharing program that makes $125,000 available every 15 years to help homeowners cover half of the costs related to maintaining a heritage property, helped foot the bill.
“I got the municipal matching grant,” Mr. Kennedy says. “I put $125,000 and the City put $125,000 in.”
This investment has resulted in the property’s assessed value rising by 42 per cent since 2018, and in early July, Mr. Kennedy sold the Grant (Jones) Residence for $2.15-million, or $810,000 higher than the median sold price for detached homes in Parkdale.
“It’s an expensive house,” Mr. Kennedy says, “but a big part of its value is its stories.”