It only travelled one city block — but that was enough to save a historic Calgary dwelling from the wrecking ball.
Spectators gathered in the Mission district on Sunday to watch the removal of McHugh House from its longtime home on 18th Avenue S.W. and relocation to a small city-owned park along 17th Avenue at Centre Street.
McHugh House — the sixth oldest house in the city — is a three-storey brick and sandstone dwelling that previously belonged to prominent frontier rancher J.J. McHugh and his family.
It was built in 1896 in Rouleauville, originally a French-speaking settler village before the land was annexed by the City of Calgary in 1907.
In preparation for the big move, crews temporarily removed the century-old bricks and covered the building with plywood to stiffen the structure and prevent it from leaning while in transit.
The city was fortunate to find an ideal site to relocate the 118-year-old mansion, said senior heritage planner Darryl Cariou.
The house has fallen into disrepair in recent years but there are plans to refurbish it and possibly open it up for public use.
“It is always a solution of last resort to move a historical building,” he said. “If you do move it, you try to keep it as close to its original context as possible.”
Over the years, McHugh House has had many incarnations, from a rooming house to a residence for troubled teenagers and new mothers.
The Roman Catholic diocese eventually took ownership of the turreted Queen Anne-style mansion in 1960 but in recent years planned to knock it down to sell the property for development
In February, city council approved $450,000 in funding to spare the house from demolition.
The McHugh family is remembered as an early builder of Rouleauville, and the city recognized the important of preserving the residence for future generations to enjoy, said Cariou.
The structure contains historical significance and will hopefully remain standing for decades to come, he noted.
“The house is 118-years old. Moving it here means we’ll probably have a 200-year-old house one day.”
By Tamara Gignac, Calgary Herald