| Contractor: Charles L. Coffin of Calgary.
Original
cost: $7,000
Original
owner:
Harry Woodburne
Blaylock, a Calgary barrister.
Construction materials:
Wood frame. Shingle and
stucco cladding.
Architectural style:
Tudor revival. Two and
one half storeys characterized by its gable roof, half
timbering detailing and decorative chimneys
Original interior details:
Arts and Crafts style
fireplaces, wood panelling, oak floors and trim,
simulated ceiling beams. A central staircase with newel
posts and Art Nouveau lamps.
Historical highlights:
- Building permit was
issued August 5, 1907 to H.W.Blaylock
- House built on
almost half an acre of land. In later years the
property became known for its elaborate gardens.
- In 1908 two
interior photographs of the Blaylock drawing room
were featured in a Calgary Herald publication
entitled Prosperous Calgary. The drawing
room, with French doors, was furnished with
wicker side chairs, mission style oak arm chairs,
oak tea and side tables, painted screens, arts and crafts
table lamps and ferns.
- Between 1908 and
1922 the home changed hands a number of times. By
1909 Blaylock sold the house to Frances Smith,
physician. Subsequent owners included Clifford
Reilly - barrister, Thomas Costello - physician
and Arthur McParland - tobacconist.
- In 1923, two
years after Nellie McClung's election to the
Alberta Legislature, Nellie and her husband,
Wesley (a druggist) bought the 15th Avenue house.
The McClung's and two of their five children
lived there until 1932. Nellie, who grew up in
Manitoba, became well known as a women's rights
activist, social reformer, politician and author.
She was one of the five women (the Famous Five)
led by Emily Murphy who petitioned for an
interpretation of the word "person" as
used in the British North America Act with
specific reference to power to appoint a woman to
the Senate. When the Supreme Court ruled against
them, the women appealed to the privy council who
ruled in 1929 that
women were persons. Nellie was the only woman
appointed to represent Canada at the League of
Nations and the first woman appointed to the
CBC's Board of Governors in 1936. She served in
the Alberta Legislature until her defeat in 1926
when she lost her seat running as a Liberal in
Calgary. Between 1923 and 1926 she lived in
Edmonton during the week and returned home to
Calgary on the weekends. Her book The Stream
Runs Fast documents this period of her life.
On the day after her 1926 defeat Nellie took
comfort in her home and the joys of cooking. She
wrote, "No woman can be utterly cast down
who has a nice bright kitchen facing the west,
with a good gas range and a blue and white
checkered linoleum on the floor... I set off at
once on a perfect debauch of cooking... I'm
ashamed to tell it but I got more comfort that
day out of my cooking spree than I did from
either my philosophy or my religion..."
While residing in her Calgary home she continued
her fight for women's rights. Many of her most
important works were written at a desk in her
second floor bedroom.
- Nellie was fond of
her Calgary home. She referred to the glass
conservatory on the south side as the "Ivy
Room" because of the many trailing plants
she cultivated.
- In 1932 the
McClung's moved to Victoria and in 1934 sold
their Calgary home to Dr. George McGuffin, a
pioneer in the field of radiology. It was
reported that the McClung's sold many of their
possessions to the Doctor, including a large
sleigh bed.
- 1952 - house bought
for $21,000 by Bessie and Percy Smith. Bessie was
the daughter of Carbon pioneer, Adele Cunnington
and first wife of Calgary oilman, Percy Smith.
- During the 1950s
the Smith's made some modifications to the
original structure. The front porch was enclosed
to build a mother - in - law suite which changed
the entrance to 15th Avenue. The northwest corner
was extended to allow for a modern kitchen. In
1957, the upper bedrooms and the basement were
suited and subsequently rented out.
- Mrs. Smith lived in
and maintained the "McClung" house
until her death in 1996. As an ardent supporter
of Nellie McClung, Bessie recognized the historic
significance of the house and successfully
lobbied for designation.
- 1978 - designated a
Provincial Historic Resource.
- 1989 - structural
improvements and re - shingling of the roof with
cedar shakes.
- January 31, 1990 a
fire caused $40,000 damage to the mechanical
system and flooring. This was subsequently
repaired.
- 1997 sold to
McDowell and Associates who plan to restore the
house and the gardens.
|
Nellie McClung House