| Zeal for development threatens historic church
It appears that important heritage buildings have little or no future in our booming city because development invariably seems to come before heritage here in Calgary.
One has only to look at the recent announcement about the demolition of St. Mary's School and the pending demolition of Penny Lane in downtown Calgary to confirm this trend. Put this alongside the fact that many heritage buildings in the entire East Village will soon be swallowed up by a huge development and one has to wonder what is left.
And now, on an even more gloomy note, it seems that Wesley United Church, on the corner of 14th Avenue and 7th Street S.W., could be the next victim in our drive to put luxury condo towers before local history. Many people are shaking their heads and wondering why this kind of shortsighted activity is permitted here.
This church, which is considered one of Calgary's "cathedrals," was built in 1911, and now development threatens this rich history and the integrity of a stately and commanding building. Wesley United was where Nellie McClung, one of the Famous Five involved in the Person's Case, attended church for year. According to Candace Savage in her book Our Nell, it was a spiritual sanctuary for Nellie and also a place to discuss the issues of the day with other women. Her activities there may have led to or have been crucial in helping to formulate important social reform in our country relating to the rights of women. Now this critical Alberta history is slated for the demolition ball, if the United Church gives in to the ambitions of a developer.
What is creating uncertainty about the future of the building is an August 8, 2002 letter sent by the Wesley United Church council to Minister of Community Development Gene Zwozdesky, requesting that the provincial government de-register the church as a historical resource.
Wesley has been under financial pressure for some time because of a dwindling congregation and the need for expensive renovations. However, it appears that the current church council has not looked seriously at any of the available options other than selling the property to a company whose current redevelopment plan is to retain a portion of the church sanctuary in the base of a new condo tower.
The developer has indicated a desire to name this condo project The Wesley Tower. This, I think, would deeply disturb the church's namesake, the great English Methodist leader John Wesley, who was the founder of Methodism and held a great concern for the spiritual and material welfare of the poor and the needy. He was legendary in England during the 18th century for his long rides by horseback to reach people in remote areas where he would stand out in the open and deliver a sermon to sometimes thousands of people.
This possible demolition serves as a visible reminder as to how little regard some developers have for the history of our city. There is something fundamentally wrong when the drive for profit becomes blind to other important needs in our community. Just look around Calgary and try to find evidence of our past. So little is left and what remains is rapidly being torn down to make way for projects like the one being proposed at Wesley United.
Preserving important historical sites is increasingly becoming a political issue in our society simply because we have so few of them. The provincial government, along with the City of Calgary, could show some progressive leadership in this area by making it more difficult for developers to demolish heritage buildings.
It is apparent that history and culture are intimately linked, and to let valued historic buildings like Wesley United be swept away by the increasing frenzy of success and greed would not only be foolishness, but a colossal mistake on our part as a society. It would be akin to letting treasure seekers walk away with valuable artifacts of our society with the sole purpose of selling them to the highest bidder. Why do we want to sell out such a precious resource? We cannot replace Wesley United once it is gone. |
