Belgravia, Edmonton
Encyclopedia
Edmonton
Edmonton is the capital of the Canadian province of Alberta and is the province's second-largest city. Edmonton is located on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Capital Region, which is surrounded by the central region of the province.The city and its census...
, Alberta
Alberta
Alberta is a province of Canada. It had an estimated population of 3.7 million in 2010 making it the most populous of Canada's three prairie provinces...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
south west of the University of Alberta
University of Alberta
The University of Alberta is a public research university located in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. Founded in 1908 by Alexander Cameron Rutherford, the first premier of Alberta and Henry Marshall Tory, its first president, it is widely recognized as one of the best universities in Canada...
main campus. Named after the fasionable Belgravia
Belgravia
Belgravia is a district of central London in the City of Westminster and the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. Noted for its immensely expensive residential properties, it is one of the wealthiest districts in the world...
area of 19th century London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, the neighborhood was once the southern terminus
Terminal Station
Terminal Station is a 1953 film by Italian director Vittorio De Sica. It tells the story of the love affair between an Italian man and an American woman. The film was entered into the 1953 Cannes Film Festival.-Production:...
of the Edmonton Radial Railway
Edmonton Radial Railway
The Edmonton Radial Railway was a streetcar service that operated in Edmonton, Alberta from 1908 to 1951.In 1893 an ordinance was passed permitting Edmonton to construct and operate a tramway...
.
On the west, Belgravia overlooks the North Saskatchewan River
North Saskatchewan River
The North Saskatchewan River is a glacier-fed river that flows east from the Canadian Rockies to central Saskatchewan. It is one of two major rivers that join to make up the Saskatchewan River....
valley. The southern boundary is Belgravia Road, and the southwest portion of the neighbourhood overlooks Fox Drive. The north boundary between Saskatchewan Drive and 118 Street is University Avenue. From 118 Street, the neighbourhood boundary runs in a south easterly direction to the intersection of 114 Street and 76 Avenue. The eastern boundary between 76 Avenue and Belgravie Road is 114 Street. Surrounding neighbourhoods are Windsor Park
Windsor Park, Edmonton
Windsor Park is a south central neighbourhood in the City of Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. It is located immediately to the west of the University of Alberta north campus and overlooking the North Saskatchewan River valley to the north, west, and south west...
to the north, the University of Alberta to the north east, McKernan to the east, Parkallen to the south east, and the Neil Crawford Centre and University of Alberta Farm to the south. Beyond Fox Drive to the south west is the neighbourhood of Grandview Heights
Grandview Heights, Edmonton
Grandview Heights is a residential neighbourhood in south west Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. It is built on land owned by the McCauley family in the 1880s....
.
Residential development
Three out of four residences in Belgravia are owner occupied, with roughly four out of five residences being built prior to 19611961 in Canada
- Incumbents :* Monarch: Elizabeth II* Governor General: Georges Vanier* Prime Minister: John Diefenbaker* Premier of Alberta: Ernest Manning* Premier of British Columbia: W.A.C...
. The majority of residences (72%) are single family dwellings. The average household size is 2.4 people, with two out of three households having one or two people.
Shopping and services
Belgravia shares the convenience of a small neighborhood commercial area, located at the intersection of 76 Avenue and 115 Street, with the adjacent McKernan neighborhood. This strip consists of three lots with two buildings, and the empty lot has been turned into a garden/green space with numerous large iron sculptures, many of which have been vandalized.The corner building was built in 1948 of wood construction with stucco exterior, and consisted of two commercial bays on the main floor and three apartments on the second level. Originally, the southernmost bay was home to Rogers' drug store (the Rogers lived on the second floor) and the northernmost bay hosted Pridmore's Meat Shop. When the meat store closed down in the mid-1950s, the drug store took over the rest of the space and operated until 1976.
The middle building was built in the mid-1950s with a concrete foundation and cinder-block wall construction. It was originally home to Purpur's Groceries, which operated as a full grocery until the Bateman's IGA opened a few blocks down 76 Avenue in McKernan. The store was renamed to Sunlight Foodland and operated as a neighborhood convenience store until being renamed "Mckernan food festival". The convenience store went out of business in 2009, and is now used as an education building. The front portion of this building is now the current home of the second hand bookstore and antiquariat Belgravia Books & Treasures. The south building houses the Gracious Goods Cafe.
Transportation
Belgravia is one of two neighborhoods served by the new McKernan/Belgravia LRTEdmonton Light Rail Transit
Edmonton Light Rail Transit, more commonly referred to as the LRT, is a light rail system in Edmonton, Alberta. Part of the Edmonton Transit System , the 20.5-kilometre route starts in Edmonton's northeast suburbs and ends at Century Park in Edmonton's south end.The ETS designates the LRT as Route...
Station. The station was officially opened on April 25, 2009, with regular service commencing on April 26, 2009.