Burns Manor
Encyclopedia
Burns Manor was the Calgary
residence of Senator Pat Burns, a successful businessman who founded Burns Meat. It was located in the Beltline District of Calgary, Alberta
on 4th Street between 13th and 14th Avenue. Construction started in 1900 and was completed in 1903. The property was torn down in 1956 to make room for an expansion of the Belcher Hospital.
of Victoria, British Columbia
to design the building. Burns was familiar with Rattenbury as they were close friends and business associates. Thomas Underwood
, who would go on to serve as Mayor of Calgary, was contracted out for construction.
The exterior was primarily sandstone which was brought in from the Shaganappi Quarry and was cut on location. Lumber for the project was milled at Colonel Walker's sawmill. Sash and solid oak doors were supplied by W.H.Cushing mills. Total cost of construction was somewhere between $32,000 - $40,000 with additional funds spent on landscaping, land, and furnishing.
with both Arts and Crafts and Chateau motifs. It was once described as "a mixture of French Chateau and Irish castle." Symmetrical in design, it had steeply pitched gables, ornate sandstone carvings of gargoyles and coats of arms. The extensively landscaped property, surrounded by a low stone wall, resembled an English country garden.
When Alberta became a province in 1905, a reception was held at Burns Manor for Sir Wilfrid Laurier
and Lady Laurier
. Over the years the Burns' entertained members of the royal family, aristocrats, authors and politicians. At the height of the boom in 1911 the mansion and property were valued at $150,000.
Following Patrick Burns death in February 1937 the house stood empty for two years. In 1939 it was leased to Mrs. L. Barber to house " 20 bachelor boarders." During the war years the Department of Veterans Affairs took over the house and used it as a convalescent home.
In May 1955 Mrs. A. H. Turney, President of the Colonel Belcher Hospital Women's Auxiliary led an unsuccessful attempt to save the "historical landmark" from demolition lobbying the Department of Veterans Affairs and the City of Calgary. The Auxiliary wanted to use the residence as a club and canteen for the DVA patients.
In May 1956 the mansion was demolished by Bill Wearmouth to " allow access to the new entrance of the Colonel Belcher Hospital." A sign on the lawn indicated "Salvage for Sale." Calgarians hauled away oak mantles, staircases, panelling, sandstone and tiles. City workers moved sandstone from the demolished mansion to the hillside at the north end of Riley Park and in June 1956 construction began on the Senator Patrick Burns Memorial Gardens.
Present day the site houses the Sheldon M. Chumir Centre
.
Calgary
Calgary is a city in the Province of Alberta, Canada. It is located in the south of the province, in an area of foothills and prairie, approximately east of the front ranges of the Canadian Rockies...
residence of Senator Pat Burns, a successful businessman who founded Burns Meat. It was located in the Beltline District of Calgary, 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...
on 4th Street between 13th and 14th Avenue. Construction started in 1900 and was completed in 1903. The property was torn down in 1956 to make room for an expansion of the Belcher Hospital.
Construction
Pat Burns commissioned the house to be built in 1900. He hired his friend, Francis RattenburyFrancis Rattenbury
Francis Mawson Rattenbury was an architect born in England, although most of his career was spent in British Columbia, Canada where he designed many notable buildings. Divorced amid scandal, he was murdered in England at the age of 68 by his second wife's lover.- Architectural career :Rattenbury...
of Victoria, British Columbia
Victoria, British Columbia
Victoria is the capital city of British Columbia, Canada and is located on the southern tip of Vancouver Island off Canada's Pacific coast. The city has a population of about 78,000 within the metropolitan area of Greater Victoria, which has a population of 360,063, the 15th most populous Canadian...
to design the building. Burns was familiar with Rattenbury as they were close friends and business associates. Thomas Underwood
Thomas Underwood
Thomas Underwood was a building developer and the 13th mayor of Calgary, Alberta.Born in Asfordby, Leicestershire, England in 1863, Underwood emigrated to Canada in early adulthood. A carpenter by trade, he arrived in Winnipeg, Manitoba in 1883. At first, he worked as a farm hand...
, who would go on to serve as Mayor of Calgary, was contracted out for construction.
The exterior was primarily sandstone which was brought in from the Shaganappi Quarry and was cut on location. Lumber for the project was milled at Colonel Walker's sawmill. Sash and solid oak doors were supplied by W.H.Cushing mills. Total cost of construction was somewhere between $32,000 - $40,000 with additional funds spent on landscaping, land, and furnishing.
Style
Burns Manor was built in the Neo-Gothic styleGothic Revival architecture
The Gothic Revival is an architectural movement that began in the 1740s in England...
with both Arts and Crafts and Chateau motifs. It was once described as "a mixture of French Chateau and Irish castle." Symmetrical in design, it had steeply pitched gables, ornate sandstone carvings of gargoyles and coats of arms. The extensively landscaped property, surrounded by a low stone wall, resembled an English country garden.
Interior Details
The interior contained eighteen rooms including ten bedrooms, four bathrooms and a conservatory. There was extensive use of fine eastern hardwood. Oak was used for doors, panelling, cornices, floors and fireplace mantles. Rooms were finished in quarter-cut oak. Furnishings were imported from England.History
Construction began on the twenty lot site in July 1900. Rattenbury wrote his mother from the Alberta Hotel in Calgary on July 26, "we are laying out the lines of his [Burns] new house." By October the stone foundation was completed. Burns and his bride were married September 4, 1901 in London, England. On their return to Calgary in August they took up residence in the Alberta Hotel where they remained until the house was completed, considerably behind schedule, in January 1903. Head Gardener, William Reader and his wife lived in the coach house on the property until he left Burns' employ and in 1912 became Calgary's Superintendent of Parks. William Mayhew was the resident gardener from 1917 to 1937.When Alberta became a province in 1905, a reception was held at Burns Manor for Sir Wilfrid Laurier
Wilfrid Laurier
Sir Wilfrid Laurier, GCMG, PC, KC, baptized Henri-Charles-Wilfrid Laurier was the seventh Prime Minister of Canada from 11 July 1896 to 6 October 1911....
and Lady Laurier
Zoé Laurier
Zoé Lafontaine, Lady Laurier was the wife of Sir Wilfrid Laurier, the seventh Prime Minister of Canada. They married at Marie-Reine-du Monde, Montreal, Quebec on August 13, 1868. The union was childless. She died, aged 79, in 1921.A lounge in the Château Laurier was named in her honour. She was...
. Over the years the Burns' entertained members of the royal family, aristocrats, authors and politicians. At the height of the boom in 1911 the mansion and property were valued at $150,000.
Following Patrick Burns death in February 1937 the house stood empty for two years. In 1939 it was leased to Mrs. L. Barber to house " 20 bachelor boarders." During the war years the Department of Veterans Affairs took over the house and used it as a convalescent home.
Destruction
On July 30, 1941 the Department of Pensions and Health was authorized to purchase the property and construction of a new hospital began a year later. Burns' large sandstone residence was included in the purchase and used as part of the new hospital facilities.In May 1955 Mrs. A. H. Turney, President of the Colonel Belcher Hospital Women's Auxiliary led an unsuccessful attempt to save the "historical landmark" from demolition lobbying the Department of Veterans Affairs and the City of Calgary. The Auxiliary wanted to use the residence as a club and canteen for the DVA patients.
In May 1956 the mansion was demolished by Bill Wearmouth to " allow access to the new entrance of the Colonel Belcher Hospital." A sign on the lawn indicated "Salvage for Sale." Calgarians hauled away oak mantles, staircases, panelling, sandstone and tiles. City workers moved sandstone from the demolished mansion to the hillside at the north end of Riley Park and in June 1956 construction began on the Senator Patrick Burns Memorial Gardens.
Present day the site houses the Sheldon M. Chumir Centre
Sheldon M. Chumir Centre
The Sheldon M. Chumir Centre is a health centre located in Calgary, Alberta. The facility is administered by the Calgary Zone of Alberta Health Services...
.