| Architect : George MacDonald Lang
Contractor:
Day labour
Original
cost: $3,000
Original
owner:
George MacDonald Lang
and his wife Stella
Construction materials:
Red brick laid with
beaded red mortar joints. Pre - cast concrete sills and
lintels. Brick and wood verandah, wooden back porch and
garage.
Architectural style:
Single storey bungalow.
Pyramidal roof. Corbelled chimney. Wooden garage built to
the rear and east of the house. A brick and wooden
verandah runs the full width of the front (south) side of
the house, sheltered by the main roof. At the rear, a
small wooden porch with lower roof shelters the rear
(kitchen) entrance. Outside stairwell at rear leads to an
outside basement entrance.
Original interior
details:
Oak floors, doors and
window frames, plate rail, cornice and baseboard. Oak
framed wainscotting in the living and dining rooms and
faux leather wall covering. Leaded glass windows.
Historical highlights:
- House designed by
architect George MacDonald Lang who owned and
lived in the house from 1911 until his death in
1930.
- building permit
issued to Stella Lang (George's wife) May 3,
1911.
- Lang was active as
an architect and civil engineer in Calgary
between 1904 and the first World War. Born in
Ottawa in 1860, he apprenticed there with Horsey
and Sheard, moving to Manitoba in 1879. He worked
for several years for the Engineering Department
of the Canadian Pacific Railway, Western
Division. In this position he had charge of
track, buildings and bridges between Brandon and
Laggan and Kootenai Landing.
- In 1904 relocated
to Calgary and entered private practice.
- Lang was in
partnership with architects Leo Dowler and later
(1911) Lang and Major. Important works by Lang
include Firehall # 1 (1911), # 2 (1912), # 3
(1913) Ogden Hotel (1912), 1913 Police
Headquarters, Banff School (1913), Central High
School Addition (1915)
- A 1912 biography
listed his achievements. " He has
constructed a large number of churches in
Manitoba, Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan and Medicine
Hat, Alberta, also business blocks in Moose Jaw,
mills at Medicine Hat, the Sanitarium at Frank,
Alberta, the big public school buildings and high
school at Calgary, and a large number of
residences and hotels."
- 1910 married Stella
Bothwell, of Uitenhage, South Africa. Together
they had two daughters and a son.
- Lang was a founding
member of the Alberta Association of Architects
in 1906, serving as president of that
organization 1911 - 1912.
- Lang died in
October 10, 1930 at age 70, after a two year
illness. He was buried in Burnsland Cemetery.
- Just prior to his
illness he was employed by Canadian National
Railways as engineer in charge of all building
activity west of Fort William.
- subsequent owners
included John McCaffary ( President of Madison
Oils) and Edmund Shuttleworth (farmer).
- 1990 - a
development permit to build a 21 unit, 16 storey
condominium tower was approved. As a result of
serious concerns expressed by the Calgary
Municipal Heritage Properties Authority and
Heritage Advisory Board, the Lang house was
successfully incorporated into the proposed
development. The development permit lapsed as a
result of the 1990s market downturn in Calgary.
- 1997 - current
owners are now proposing redevelopment of the
site which will affect the future of the Lang
house.
- Original interior
of the house is substantially intact including
original faux leather wall coverings. The Lang
house may be Alberta's only surviving intact
example of a leading architect's own home for the
pre - World War I era.
Calgary
Henderson's Directories 1911 - 1981
for 228 26th Avenue West
1911 - 1931
George Macdonald Lang
(architect and civil engineer)
1932 - 1947 John
McCaffary
(President of Madison Oils)
1948 - 1958
Edmund Shuttleworth (farmer)
1959 - 1960
Charles Ruddock
(clerk with Peter Bawden Drilling)
1961 - 1980
Emdund Shuttleworth (retired)
1981 Steven
Chase (engineer)
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