Calgary's Central Memorial Park
A Level Site, Rich in Layers of Western Canadian History
Calgary's oldest work of public art is found in the city's first public garden. A level site with easy access from all sides, this Park is pleasant and peaceful by day.
The city of Calgary, Alberta is typical of many towns and cities in Canada and the United States in some aspects of its history and design. How often have you heard, "The railroad brought a settlement boom"? For Calgary, that happened in the mid-1880s. The little prairie town suddenly started to grow, and along the way it gained some of the features that will be familiar to many visitors.
Calgary's Central Memorial Park is sometimes called Central Park and also Memorial Park. It is found at 1221 - 2nd Street SW in the Beltline district. By day this is a pleasant, open location with a reasonable amount of pedestrian traffic, particularly when the Memorial Park Library on the site is open. After dark many people avoid the site, which is unfortunate but probably good advice.
Despite that warning note, the Park is a welcoming and beautiful open space. The formal gardens still maintain much of their original formal English character, dating from the early 20th century. The palm trees which once were planted here, and the bandstand where Calgarians used to be entertained of a Sunday afternoon, are no longer with us, but the lawns and flowerbeds still provide pleasant avenues for strolling. It's easy to imagine families turning out for a pleasant get-together on a sunny day, band music playing, children romping on the grass, and couples strolling along the paths.
Over time, several pieces of commemorative statuary have been added. The focal point of the Park is the Cenotaph at the west end. Remembrance Day wreaths are laid here on November 11th annually, and at various days of the year groups come to formally pay their respects. In recent years there has been some energy put into making Central Memorial Park more of a festival site, and occasionally on weekends there are organized events here. Typically these are open to everyone, with a "the more, the merrier" attitude.
The memorials in the Park vary in size. The large statue of a man on horseback is the South African (or Boer) War Memorial by the French-Canadian artist Louis-Phillipe Hebert. This was Hebert's last work, and his only equestrian statue. It is Calgary's first notable piece of public art and was unveiled in 1912. This statue has many other historical connections and is rich in significance.
Memorial Park Library is an historic building, featuring the Paskapoo sandstone blocks so characteristic of Calgary's early surviving buildings.
The Park is located on a flat site and has outdoor benches. It can be reached by a short walk from downtown and is also accessible by bus. There is on-street meter parking. Memorial Park Library has washrooms. There is a restaurant on 12th Avenue SW one block east of the Park. A little further away, the area from 17th Avenue SW to 25th Avenue SW on 4th Street SW has a number of cafes and restaurants.
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