Downtown Commercial in Calgary in Calgary Metropolitan Region, Alberta — Canada’s Prairie Region (North America)

North-West Travellers Building

Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, June 29, 2022

1. North-West Travellers Building Marker

Inscription.
In the boom years before World War I, many eastern companies established manufacturers' agents in the major western cities and employed salesmen to travel the region. The North-West Travellers Building, built in 1913, served as a centre for them. The North-West Commercial Travellers' Association of Canada had its offices on the ground floor, and operated a large club on the top floor offering space for the needs of visiting salesmen. The depression of the 1930s brought a dramatic decrease in the number of salesmen visiting the city, and the Commercial High School took over the upper floors. Calgary's Public Museum set up its displays on the ground floor. In 1949 the Salvation Army acquired the building for use as a Social Service Centre and its Thrift Shop.

Erected 1995 by Heritage Advisory Board of the City of Calgary.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Architecture • Charity & Public Work • Education • Industry & Commerce. A significant historical year for this entry is 1913.

Location. 51° 2.878′ N, 114° 3.633′ W. Marker is in Calgary, Alberta, in Calgary Metropolitan Region.

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It is in Downtown Commercial. It is on 1 Street Southeast (Macleod Trail) just south of 5 Avenue Southeast, on the right when traveling south. Marker is mounted at eye-level, directly on the subject building, just to the right of the east/front entrance. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 515 1 Street Southeast, Calgary AB T2G 2G6, Canada. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in Alberta’s Calgary Area.

It is also in the Prairies.

Globally, it is in North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once a British colony

and also Rupert’s Land.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Cathedral Church of the Redeemer (about 150 meters away, measured in a direct line); a different marker also named Cathedral Church of the Redeemer (about 150 meters away); This Cairn is Erected to Commemorate the Following (about 150 meters away); Raoul Wallenberg Corner (approx. 0.3 kilometers away); Doll Block (approx. 0.3 kilometers away); Thomson Block ~ 1893 (approx. 0.3 kilometers

Marker detail: North-West Travellers Building, c.1934 image. Click for full size.

2. Marker detail: North-West Travellers Building, c.1934

away); Calgary City Hall (approx. 0.3 kilometers away); Calgary World War Memorial (approx. 0.3 kilometers away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Calgary.

Regarding North-West Travellers Building.

From "Historic Downtown Calgary" walking tour brochure:
This building was originally built to house commercial travellers’ offices, sample rooms and the Commercial Club. Additional tenants included both federal and provincial departments. By 1926, the major tenant was the Calgary School Board’s Commercial High School and the Calgary Public Museum. Then for two years, 1943-1945, the YWCA’s Service Women’s Centre occupied the facilities and in 1945 the building was converted to a residential hotel, the Hotel Bliss. By 1948, it was a Salvation Army Social Service Centre.

Also see . . . North-West Travellers Building.

The North-West Travellers Building is a four-storey red brick building in the Edwardian Classical Style. Its construction of reinforced cast-in-place concrete is unique for a four-storey building of this type and time frame, while its facade and interior contain some excellent illustrations of later Edwardian
Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, June 29, 2022

3. North-West Travellers Building Marker
(marker is mounted on right side of east/front entrance)
Classicism. The building reflects the evolving commercial relationships between the booming city of Calgary and its rural hinterland, and between Alberta and the rest of Canada at the turn of the twentieth century.

(Submitted on April 27, 2023, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)

North-West Travellers Building (<i>east/front elevation</i>) image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, June 29, 2022

4. North-West Travellers Building (east/front elevation)

North-West Travellers Building (<i>southeast elevation</i>) image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, June 29, 2022

5. North-West Travellers Building (southeast elevation)

Credits. This page was last revised on April 27, 2023. It was originally submitted on April 23, 2023, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. This page has been viewed 687 times since then and 18 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. submitted on April 26, 2023, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.