Calgary

Boozing at the Palliser, chillin' at the library, calling the Devenish home: Jack Peach's Calgary circa 1912

Here's another audio trip back in time with Jack Peach when Calgarians sipped cocktails on rooftops during earthquakes, the fashionable folks rented luxury apartments that came equipped with reception halls and the central library was a hallmark of civilization.

Explore what the city's historical structures were like in their heyday

Take a step back in time with historian Jack Peach and learn about Calgary's elita circa 1912. (Glenbow Archives)

This story was originally published on Feb. 21, 2016.

Design says Calgary at a crossroads.

Time for another trip down memory lane. Jack Peach takes us to three buildings that made Calgary hip and cool a hundred odd years ago.

Buildings you can still visit today — a place to wet your whistle, a place to call home and a place to explore the wonders of the world when our city was just a patch on the Prairies.

Jack Peach, legendary raconteur recorded these segments for the the CBC back in the late 1970s. Each based off his long memories of our city.

 

 

 

The Devenish 

 

(Glenbow Archives)

 

Apartment living in all its 1911 glory. The Devenish, now home to shops, was once home to fashionable Calgarians offering 57 luxury suites and the very latest in high-tech gadgets like gas ranges and hot air dryers.

Calgary Historian talks about a beautiful apartment building off 17th Avenue.

 

The Palliser  

 

(Glenbow Archives)

 

Roof-top sun rooms where early Calgary cocktail sipping sophisticates whiled away the hours, and an earthquake. The Palliser hotel is one of our city's best known landmarks. It's got a long history, but it didn't always look the way it does now.

Calgary Historian recounts a time of decadence and indulgence atop the iconic Palliser hotel at the outdoor sun room.

 

Memorial Park Library

 

(Glenbow Archives)

 

Dusting off your imagination, Jack Peach tells us how what's called the Memorial Park Library represented the world of make believe and how it helped to launch his career as a writer.

Calgary Historian shares some of his earliest memories of the Centennial Library.

CBC Calgary's special focus on life in our city during the downturn. A look at Calgary's culture, identity and what it means to be Calgarian. Read more stories from the series at Calgary at a Crossroads.