Southam Building facts for kids
The Southam Building was a tall office building in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. It had ten floors and was built between 1912 and 1913. This building was a great example of a style called Gothic Revival architecture. For many years, from 1913 to 1932, it was home to the Calgary Daily Herald newspaper. Because of this, people often called it the Herald Building. Later, it became a bus station for Greyhound Lines and was known as the Greyhound Building. The Southam Building was taken down in 1972.
The Southam Building was one of two buildings built at the same time by the Southam Company in that area of Calgary. The other building was called the Southam Chambers.
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The Southam Building: A Historic Calgary Landmark
How the Building Was Built
The spot where the Southam Building stood was first home to the First Baptist Church. The first church was built in 1901 but burned down in 1904. A new church was built soon after, this time using white bricks. When the church needed more space, the land was sold to the Southam Company. This company had bought the Calgary Daily Herald newspaper in 1908.
The company hired an architectural firm from Montreal called Brown and Vallance. They designed the new building to be the newspaper's main office. This same firm also designed another important building in Calgary, the Canada Life Assurance Building. Work on the Southam Building started in June 1912. The building officially opened its doors on December 13, 1913.
Unique Design and Famous Gargoyles
The Southam Building was made with special materials like terra cotta, light brown bricks, and sandstone. It was one of only a few buildings in Calgary built in the Gothic Revival style. This style often includes decorative elements that look like old castles or cathedrals.
A British company called Royal Doulton was asked to create eight special statues for the building. These statues were called gargoyles and they decorated the west side of the building. Each gargoyle looked like a different person who worked at a newspaper. Their names were "The Architect," "The Other Architect," "The Editor," "The Sub-Editor," "The Steno," "The Cleaning Woman," "The Printer's Devil," and "The Typesetter." When the building was taken down in 1972, these unique gargoyles were saved. Today, you can see them on the walls of the Alberta Hotel in Calgary.
Who Lived and Worked There?
The main business in the Southam Building was the Calgary Herald newspaper. But other offices were also rented out. Dentists and doctors had their practices there. Even a radio station called CFAC was located on the top floor. A dentist named Frank Sandercock worked in the building during the 1920s and early 1930s.
In 1933, the Calgary Herald newspaper moved to the Southam Chambers building. After that, the Greyhound Bus Lines company bought the Southam Building. They used it as a bus station until the building was taken down in 1972.
