Burns Manor, Manor house in Beltline District, Calgary, Canada
Burns Manor was a symmetrical Neo-Gothic sandstone residence at 510 13th Avenue S.W. in Calgary's Beltline District, built 1900–1903. Its steeply pitched gables carried carved sandstone gargoyles and coats of arms, mixing Arts and Crafts and Chateau motifs; a contemporary called it "a mixture of French Chateau and Irish castle." The sandstone came from the Shaganappi Quarry and was cut on site.
Construction took place from July 1900 to January 1903, designed by architect Francis Rattenbury for businessman Patrick Burns. It represented the kind of grand residential architecture that emerged as Calgary grew into a prosperous business center.
The house had eighteen rooms, including ten bedrooms, four bathrooms and a conservatory, finished in quarter-cut oak. Furnishings were imported from England. When Alberta became a province in 1905, the Burns held a reception there for Sir Wilfrid Laurier and Lady Laurier.
The site at 510 13th Avenue S.W. is now occupied by the Sheldon M. Chumir Health Centre, so there is no manor to visit. Sandstone from the demolished house was moved to the north end of Riley Park, where the Senator Patrick Burns Memorial Gardens were begun in June 1956.
After the May 1956 demolition, a lawn sign read "Salvage for Sale" and Calgarians carried off oak mantles, staircases, panelling, sandstone and tiles. City workers moved the mansion's sandstone to the north end of Riley Park, where construction of the Senator Patrick Burns Memorial Gardens began in June 1956.
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