Calgary Lougheed House turns 125 with garden party, style

Calgarians marked the 125th anniversary of the historic Lougheed House Saturday afternoon with a massive garden party, music, comedians and even a peek at what blushing brides wore from 1880 to the present.

"For Calgary, not a lot of things get to be 125 years old," the house's executive director said.

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"It reminds us of what the Lougheeds were all about. They supported the community, they supported artists. They really contributed to the growth of Calgary and this community so we wanted to acknowledge that," Kirstin Evenden explained.

She said the event was, in part, to connect the past with the present.

"Amazingly, 125 years ago they had electricity and hot and cold running water. So that is the same," Evenden said.

"The fact that we are still here in the community, that is exciting. When you think about the story and the history of Alberta, it is a story of resilience and a story of people coming and making their life happen here on the prairies. For me that story, which happened in the 1890s, still resonated with us today."

Cristina Pop liked what she saw inside and outside of the home.

"This house has lots of history," Pop said.

"It is really interesting to learn about the past. The owners used to throw garden parties here. It is wonderful."

William Hattersley was in Calgary visiting his daughter. He's from York, England.

"It's very good, the house is beautiful, the stained glass windows are perfect which I like. I am surprised it hasn't been demolished and apartments made of it," Hattersley said.

Katrine Foellmer enjoyed the educational aspect.

"I love costumes. I have been to a lot of other costume museums," Foellmer said.

"I find that how they have presented it, it's nicely set up. They have got good information plaques."

Her friend Annamaria Kulcsar says the house brings history alive.

"For me it is interesting because I come from Europe where everything is much older but this shows how a city developed," Kulcsar said.

"It reminds me of a family who lived here and it transports me back to a great time. It is really well preserved. I am very happy to see that people gave time and effort and money to preserve something that is part of the history of a city."

Matt Masters, who organized the party, said it's about honouringthe famous family who once lived in the house.

"[They were] Calgarians who cared about culture more than anything. The Lougheed family is known for politics but they were big supporters of culture," Master said.

"What we really wanted to do today was give the neighbourhood a chance to engage the park, engage the house. Just to be on the scene and celebrate a community event the way they did 125 years ago."

Natalie Fagnan sang at Peter Lougheed's memorial service in 2012.

"Peter Lougheed has a huge influence on our culture. He was a great supporter of Calgary Opera," Fagnan said.

"It is kind of a blast from the past, it has a Heritage Park feel to it, you don't feel like you are in 2016. It is a taste of what Calgary was back in the day."

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