Hundreds of Calgary’s historic sites are at your fingertips

Calgary is loaded with history and that history is at your fingertips — and no, we don’t mean Google. 

The city is making what’s old new again with a refresh to the Heritage Inventory Map, which is loaded with information about over 800 historic sites in Calgary. 

This enhanced map was designed by the City of Calgary in tandem with Heritage Calgary, and combines the best of both worlds, merging the Discover Historic Calgary map and the Heritage Inventory into one easy-to-use map tool now dubbed the Inventory of Evaluated Historic Resources Map. 

“With the map enhancements, Calgarians can find and access information about over 800 evaluated historic resources in an easier and more dynamic way,” City of Calgary acting director for the Calgary Growth Strategy Josh White says. 

Here’s what you can do with this new tool 

The map’s new features are mobile-friendly and include improved search and download capabilities to make finding historic sites easier, and the ability to choose aerial photos of different time periods and visually compare them to see how an area changed over time. 

There is also better visual accessibility that helps identify historic sites by colour codes that can be seen by those experiencing colour-blindness.

The inventory has over 800 evaluated resources of historical significance. 

Many listings have a Statement of Significance that has a description of the resource, its heritage value, character-defining elements, dates of significance and additional heritage value information. 

You can also find information about occupants and owners of the resource, and new information about the resource name rationale, which is great for history buffs, says Heritage Calgary CEO Josh Traptow. 

 “We are very excited to add more historical depth to our inventory resource and add features that improve the use of the inventory,” he says. 

“Knowing the historic significance of a location, landscape, or building adds to the richness of our understanding of Calgary.” 

Impressing even the most knowledgeable historians while helping homebuyers 

The map’s enhancements have excited some of the site’s most frequent visitors, including historian and writer Harry Sanders. 

“These are features that I didn’t even know I needed,” Sanders says. 

“To me, telling the stories of our past has to be rooted in facts and details that help us understand the significance of a place. The new features make it that much easier to find and download the best available site-specific research and analysis.” 

This new tool has many uses, though, and developers and potential home buyers will also be able to utilize the map to identify sites marked as historic resources in their neighbourhood of interest. 

“This inventory is a hidden gem. More people need to visit it,” Calgary realtor Halyna Tataryn says. 

She specializes in marketing and selling heritage and unique homes in the city and says she refers to the Inventory when trying to better understand the history of Calgary’s communities. 

“It’s a myth that renovating a designated heritage home is impossible. I host seminars about owning and renovating heritage homes for both owners and realtors, and I use this map throughout my sessions.” 

Learn more about and explore the Inventory of Evaluated Historic Resources Map.