The sandstone mansion at 707 13 Avenue SW in the Calgary Beltline is one of the most consequential pieces of residential real estate in Alberta political history. Built in 1891 by Sir James Alexander Lougheed, the house known as Beaulieu became the operational base for three generations of one of the most influential families in western Canadian politics. The grandson born and raised partly in this house would later serve four terms as Premier of Alberta.
Who Sir James Lougheed was
James Lougheed arrived in Calgary in 1883 as a young Ontario lawyer drawn west by the railway boom. He bought and developed downtown real estate, built a thriving legal practice, married Isabella Hardisty (a granddaughter of a Hudson’s Bay Company factor), and entered federal politics. He was appointed to the Canadian Senate in 1889 at age thirty-five, becoming the first Albertan senator. He served in the Senate for thirty-five years until his death in 1925.
In 1891, two years after his Senate appointment, Lougheed and his wife built the sandstone mansion they called Beaulieu (the French phrase meaning beautiful place). The architect was James C. Bowes, a Calgary practitioner who designed several major sandstone residences in the late nineteenth century.
What the house contained
- Three storeys plus a basement and attic, finished in cut Paskapoo sandstone.
- A main hall, formal drawing room, library, dining room, and breakfast room on the ground floor.
- Bedrooms and a master suite on the second floor.
- Servants’ quarters in the attic.
- A coach house and stable on the back of the property.
The house was the largest private residence in Calgary at the time of construction and remained one of the largest until well into the twentieth century. It hosted federal cabinet meetings during Lougheed’s career, dinner parties for visiting dignitaries, and the early childhood of the next generation of the Lougheed family.
The political dynasty the house produced
The Lougheed family is the longest-running political dynasty in Alberta history. Beyond Sir James in the Senate, the family produced:
- Peter Lougheed, grandson of Sir James, Premier of Alberta from 1971 to 1985.
- Several federal Senate and House of Commons connections through later generations.
- A continuing presence in Alberta legal, business, and civic life.
Peter Lougheed spent part of his early childhood living at Beaulieu with his grandmother. The house is documented as part of his personal political formation in his own memoirs and biographies.
The residence was designated a Provincial Historic Resource on November 29, 1977, and is listed on the Canadian Register of Historic Places as Site ID 5147. The same site received separate designation as a National Historic Site of Canada in 1992 under the name Beaulieu.
A heritage buff opinion on Beaulieu
Most Alberta heritage sites are public buildings, fur trade posts, or working sites. Beaulieu is something different. It is a private residence that became a centre of political life and stayed in continuous family use for more than seventy years.
The decision to preserve the house rather than redevelop the parcel is one of the better heritage decisions the City of Calgary and the Province of Alberta have made. The Beltline neighbourhood around the house has been almost entirely rebuilt over the last fifty years. Mid-rise condos and commercial blocks now surround the original lot. Beaulieu sits in the middle of that redevelopment as a deliberate island of preserved residential history.
The house is currently operated as a museum and event space. If you happen to be in the Beltline, the walk past 707 13 Avenue SW is short and the building is one of the most photographed heritage residences in the province for a reason. A mansion that produced a premier is unusual real estate. The fact that it still stands is the part of the story most Calgarians take for granted.
Related reading from the series. The A.E. Cross House and the Big Four Calgarian who funded the first Stampede. Stephen Avenue and how Calgary built its sandstone spine.
