The intersection at 17th Avenue and 14th Street S.W. has seen multiple fires, cars colliding with the sides of buildings and a seemingly never-ending cycle of for-lease signs. Now, a developer is hoping to restore the corner to the retail and community hub it once was.
The audio version of this article is generated by text-to-speech, a technology based on artificial intelligence. A streetcar crashed into the Crooks Drugstore at the corner of 17th Avenue and 14th Street S.
W. in 1919. The intersection at 17th Avenue and 14th Street S.W. has seen multiple fires, cars colliding with the sides of buildings and a seemingly never-ending cycle of for-lease signs. “It's sort of like a bad luck corner, if you think about it,” said Cynthia Klaassen, the heritage resources program manager with Heritage Calgary. The corner acts as a gateway from downtown to the southwest quadrant of the city, connecting the communities of Sunalta, Beltline, Lower Mount Royal, Bankview and Scarboro. In recent years, however, it has become notorious for being dangerous, with a two-car crash earlier this year sending one vehicle through the window of a local business. But the corner hasn't always been ill-fated. It was once a vibrant part of the city, housing local shops and serving as one of the first main streets visitors would have strolled in the early 20th century.A 20th-century retail hot spotpodcast host Jenny Howe.LISTEN | The 'curse' of 17th Avenue and 14th Street ... and the man hoping to break it:At the west end of 17th Avenue SW lies one of Calgary's most notorious intersections — a corner where businesses struggle and vibrancy dulls. We explore the history of 14th Street and 17th Avenue’s persistent challenges, and meet the man who believes he can finally transform this troubled corner for good. These included the Isabella Block , built by pioneering rancher and real estate developer Walter Nimmons, and named after his wife. Soon to follow was a Bank of Nova Scotia, which Klaassen said helped establish the banking industry in the area. “Ever since Calgary was first settled as a city, it was always a prominent retail intersection,” Klaassen said. One of the most iconic structures on the corner was Condon Block, which became known as “Jimmie’s Corner” after prominent entrepreneur and philanthropist Jimmie Condon. Condon Block, built by Calgary entrepreneur and philanthropist Jimmie Condon, was one of the most recognizable buildings on the corner of 17th Avenue and 14th Street. After immigrating to Calgary from Greece in 1910, Condon opened the Mount Royal Tearoom in 1913, expanding it after a fire burned the initial structure. A second fire destroyed the building in the 1960s, which Condon replaced with a Mediterranean-style building known for its bright blue pagoda-style roof. Klaassen said the building’s colours were a way to acknowledge his Greek heritage and his love for the city.The momentum generated through Condon Block and Nimmons Corner has stalled in recent years, with many businesses popping up, then being forced to close months after opening due to a lack of foot traffic.“I don't believe in curses or witchcraft or any of that other kind of fun stuff,” he said. “What I do believe in, though, is I believe in logistics and impediments. And we have several logistics and impediments in this specific intersection.” Those include the uphill slope of the street, which can reduce walkability, and the lack of space for businesses to build out their storefronts and attract customers, he said. Lonardelli, CEO of Arlington Street Investments, is on a mission to revitalize not just the corner in question but also several locations along the Red Mile, extending from the Stampede Grounds to 14th Street. In 2018, his companyFrank Lonardelli, CEO of Arlington Street Investments, says he doesn't believe the intersection is cursed, but it faces several impediments such as walkability and access to local businesses. Since then, the company has worked with the city to rezone the area, creating eight different mixed-use redevelopment sites, Lonardelli said.Part of that vision involved demolishing Condon Block in October. Although Lonardelli said he knows many in the area were sad to see the building go, he believes Condon Block's time was up. “That property served that community over a long period of time, but as the city gets gentrified and there's more density in the downtown core and the zoning changes take place, lands require different services.”more than 300 mixed-use residential units, plus add 14,000 square feet of retail space. He hopes densifying the intersection will be the “catalyst” for improving the whole community.While Klaassen wishes more could have been done to preserve the site, she ultimately hopes the changes will re-energize the corner. “I think it will remain a vibrant corner that it is, particularly if you've got more people living there,” she said. “There's going to be an ongoing need for banking, shops, restaurants — everything else that people need for their day-to-day life.”Kelsea Arnett is a reporter with CBC Calgary and part of the 2025 CBC News Summer Scholarship cohort. She worked as a researcher for CBC during the 2023 Alberta provincial election and previously worked as a reporter for the Globe and Mail. You can reach her at kelsea.arnett@cbc.ca.
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