Built in 1913, the Ogden Block has has been the home to many in its 110 year history. For the first few years of the buildings existence the Hong Lee Laundry operated out of the storefront while also serving as a boarding house for Chinese immigrants [5]. From around 1916-1918 the building may have been used by the Ogden Military Convalescent Hospital, housing injured and disabled veterans [6]. From 1922 until 2021 the building had switched owners over a dozen times, seeing use as a family home and as a rental property [5,6]. In 2021 the City of Calgary purchased the building, and although the Ogden Block has cultural and historical value, it does not meet the requirements to be a protected. As a consequence, it is set to be demolished to make way for the proposed Green Line Transit System [5,6].
Region:
Southwest Alberta
Field Documentation:
September 28, 2022
Field Documentation Type:
Terrestrial LiDAR
Culture:
Chinese
Historic Period:
1913CE
Latitude:
50.989343
Longitude:
-114.000297
Datum Type:
Threat Level
Calgary’s Chinatowns
During the middle of the 19th century, the California Gold Rush and the Fraser Gold Rush encouraged many young Chinese men to immigrate to North America in search of riches and a better life for themselves and their families back home [1]. A second influx of around 10,000 Chinese immigrants came in the early 1880’s with the construction of the Canadian Pacific Railway’s east-west line [1]. During these early days of immigration entry into the country was free. However, by 1895 the federal government enacted a $50 head tax for Chinese immigrants, this tax would double in 1902 and in 1903 it increased tenfold [2]. In 1885, the CPR was completed which left thousands of Chinese laborer’s without jobs, spurring many to search for work in other Provinces [3]. The social atmosphere and legislation led Chinese immigrants to occupy their own areas within the towns and cities they resided in – these areas are commonly known as Chinatowns [4].
Calgary’s Chinatown Locations, 1900’s. Source: David Chuenyan Lai 1988: 88.
It was not until 1895-1896 that Calgary had its first Chinese citizens, and although there is no record of who they were, it has been suggested that they were likely launderers as the Chinese hand laundry can be considered the “hallmark of Canadian prairie settlement” [3]. Additionally, there are records of several Chinese laundries that were already in operation by 1888 [3]. Calgary’s first Chinatown was situated between 7th and 9th Avenue, and 2nd and 4th Street SE, and would last from about 1885 to around 1910 [2]. This first Chinatown is home to the 1892 Smallpox Riot. A Chinese laundryman had fallen ill with the smallpox virus, and even though the proper measures were taken, the illness spread to 9 other Chinese residents, three of whom died [3]. After four of the Chinese residents were released from quarantine, a mob of ~300 men vandalized Chinese laundries in an attempt to drive the Chinese citizens out of Calgary [2,4].
By 1901 Calgary’s Chinese population consisted of 63 men, approximately 1.5% of the total population [3]. In 1901 a second Chinatown was developed to meet both the residential and commercial needs of Chinese citizens [2]. It was located south of CPR’s main line, between 10th and 11th Avenue, and 1st and 4th Street (Beltline) [2]. The types of businesses in this Chinatown were nearly identical to the first, but the second Chinatown had more laundries and grocers [2]. In 1910 the CPR announced plans for a route through Calgary where the second Chinatown was located, property values skyrocketed and Chinese tenants were displaced as landlords chose to sell their properties [2,3]. This led to the development of a third and current Chinatown, and the demise of the other two Chinatowns [2,4]. The initial development of the current Chinatown was met with backlash as protesters demanded that it be located somewhere else and to be segregated [2]. Eventually the development would continue, starting in the Canton Block [2]. During this time period it was common for buildings to be developed in a Western style with the only indication of Chinese association displayed in the interior [2]. Additionally, it was uncommon for Chinese-owned or operated businesses to be located outside of Chinatown.
The Hong Lee Laundry (Ogden Block)
Although uncommon, the Hong Lee Laundry is an example of a building located outside of Chinatown, that was owned and operated by Chinese citizens. The Hong Lee Laundry, also known as the Ogden Laundry or the Ogden Block, is a historic two-story rectangular brick building of Edwardian commercial design [5]. Over its 110 years of existence the building has served various residential and commercial purposes. Although the exterior has seen little change over this time, the interior is of a much more modern design. Located in the Ogden community of Calgary, the Ogden Laundry was built in 1913 in the Cepeear subdivision (named after and owned by the Canadian Pacific Railway) [5]. The building was first owned by Eng Hon Quon and Eng Hon Yun from 1913 to 1916 [5]. During this time the Hong Lee Laundry operated out of the storefront, and it also served as a rooming house for Chinese immigrants [5,6].
The Henderson’s Directory has no listings of the Hong Lee Laundry after 1916, and the title of the property was obtained by an Eliza Mahala Penhall in 1916 [5]. This suggests that the business may have closed sometime in 1916 or relocated under a new name, but there is currently no evidence to confidently say which scenario is correct. What purpose the building served after this is somewhat unclear. There is some evidence to suggest that sometime after 1916 and up until 1918 the Ogden Military Convalescent Hospital may have used the Ogden Block building as an annex, for injured and disabled veterans of World War I [5,6]. From about 1918-1922 the building was listed as vacant, after which and up until the building was bought by the City of Calgary in 2021, the title of the property had switched hands numerous times, at times serving as a family home while at other times as a rental property [6].
Although it is historically and culturally significant to Calgary’s Chinese community, and to many in the Ogden community, it does not meet the criteria to be a protected heritage site. In 2021 the City of Calgary purchased the Ogden Block for purpose of demolition to make way for development of the Green Line transit system. The City of Calgary and Bison Historical Services Ltd., partnered with the University of Calgary’s Department of Anthropology and Archaeology to digitally preserve the Ogden Laundry prior to its demolition. On September 27th and 28th, 2022, the interior and exterior of the building was digitally recorded using terrestrial laser scanners by the Capture2Preserve Team. Although the building has been digitally preserved, its fate is still undetermined as there are still those fighting to stop the city from demolishing it.
Notes:
This site is located on Treaty 7 Territory of Southern Alberta, which is the traditional and ancestral territory of the Blackfoot Confederacy: Kainai, Piikani and Siksika as well as the Tsuu T’ina Nation and Stoney Nakoda First Nation. This territory is home to the Métis Nation of Alberta, Region 3 within the historical Northwest Métis Homeland. We acknowledge the many First Nations, Métis and Inuit who have lived in and cared for these lands for generations. We are grateful for the traditional Knowledge Keepers and Elders who are still with us today and those who have gone before us. We make this acknowledgement as an act of reconciliation and gratitude to those whose territory we reside on or are visiting.
[1] Hoe, Ban Seng, 2003, Enduring Hardship: The Chinese Laundry in Canada. Canadian Museum of Civilization, Ottawa.
[2] City of Calgary, 2022, Chinatown Historical Context Paper. City of Calgary
[3] Dawson, J. Brian, 1975, The Chinese Experience in Frontier Calgary: 1885–1910. In Frontier Calgary: Town, City and Region, 1875–1914, edited by Henry Cornelius Klassen and Anthony W. Rasporich. Calgary: University of Calgary; McClelland and Stewart West, Calgary.
[4] Lai, David Chuenyan, 1988, Chinatowns: Towns Within Cities in Canada. University of British Columbia Press
[5] Pickering, Sean, 2022, Historical Resources Impact Assessment (HRIA) City of Calgary Green Line LRT Enabling Works – Ogden Revision: Final Report Revised Volume II. (ASA permit 16-011), unpublished consultants report, Archaeological Survey of Alberta, Edmonton.
In partnership with the City of Calgary and Bison Historical Services Ltd., the Ogden Laundry was digitally recorded on September 27th and 28th, 2022. The exterior and main floor were recorded using the Z + F 5010X (red), and a Leica BKL360 (blue) was used to record the second floor and the basement. The first day of scanning focused on the interior and the following day the exterior. Prior to foreclosure the Ogden Laundry was an apartment building, the main floor and the basement were divided off and had to be accessed through different entrances. In order to accurately register all the interior and exterior scans into one point cloud, each floor included 1-2 exterior scans. Additionally, to ensure enough overlap to get the best coverage possible every room was scanned from the doorway(s) and the center of the room, and each side of the building’s exterior had 3-4 scans. This resulted in nearly 100 scans between the two laser scanners.
Scan Locations
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