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Last year was the 25^th anniversary of the implosion of the Calgary General Hospital that reduced it to a pile of rubble in the core of Bridgeland.

After the hospital was levelled, a committee was set up by the community association to raise awareness of the history of the building, the hard but losing fight to keep it, and the effect its loss would be to the community.

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The plan today is to develop a plaza area within Murdoch Park, on the site of the former hospital, that includes a memorial wall.

Committee chair Deb Lee says the people living in the area were so devastated at the loss of the hospital that they didn’t have the energy to quibble when the city said it would offer a lasting legacy through “something modest,” which resulted in naming General Avenue and General Park, and the erection of a small commemorative wall.

Lest we forget, Lee and her Calgary General Hospital Commemoration Project team have been busy raising awareness of the project.

Many new residents to the area and other newcomers to the city have no idea that this was the biggest hospital in North America to be shut down and have its functions, equipment, patients and staff integrated into other hospitals.

The Bridgeland Riverside Community Association (BRCA) committee has been working hard promoting the project, and is busy fundraising to get the job done.

Dialog was chosen to provide a conceptual design for the plaza, including a feature wall that will hold information plaques with historic pictorials and interesting information telling the story of the General’s 88 years of service, a landscape park area and a gazebo resting place.

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Cost is estimated at $1 million and Lee says expectations are that $100,000 will be met by small donations from people who have a past relationship with the hospital — those who were born there, former patients and their families, and workers and many others who feel a strong relationship with the city’s past.

It is hoped that major funding will be gifted from corporate donations and levels of government.

The General launched a School of Nursing and Residence in 1898, and between then and its closure in 1974, almost 3,000 nurses graduated from its programs before teaching moved to the university.

Alumni from the school formed an association that still meets every year, and they were naturally among the first to respond to the invitation to help move the project forward.

The committee is talking to as many clubs, groups and individuals as possible to spread the word. Lee spends a lot of time making presentations on the dynamited hospital that became known as a dedicated leader in health care, service innovation, nursing education, medical specialization, and multi-paraprofessional and support services development.

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She also brings up the subject on all of the Bridgeland Walks she leads, touring parties around her community to discover some of the 15 places of worship, parks, bridges, gardens and numerous art pieces.

A lot of this city’s history can be found in Bridgeland-Riverside — also known by its earlier name of German Town on the west side of Edmonton Trail — and the BRCA is determined to ensure it is recorded in a lasting fashion.

Donations for the project can be made through Parks Foundation Calgary, which will issue tax receipts.

Notes:

For many years, California Wineries have travelled across Canada to promote their best wines. Calgary has always been an important stop, and next month more than 100 renowned wineries will showcase more than 400 exquisite wines to industry representatives from restaurants, bars and event centres. With tables set up with bottles, glasses and informative literature, the organizers also allow the general public to participate in an evening event in support of a local charity. Again this year their charity of choice is Safe Haven, which has worked tirelessly for more than 20 years to help keep Calgary’s homeless and at-risk girls safe, off the streets and in school. Swirl, sip and savour rich flavours at Eureka: the California Wine Discovery in the Telus Convention Centre on April 9.

David Parker appears regularly in the Herald. Read his columns online at calgaryherald.com/business. He can be reached at 403-830-4622.

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