The Kensington BRZ links the inner city neighbourhoods of Hillhurst and Sunnyside, two of Calgary’s oldest communities.
Located in the northwest quadrant of the city, this eclectic shopping district is adjacent to the Bow River and only a short walk from downtown.
The first building in Hillhurst-Sunnyside was built in 1882 and although settlement continued over the intervening years, the area did not experience its first ‘boom years’ until 1909-1912. The population at that time was predominately Scottish and English. Most homes were two story but many originally had neither running water nor indoor plumbing. There were few trees and Riley Park was a farm. The Canadian Pacific Railway owned much of the land in Hillhurst-Sunnyside and close to 90% of the working population was employed by the CPR.
The business district now referred to as Kensington was, even then, a shopping destination. Although Hillhurst-Sunnyside was annexed to the city in 1907, to this day the area retains a distinctly separate identity and a village atmosphere. Despite streets that were dirt with wooden sidewalks and a wooden bridge across the river, Kensington had streetcar service connecting the area to the rest of the city as early as 1910. The shopping district boasted sidewalks as early as 1910 and 10th Street was paved in 1915.
Hillhurst-Sunnyside’s second population ‘boom’ occurred following the First World War. Most of the homes built during this period were one story bungalows. By the 1930s there were few vacant lots remaining and the area began to be considered inner city as development expanded north.
Nowadays, Kensington has excellent modern public transit service in the form of buses and Light Rail Transit (LRT) and continues to be a sought after location for retailers as well as a favored shopping and eating location for both locals and tourists. The Sunnyside LRT stop lets you off right in Kensington.
The Plaza Theatre is one of the oldest buildings left in Kensington. Originally used as a “do it yourself” automotive repair shop with tools and advice supplied upon request, the Theatre was renovated in the early 1930s and used as a live theatre. Nowadays, the Plaza is a well known destination for retro, unusual, avant guarde and cult movies.
There are several historic churches in the area as well. St. Paul’s Methodist Church (now housing Lifesport cycle shop), located at 1110 Gladstone Road NW and Hillhurst Presbyterian Church (now Hillhurst United) located at 1127 Kensington Road NW were built between 1906 and 1908. The two churches are distinctly different, the former being a wooden church, the latter brick. Both are charming examples of the architecture prevalent at the time.
Want to know even more about Kensington’s history? Much of the above information was gleaned from a wonderful book, Harry M. Sanders, Ten Walks to Points of Historical