Lots of space defines Calgary's luxury neighbourhoods
What has made some of this city’s luxury neighbourhoods the way they are? Was it history? Did neighbourhoods evolve into luxury communities? It’s a chicken-and-egg scenario as to what came first – the location or the plan.
Inner-city
Mount Royal was one of Calgary’s first luxury neighbourhoods. Calgary’s elite settled in Mount Royal, just south of 17 Ave SW, in the early 20th Century. It started out as American Hill, with large estate homes on huge lots, complete with carriage houses. The real estate crash that occurred during the First World War in Calgary caused many to lose their homes, followed by the Great Depression. It would have been easy for this neighbourhood to crumble and to age in place. Somehow, this neighbourhood managed to stand the test of time. The large lots can accommodate the extravagance of larger homes with dramatic architecture and opulent exterior finishings that would be out of place or impossible to build in lesser communities.
Bel-Aire is another example of a luxury neighbourhood in Calgary’s inner-city. This neighbourhood started off with smaller custom-built homes but as the community grew the lots became bigger and so did the homes. Some of the luxury homes built in the 1960s are being purchased for $1.5 to $2 million and are being torn down and replaced with even nicer homes, especially homes that face the escarpment over the Elbow River on the neighourhood’s west side.
Pump Hill
Located west of 14St SW and south of 90 Ave SW, Pump Hill is just outside of Calgary’s inner-city ring and was another place where traditional luxury homes could be built. In 1960s Calgary, Pump Hill was an acreage community and it remained that way as suburban neighbourhoods grew around it. By the 1980s, the acreages were subdivided into large lots but the seclusion in this area and the fact that there are no through roads provided a sense of exclusivity providing the perfect scenario for a luxury neighbourhood.
Established green spaces and large trees provided the right setting for building beautiful, large homes. In fact, the largest single-family detached home in the city limits is located in Pump Hill (22,000 square feet).
Lake Communities
While many of Calgary’s outlying suburban neighbourhoods offer homes built on economy lots, there are a few areas where space has been set aside for larger homes, particularly in lake communities. Building close to the water has always been a recipe for adding value and the south east neighbourhood of Mahogany is a prime example. Without the two lakes, the island and all the amenities, Mahogany would be just another suburb. There are homes built on one of the two islands in Mahogany Lake, providing exclusive features such as a private dock and your own beach. There are just 22 houses on the island which is gated.
Luxury Condos
There are two areas in the city with prestigious addresses. Sort of like Calgary’s Park Avenue, only it’s Eau Claire downtown along the bow river and on 26 Avenue SW in the Mission area, close to the wealthy neighbourhood of Rideau.
It’s the size and the view that are the distinguishing features of a luxury condo. There are condominium units that take up an entire floor with a private elevator. The higher you go in the building, the better the view and often, the higher the price tag.
Rural Luxury
Again, space is the underlying theme with luxury homes. Bearspaw and Springbank homes have wide open space, providing ample room to build whatever you want and anything that couldn’t be built in the city. Room means amenities that you couldn’t have in the city, such as your own personal air strip.