2021 Heritage Calgary Awards

The Withrow, Studio North
Winner of the 2021 Heritage Calgary Award: Resource Conservation - Residential

When two emerging architects wanted to showcase their talent and passion for restoring heritage homes and the development of unique laneway homes, they decided to purchase a property and show the world what they could do. The result was The Withrow, a riverfront property in Calgary’s Parkdale neighbourhood.

Named after the original 1911 owner, The Withrow is a living memory of Calgary’s beginnings, and the 110 years that have passed since it was first built.  Mark Erickson and fellow Studio North Founding Principal and architect Matt Kennedy recreated it in a way that fulfilled their vision of what a reinvented heritage home and laneway home could be. Together, they peeled back they many layers of construction that had created The Withrow over the years, and rediscovered many decades along the way.

With a heritage designation, many developers steered clear of the property, but architects Mark Erickson and Matt Kennedy of Studio North saw an opportunity.

HC: Tell us a little bit about your project.

Mark: The Withrow is a two-phased redevelopment of a riverfront property in Parkdale. The project involved the restoration and renovation of a municipally designated heritage property and the construction of an innovative laneway house.

The process involved peeling back multiple layers of past renovations to reveal the historically distinctive characteristics of the house. The design strategy maintained these distinctive characteristics and contrasted them with contemporary elements, striking a balance between old and new.

HC: What’s your background in this area?

Mark: I originally studied architecture in Halifax, and the buildings in that city made me really interested in heritage buildings – their story, how they were constructed, and how building methods have evolved over the decades.

HC: What inspired you to do this work?

Mark: I was excited to work on a heritage house, and in turn this project has helped to define our practice at Studio North. We were able to give new life to a heritage home, and also create a laneway house that lives out our vision of what that can be in a city like Calgary.

HC: Why is sharing stories about heritage important to you?

Mark: Heritage houses are so interesting and important because they have been built through time. The walls have different chapters. By peeling back the layers, we get to see how our building trades and styles have evolved over the years, and you’re always able to learn something new.

Discovering heritage allows us to look back so we can reflect on our future; it provides us a foundation we can rely on to make good design decisions.

We can also learn about craftsmanship and how things were built in the past and compare them to how we build today. The layers of a heritage home show a lineage of design evolution.

HC: What’s something specific you would like people to know about your work?

Mark: This house strikes a fine balance between the past, present and future. It has the heritage and design elements that make it unique. We added a modern addition to the back of the house, and the incorporation of a laneway house provides a vision of possibility for the future of our neighbourhoods.

HC: What’s something people might be surprised to know or learn about your project?

Mark: As we discovered unique elements of the house, we found a giant riverstone fireplace in the basement. We decided to incorporate it into the design and keep it, like an artifact. We also discovered the house’s original water well under the basement floor.

HC: Describe what “heritage”means to you in one word.

Mark: Heritage is Wisdom.  

The Heritage Calgary Awards recognize the diverse heritage of our shared home. Every second year we honour those who have made efforts to identify, preserve, and promote heritage in Calgary to help enrich our communities.