CALGARY – In honour of Halloween, Global News has compiled a list of ten spooky spots in the city’s downtown core – as well as an interactive map for those brave enough to visit them.
Whether you’re a believer or a hardcore skeptic, take a break to read more about Calgary’s potentially haunted hot spots.
Ten spooky spots in downtown Calgary:
- Zoo Bridge (12th Street S.E. over Bow River)
- Suitor House (1004 8 Ave SE)
- Lougheed House (707 13 Ave SW)
- Fairmont Palliser Hotel (133 9th Ave SW)
- Rose and Crown (1503 4 St SW)
- Rouge Restaurant (1240 8 Ave SE)
- Deane House (806 9 Ave SE)
- Old City Hall (700 Macleod Trail S.E.)
- Odd Fellows Hall (106 6 Avenue SW)
- Doll Block Building (116 8th Avenue S.E.)
MAP: Virtual ghost tour
Scroll down for more information about each of the ten local ‘haunts.’
Zoo Bridge
The Calgary Zoo is home to hundreds of animals but it’s also host to a bridge that is supposedly haunted.
According to popular ghost tales, the spirit of a young boy can occasionally be spotted on the bridge or heard screaming. The youth was supposedly stabbed to death under the bridge in 1946.
Suitor House
The building, originally owned by Robert Suitor, was once home to a railroad worker who was killed. His wife was said to be so saddened by her husband’s death that she died shortly after.
Visitors have reported seeing a ghost – thought to be the railroad worker’s dead wife – haunting the location.
Lougheed House
The Louheed House in downtown Calgary, originally home to Senator James Alexander Lougheed, is said to be haunted by several ghosts.
Among the spooky stories, some visitors have reported ghostly encounters with a translucent couple dancing in the ballroom.
Fairmont Palliser Hotel
Calgary’s Fairmont Palliser Hotel was built in 1914 and is the city’s oldest hotel.
Some guests say the historic building is haunted and claim to have seen ghostly apparitions wandering in the halls.
Rose and Crown
Currently a pub that features live music and entertainment, the Rose and Crown was originally a funeral home.
Staff in the watering hole have reported hearing odd noises and some even claim to have spotted the ghost of a young boy or a lady in a white dress.
Rouge Restaurant
Fine dining restaurant Rouge is located in the community of Inglewood, in a house originally built in 1891.
Staff members have reportedly encountered the ghost of a young girl and her father in the kitchen and sitting by the fireplace.
Deane House
No other Calgary landmark is better known for spooky stories and ghost lore than the Deane House.
Built in 1906, the house is said to have been the site of a number of unusual deaths over the years including suicides, a violent stabbing, a woman who tumbled down the stairs – and another who jumped to her death from a second-storey window.
Among the many ghosts said to roam this building are an elderly man smoking a pipe and a woman killed by her husband.
Old City Hall
Calgary’s historic city hall was built in 1911 and includes a lofty clock tower.
The building used to be home to a jail, and rumour is you can hear the ghosts of former convicts conversing back and forth.
Although the sandstone the building is made of began to crumble in 2014, it has apparently done little to encourage the ghostly inhabitant to leave.
Odd Fellows Hall
The Odd Fellows Temple (formerly the home to the Calgary Chamber of Commerce) was designed by David McIlroy and built in 1912.
It’s said a ghostly figure can occasionally be spotted operating the building’s elevator.
Doll Block Building:
The Doll Block was built by jeweler Louis Henry Doll in 1907. He opened a jewellery manufacturing business and retail outlet in the building, called Doll’s Diamond Palace.
Tragically, the successful businessman’s 10-year-old daughter Florence died that same year and he lost interest in his jewellery outlet.
Thanks to Calgary Ghost Tours for providing us with details on which spooky spots to feature in our article. For more information, please visit their website.
Comments