By Andrew Cormier
The leaves turning colour and the nights growing longer can only mean one thing – we’re fast approaching the spookiest time of the year. Even though Halloween night will be when we see ghosts and ghouls hitting the streets, there are plenty of other spine-tingling spots you can visit in our city that will keep the scares going all year long. Here are 6 scary spots you may have not known about in Calgary. [Photo credit: Sarah Sussman]
Formerly the home of the Calgary Chamber of Commerce, the Odd Fellows Hall has long been a distinctive building in Calgary’s downtown, known for its red brick pre-WW1 look. Since the building was constructed in 1912, it retains various antique parts, including stained glass windows and round-arched windows. Rumour has it, however, that rides up the building’s antique elevator are operated courtesy a surprise ghostly figure.
Under restoration until 2020, the historic Calgary City Hall has long been one of the most distinctive buildings in the city at its location across from Olympic Plaza. But though today its tall clock tower and sandstone walls are associated with local government and civic affairs, the building once served as a jail – and it’s said that the ghosts of those former convicts still roam the halls of this iconic building.
Though today the century-old building plays host to a popular upscale restaurant, the Deane House has a long history of spooky lore in its background. Commissioned in 1906 for the superintendent of the Royal Northwest Mounted Police, Captain Richard Deane, the house was constructed for the (then-hefty) price tag of $6,200. But allegedly, the house had a dark history, with a number of supposed murders, suicides and other accidental deaths. It’s said that the ghosts of the past still haunt the floors of the old home today.
Per capita, the community of Inglewood likely has the highest number of haunted spots in Calgary (including the Garry Theatre, which we’ll get to later), largely owing to its status as Calgary’s oldest neighbourhood. Among those haunted houses is the popular fine dining restaurant Rouge, situated in a beautiful old house originally built in 1891 by politician and rancher A.E. Cross. Today, diners have reportedly recounted their experiences of hearing the sounds of children ringing through the house.
Today, the historic Garry Theatre plays host to the Ironwood Stage & Grill, one of the most popular music venues in the city. But beneath where guests listen to live music, the theatre is said to play host to its very own resident Phantom of the Opera-style apparition, who still hangs out in the basement, allegedly locking people in rooms at inconvenient times.
When it comes to haunted buildings in Calgary, few come up quicker in conversation than the 16th Avenue pub known as the Cat n’ Fiddle. Though today the bar is among the most popular spots to grab a pint in Calgary’s northwest, various touches throughout the interior (including a vaulted ceiling) hint at the location’s former purpose – a funeral home. Even spookier, the building’s basement is catacomb-style, with touches of the former crematorium still present. Some guests report hearing voices or footsteps, with some suspecting they are of the former mortician – but staff insist all the ghosts are friendly.
Those are just a few of the (allegedly!) haunted spots worth checking out this Halloween season. Though there are more to jot down – from the Rose and Crown on 17th Avenue to the century-old Fairmont Palliser – these 6 haunted spots are sure to get you suitably spooked this October.
