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Historic society fights to save Eamon's gas station building

The Bearspaw Historic Society, along with the friends and family of late entrepreneur Roy Eamon, will be putting together a proposal for the City of Calgary to preserve Eamon’s Bungalow Camp as a historical site.
The location of the City of Calgary’s Tuscany LRT development was previously the site of Eamon’s Bungalow Camp. Those fighting to have the Eamon’s service
The location of the City of Calgary’s Tuscany LRT development was previously the site of Eamon’s Bungalow Camp. Those fighting to have the Eamon’s service station preserved as a historical building hope to restore the structure as a diner on the original site.

The Bearspaw Historic Society, along with the friends and family of late entrepreneur Roy Eamon, will be putting together a proposal for the City of Calgary to preserve Eamon’s Bungalow Camp as a historical site.

The site, originally a restaurant, service station and motel located on the north side of Crowchild Trail, is the location of the city’s Tuscany LRT development. The building was moved in its entirety to Stavely, where it sits in storage. If designated as a historical site, the group said they would like to see the building returned to the original property and restored as a ‘40s style diner and café.

“I thought we had secured a future where the building and the sign would remain on the site,” commented Bob Everett, who owned the site during the late 80s and early 90s. “But when it came out that the sign would be saved, but not the building, I knew I had to step up.”

Currently, he said he’s making calls almost weekly to get the ball rolling on the preservation initiative. Eamon’s daughter, Fay Hartwell, and granddaughter, Sherin Laurie, were at the City of Calgary May 27 to make their case.

“This is all that’s left of (my grandfather),” said Laurie. “A lot of the factories downtown are gone — this is really all that is left.”

The history of the site and Roy Eamon runs deep. Eamon was a successful entrepreneur in Calgary, trying his hand at ventures that included puffed wheat, marmalade, cider and peanut butter.

In 1947, he purchased the land just west of Calgary.

In its time, the site was the location of a chicken farm, a popular restaurant and gas bar, and a series of bungalow-style motel rooms. It was the location of two fires, one of which destroyed the chicken farm, the other the original restaurant.

Later in life, it was even the location of Corey Hart’s ‘I Am By Your Side’ music video.

“You fall in love with the building — it was a rock star to me and a lot of people,” said Everett.

The decision on what to do with the building has to be made soon, according to Roger Pilkington of the Bearspaw Historic Society. With the LRT and the park-and-ride lots moving along, he said the utilities to support the potential diner site would have to be put in shortly.

Pilkington explained that the City of Calgary has put aside funding to be used for the site — a portion of which has already been used to move the building to storage. If needed, he said the society would step up to the plate and fundraise to cover any additional costs of restoring the building and transforming it into the envisioned diner.

Pilkington, along with Everett and other stakeholders, will be meeting with the City’s Corporate Properties and Buildings to develop a proposal, which Pilkington anticipates will be presented to Calgary council in early June.

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