Unearthing Urban Treasures: Exploring the Hidden Historical and Cultural Sites in Back Lanes
Posted on December 6, 2024
The back lanes of Canadian cities were carefully planned and laid out for practical purposes but an unforeseen consequence of their design means they also reveal otherwise hidden features of everyday urban life. As well as providing access for garbage trucks and deliveries to homes, stores and other businesses, the back lanes became the setting for the extraordinary lives of everyday people. Now, many cities are recognizing their value and looking at turning them into valuable green spaces to improve air quality, provide shelter for wildlife, and enhance urban life for their residents. For now, while back lanes have always been a source of interesting and salvageable urban waste, they also offer other historical treasures including information about a city’s past and stories of its former residents.
Historic Neighbourhoods Offer Valuable Insights into the Past
When Canadians from across the country were asked for their views on heritage conservation, 90% believed it was at least somewhat important to preserve heritage sites, historic buildings and older neighbourhoods within a city as they are a reflection not only of the nation’s identity but also of the communities that evolved and thrived there. The aspects of heritage conservation that people are most interested in include appreciating the beauty of historical architecture and protecting significant buildings from demolition. Buildings provide a valuable window into the past but their surroundings including the back lanes running behind them also tell a story of the fascinating people who lived and worked in them.
Businesses Embracing the Urbanity of the Alley
One of the oldest buildings in Calgary is the Grain Exchange, originally built in 1910 to house offices for 21 grain companies and now a hub for a number of retail businesses and nonprofit organizations. The front facade facing 1st Street W features the original heavy oak doors surrounded by an elaborate sandstone arch, but it is the rear entrance from the back lane of Stephen Avenue that welcomed music fans to a popular jazz club called Beat Niq back in the 1980s. The venue was located in the basement of the building and the slightly seedy approach from the alley suited the unique atmosphere of a jazz club. Since then other commercial enterprises in the City have established themselves with entrances at the back of buildings, embracing the urbanity of the back alley.
Naming Lanes to Honor the Lives of Ordinary People
Street names traditionally acknowledge and honor prominent figures from a city’s history. In Calgary these include Colonel James McCleod, commissioner of the North-West Mounted Police in the late 19th century and the educator and political activist, John Lee Laurie. In a similar fashion, the Lethbridge Historical Society has undertaken to name downtown back alleys after everyday people who lived and worked in the lanes of Lethbridge during the late 1800s and early 1900s. The back alley naming project aims to showcase the stories of these ordinary people, including store owners, public servants, bootleggers and even madams. Over 30 signs situated on back lanes allow visitors to scan a QR code and learn more about each individual, chosen to represent a diverse group from different genders and ethnicities. The sign for the city’s first health inspector John Vallance who moved to Lethbridge in 1909, is close to what would have been a butcher shop, somewhere he would have very likely visited during his work.
Incorporated into city planning to serve a practical purpose, Canada’s back lanes tell a story of domestic and commercial life that spilled over from homes, businesses and historical buildings into the often dark and narrow alleyways behind them. Here you might have met one of the everyday characters who visited or made use of the alleys, from public health officials to the madam of a brothel, or more recently, gained entrance to Calgary’s only jazz club situated in the basement of the Grain Exchange Building. Today, the lanes might yield some hidden treasure that someone has thrown out in the garbage but they could also have a future as valuable green spaces, revitalized with plants and a haven for wildlife.
Author:
Jennifer Eagle
Community Member
Green Calgary
