Hart House (Alberta) - 2003 Sale

2003 Sale

After the death of Stu Hart on October 16, 2003, the ten remaining Hart siblings were forced to make the difficult choice of putting the Hart mansion up for sale. It was in need of great restoration and held high property taxes, the likes of which the family couldn't afford. Stu Hart also instructed in his will that his family not tear it down.

Prior to its sale, there was talk by the family of turning the house into a museum or bed and breakfast; however, this would likely have required zoning changes further diminishing the chances of securing protected status for the historic home. Alison Hart gave several tours of the home to guests before finally handing down ownership of the $2 million home. In June 2006, preservation plans for the mansion were defused in a tied 7-7 vote, leaving it susceptible to demolition. In October, however, a revised plan was authorized for thirteen townhouses to be built around the mansion as well as its restoration. Construction was stated to begin in summer 2007, but these plans were never implemented. Although the property went up for sale again in spring 2010, it was not sold. In December 2012, it was designated as a municipal heritage site by the City of Calgary as part of a development deal which also allowed the owner to build nine houses with secondary suites on the Hart House's undeveloped grounds.