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Sep 1, 2022, 7 tweets

Happy Pride Week Calgary 🏳️‍🌈!

For #tbt this week, we are taking a look at a beautiful NW house that has ties to the 2SLGBTQ+ community – the Arthur Bishop Residence.

The home was built in 1912 for Arthur Herbert Bishop, a carpenter & property investor, during Calgary’s first population boom (1907-13). The Bishop Residence is a good example of a substantial house from the period, & is symbolic of the founding & development of Crescent Heights.

Built in a vernacular style from a standardized plan, it has a very steep side-gable roof, 2nd-storey front extensions, and an enclosed front veranda with a central front entrance.

In addition to the symbolic & stylistic value associated with its original construction, this heritage resource is also significant for its much later use in 1995-2000 as the “Black Orchid Manor” one of the few gay-friendly B&Bs in Calgary, at the time. (heritagecalgary.ca/heritage-calga…)

The house was owned by Barry Gagliardi and shared with Ron Scheetz and Don Bastian. The three men were influential in Calgary as out, activist gay men at a time when this was both uncommon and risky, personally and professionally

Through social gatherings that they hosted in the home they created a safe, welcoming space for gay men.

To learn about the history of the Arthur Bishop Residence visit calgary.ca/arts-culture/h… or to find out about some of the Pride events taking place this week visit calgarypride.ca

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