My trip down to Lethbridge was calm. As in, no buffeting winds on the highway, which is always a possibility going down highway 2. These winds can blow over rigs of the semi type, and possibly the RV type when really strong. Thus I appreciated not having to lean into the wind while driving while I am still a newbie for RV driving experience. Staying with friends meant some touring, of which today was a drive and then walk around downtown Lethbridge.
Lethbridge is a small city, population around 100,000. So “downtown” isn’t really a large dense center, more of a grouping of older buildings like a town. Not having had the boom – bust cycle of Calgary, there are many more preserved old buildings. Calgary at every boom cycle tore down old buildings to make room for more 30 plus story skyscrapers.
We started with a trip to the candy store. Two retired but still youngish men buying sweets and chocolate in my case. Why not, I say. Youth is in the mind, not the body. Sweet tooth sated, the walkabout started.
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| Action sign |
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| Drug Store |
There is a mix of old and new along 5th Street, more old than new thanks to the fact that Lethbridge has had a steady more muted economy compared to Calgary. Old buildings get refurbed and reused, rather than torn down. A ten plus story monster looms over one corner, but for the most part the street scape maintains the old building charm.
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| Odd Fellows Gate |
Odd Fellows exist in Calgary too. I used to go with my Dad to his fishing club meetings, the Hook and Hackle club met in an Odd Fellow building that was somewhere in Hillhurst if I recall correctly.
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| Belonging Wall Mural |
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| Bin Art |
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| Telegraph Pub Sign |
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| Gate Church entrance sign |
There are murals and signs along the walk to photograph. The art keeps the graffiti vandals at bay, and adds interest to some of the blank walls you would normally see instead.
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| Old Street Piano beside The Owl |
The old piano on the street in front of one of the pubs was a charming if muted musical unit – seen better days but has lots of character. I found out later that it does play, as a passing street person showed plinking a few notes while we were on our way into “The Owl” Pub.
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| Catwalk |
Some of the renovated buildings are modern clad with old elements remaining. That is better than tearing it down and replacing it with a parking lot – a thing I have seen happen many times in cities large and small.
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| Big Ball |
There is art too. This ball reminded me of Calgary’s blue ring, a blue circle of simple artistic form; ruined by a streetlight set attached to the top of it. Art, of questionable esthetic value. The ball at least has some form and detail – with stamped donor notes of various forms I assume.
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| Post Office, note glass addition to the left |
The old post office is a really nice looking building, but the strange glass extension clashes with the old building. There isn’t even an attempt to match any style cues, just add some monolithic glass paneled square block to the end.
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| Modern Bike under Old |
I like the modern BMW bike parked under the mural showing the old bus converted to a crane. Many a farmer has converted old equipment to do something new. Could this “bus crane” lift a cow???
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| 50’s Wave |
We finish back near some 50’s era architecture. The wave form is similar to the buildings Safeway used to build back in the day. You knew right away you were looking at a Safeway by the swoop arch design. Nowadays, the new grocery stores just rely on signage in front of a generic store. Not much to entice those online shoppers away. Perhaps we need unique buildings again to give people a new reason to go out and shop?
{Edit Nov 19th – Turns out this actually was the first Safeway of it’s kind in Lethbridge, repurposed to other businesses now}
