Calgary's oldest building may be doomed

A tiny, rundown shed part of the Hudson's Bay fur trading post is Calgary's oldest building but a lack of funding and time are working against its preservation.

The Hunt House was built in 1876 on the east side of the Elbow River, using logs floated down the waterway. It served as a cabin home to an official with the Hudson's Bay Company.

It currently sits behind Fort Calgary's Deane House restaurant in the southeast neighbourhood of Inglewood.

William Hunt lived in the house until the mid-'70s when he willed the property to the city. Since then, it has sat untouched as a storage shed.

Four years ago, a protective cover was placed over the structure but it continues to deteriorate.

"We've done what we can to mitigate some of the water problems which would cause the most damage," said Sara Grutzner, head of Fort Calgary, which is responsible for Hunt House.

Fort Calgary has been trying to raise $18 million to restore all buildings on its property but so far has only reached $7 million, which includes contributions from the city and the province.

"The concern would be further deterioration of the building. Certainly the longer it lasts, the more difficult it will be to restore and repair," said Bob van Wegen of the Calgary Heritage Initiative.

"If we don't save our buildings now, they won't be here in 50 or 100 years when we're a more mature city and we'll really regret what we've lost."

Fort Calgary is slated to be a central park for the redevelopment of the East Village area with the Hunt House becoming an interpretive centre where visitors could learn about the area's history.

But Grutzner said even once funding is secured which could take years it will take some more time for actual restoration work to be completed.