With true architectural finesse, Alfred Merigon Calderon's designs included a grand Beaux-Arts apartment block, a classic Frank Lloyd Wright home, and rustic mountain buildings.
Johnson, Calderon & Lines (1906)
Born in Middlesex, England in 1861, Alfred Merigon Calderon completed his education in London and articled under George E. Street in the late 1870s. The first building he designed after completing his apprenticeship was for the British artist Sir Lawrence Alma-Tadema. This home has been publicly recognized for its beauty and unusual design and is listed on the register of Britain's historic resources. Calderon emigrated to Ottawa, Canada in 1887. Originally entering a partnership with King M. Arnoldi, Calderon soon established his own practise both in Ottawa and then through the eastern United States. He moved to Edmonton in 1906 at the height of the city's early building boom. As before, Calderon initially worked in partnership, but his association with Henry Denny Lines was very brief in 1906, and Calderon opened his own private practice that same year.
After over 30 years of work in the province, Calderon was awarded a lifetime membership with the Alberta Association of Architects in 1935, having taken the role of the association's president in 1921. His unique local designs have become Edmonton landmarks. These include the Beaux-Arts LeMarchand Mansion overlooking the river valley at Victoria Road; the home of Sheriff Robertson which has been honoured as the northernmost prairie-style structure in classic Frank Lloyd Wright tradition; the reconstruction of the Mercer Warehouse after a devastating fire to that building, and the Ravina Apartments/McIntosh Residence in Glenora. Calderon also designed several buildings in the town of Jasper, most notable is the 1925 Railway Station.
When the Great War broke out in 1914 Calderon eagerly volunteered despite being 55 years of age. He joined the First Battalion, Edmonton Regiment, and served on the western front with the 49th Battalion, rising to the rank of officer in his 18 year career with the military. In 1935 he retired to Victoria due to his health. Unfortunately, he succumbed to his illness within months, dying in 1936.