ROSS P. ALGER HOUSE
Firm: Clayton Bond and Mogridge
Address: 4815 14A Street SW
Date of final plans: August 1956
Status: façade altered in 2009
The Alger House is in most respects unremarkable and there's little to indicate it was a custom design by one of Calgary's leading firms. Ross Alger was a successful accountant and later became mayor, so it's interesting how modest his home was. Mrs Alger said in a Herald interview that "we're a very simple family. We're the butt of all our friends' jokes because we drive funny old cars." This house really does reflect their self-described simplicity.
In 2009 the house underwent a major alteration to the façade.
THE CLIENT
Ross Patterson Alger (1920–1992) was born in Prelate, Saskatchewan on 20 August 1920 and moved with his family to Turner Valley in 1936. He attended the University of Alberta, graduating Bachelor of Commerce in 1942, and then spend 4.5 years in the Royal Canadian Air Force. Following the war he attended the University of Toronto and graduated Master of Commerce in 1947. He settled in Calgary in 1947, and in 1950 he received his chartered accountant certificate. Alger entered politics in 1950 when he became a school board trustee. From 1971 to 1974 he served as an alderman, and in 1974 ran unsuccessfully for Mayor. In 1977 he was elected Mayor and served until 1980. During his term, the city constructed the first leg of the CTrain and won the bid for the 1988 Olympics.
On 2 September 1947 Alger married Lois MacQueen (1924–2021) at Knox United. Lois graduated from the University of Alberta in 1944 and also attended the University of Toronto after the war. In 1950 the couple spend six months travelling Europe, leading Mrs Alger to call them "the first hippies." They had three children: Gordon, Libby, and Frances. He died in Calgary on 16 January 1992 at age 71.