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Reader Rock Garden Historic Park site is one of Calgary’s most unique Cultural Landscapes and the first Legacy Park to open. Its restoration was honored with a Calgary Heritage Authority Lion Award in Landscape Preservation, earning official designation as a Provincial Historic Resource.
Open from sunrise to sunset, the historic garden is a tribute to William Roland Reader passion for plants and beauty. In 1912, the city built an arts and crafts style cottage on Union Cemetery land, which welcomed William Reader and his family as its first long-term tenants in 1913. When Reader, who'd moved to Calgary from England in 1908, took up residence in the cottage, the hillside surrounding his home was bare and with time would most likely erode. He began setting rocks into the hillside in an effort to stabilize the surrounding slopes, leading to the creation of the garden we know today. As park superintendent, Reader wanted to help beautify the city and let people know what they could plant here. At the time there were lots of immigrants new to the city who were unaware of what could grow in Calgary's climate. With special permission from the government, Reader would take plants from the nearby mountains, bring them back to his garden and see if they would survive. If it did, he would send the plant down to his greenhouses, where they would propagate it and then either sell it to the public or Reader would plant them in city parks or gardens. Reader helped create more than 800 acres of parks systems and planted hundreds of trees, including those along Memorial Boulevard. During Reader's stay, the garden counted more than 4,000 types of plants and countless rocks and stones. A visit to Reader Rock Garden back when its namesake still lived there was by invitation only, so those curious to see inside would "bribe" him with rocks to add to his collection in exchange for a visit. Reader retired as superintendent in 1942 and was scheduled to move out of the home by the end of 1943. In April of that year, he died of a heart attack, which some parks officials think of as "dying of a broken heart" over having to leave his beloved garden. The home where he lived for more than 30 years was expensive to heat and torn down in 1944. The garden fell into disrepair. In 2004, the city once again took an interest in the garden, recreating the original as closely as they could, even rebuilding an exact replica on the spot where the original house once stood, give or take an inch. By 2006, both the house and the garden were ship shape and open to the public. Visitors can learn the history of the gardens by reading information panels spread throughout the grounds on their own or book interpretive tours with the Friends of Reader Rock Garden Society . The FoRRGS is a non-profit, volunteer advisory group that works in conjunction with the City of Calgary to uphold the integrity and beauty of this Legacy Park and historic garden. Their very active members are dedicated to the preservation, interpretation and stewardship of the horticultural traditions and spirit associated with Reader’s garden and maintaining the educational vision as well as public enjoyment of the garden are their primary goals. |
Lovingly rehabilitated according to Reader’s original plans, the garden blooms from mid-April to October.
The reconstructed Arts and Crafts style house features a café and classroom space for educational programs.
The reconstructed Arts and Crafts style house features a café and classroom space for educational programs.