Hart House (Alberta)
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The Hart House is located in Calgary, Alberta, Canada's Patterson Heights. Once owned by Stu Hart, it was home to his extensive family made world famous for their accomplishments in professional wrestling. While no longer under ownership of the Harts, the mansion still resides in Calgary and is now considered a historical site.
The 5,600 square foot home, sitting on 2.17 acres of land, was built in 1905 by businessman Edward Crandell. It was converted into the Soldiers' Children's Home for Orphans in 1920 and then bought by Judge Henry Stuart Patterson from the Crandells. Sold to Stu Hart in 1951 for $25,000, the three story brick house has had many famous professional wrestlers as well as political and entertainment figures pass through its doors.
In its Hart-owned state, it featured twenty-two rooms, four fireplaces, five chandeliers from Edmonton's historic McDonald Hotel, two porches, a view of downtown Calgary, and a coach house behind the main house. Members of the professional wrestling community around the world hold a great deal of appreciation and respect for the Hart House and the legacy it holds.
[edit] The Dungeon
The Hart Dungeon, otherwise known simply as The Dungeon, is the basement of Hart mansion. It is known as one of the most notorious training rooms in the world of athletics and was established by Stu shortly after his founding of Stampede Wrestling in 1948; although, the nickname itself developed over time.
Aside from professional wrestlers, the Dungeon provided training grounds for various athletes from strongmen to football players. The majority of Hart's sons trained in the Dungeon and went on to become involved in the wrestling world including the legendary Bret and Owen Hart. Other famous Dungeon graduates include "Superstar" Billy Graham, Greg Valentine, "Rowdy" Roddy Piper, Chris Jericho, Kid Kash, Jushin Liger, Chris Benoit, Edge, and Lance Storm.
| “ | I take a lot of pride in being one of the last guys that had the hands-on training from Stu Hart when I went to the Hart family to train . . . It was a good experience just to be there, to imagine all the people that had been through there, and all the blood, sweat, and tears that had been paid . . . Going to the Hart family for training was kind of like, if you're a very religious person, going to the Vatican. | ” |
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—Chris Benoit, WWE Unscripted, p. 54 |
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One of, if not the, first televised acknowledgments of the nickname "Dungeon" was by then WWF color commentator Jesse Ventura. Its first significant exposure was in the documentary Hitman Hart: Wrestling with Shadows. In it, the Dungeon was moderately filmed for the first time and Stu Hart was shown demonstrating wrestling holds on a pupil in severe pain. A bonus feature on Bret Hart's DVD set also shows Bret Hart discussing the Dungeon and its legendary status.
The dungeon was also the site of a WWF pay per view match between Owen Hart and Ken Shamrock at In Your House: Fully Loaded in July 1998. The match also featured Dan "The Beast" Severn as special guest referee.
Various activities took place in the Dungeon, ranging from weight lifting to shoot wrestling. Bret Hart has described the Dungeon in interviews as having holes in the walls and ceiling from bodies being driven into them. He also noted that practices could, at times, be as intense as MMA styled fighting. Leading up to its sale in 2003, the Hart Brothers Training Camp still ran three times a week.
[edit] 2003 sale
After the death of Stu Hart on October 18, 2003, the ten remaining Hart siblings were forced to make the difficult choice of putting the Hart mansion up for sale. It was in need of great restoration and held high property taxes, the likes of which the family couldn't afford. Stu Hart also instructed in his will not to tear it down, and due to its status as a historical site, it can not be.
Prior to its sale, there was talk of turning the house into a museum or bed and breakfast; however this would likely require a removal from the residential area. Alison Hart gave several tours of the home to guests before finally handing down ownership of the $2 million home. In June 2006, preservation plans for the mansion were defused in a tied 7-7 vote, leaving it susceptible to demolition. In October, however, a revised plan was authorized for thirteen townhouses to be built around the mansion as well as its restoration. Construction is slated to begin in summer 2007.
[edit] External links
| Hart wrestling family | |
|---|---|
| First generation | |
| Stu Hart | |
| Second generation | |
| Smith Hart | Bruce Hart | Keith Hart | Wayne Hart | Dean Hart | Ellie Hart | |
| Ellie Hart | Georgia Hart | Bret Hart | Alison Hart | Ross Hart | Diana Hart | Owen Hart | |
| Jim Neidhart | Ben Bassarab | Davey Boy Smith | |
| Third generation | |
| Teddy Hart | Nattie Neidhart | Harry Smith | |
