Belgravia, Edmonton

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

For other places with the same name, see Belgravia (disambiguation).

Belgravia is a residential neighbourhood located in the city of Edmonton, Alberta, Canada south west of the University of Alberta main campus. Named after the fasionable Belgravia area of 19th century London, the neighborhood was once the southern terminus of the Edmonton Radial Railway.

On the west, Belgravia overlooks the North Saskatchewan River valley. The southern boundary is Belgravia Road, and the southwest portion of the neighbourhood overlooks Fox Drive. The north boundary between Saskatchewan Drive and 118 Street is University Avenue. From 118 Street, the neighbourhood boundary runs in a south easterly direction to the intersection of 114 Street and 76 Avenue. The eastern boundary between 76 Avenue and Belgravie Road is 114 Street. Surrounding neighbourhoods are Windsor Park to the north, the University of Alberta to the north east, McKernan to the east, Parkallen to the south east, and the Neil Crawford Centre and University of Alberta Farm to the south. Beyond Fox Drive to the south west is the neighbourhood of Grandview Heights.^[1]

At the intersection of 76 Avenue and 115 Street, Belgravia shares the convenience of a small neighborhood commercial area with the adjacent McKernan neighborhood. This strip consists of three lots with two buildings, and the empty lot has been turned into a garden/green space with numerous large iron sculptures and many local prairie flora.

The corner building was built in 1948 of wood construction with stucco exterior, and consisted of two commercial bays on the main floor and three apartments on the second level. Originally, the southernmost bay was home to Rogers' drug store (the Rogers lived on the second floor) and the northernmost bay hosted Pridmore's Meat Shop. When the meat store closed down in the mid-1950's, the drug store took over the rest of the space and operated until 1976. The building was then sold to Monco Holdings Ltd., who has owned the property since then. Since 1976, the building has been home to various businesses including a Beauty Counsellor Franchise, the McPhee Workshop (a sewing and crafts studio), and a used bookseller/antiquariat called Belgravia Books & Treasures.

In 2005–2006, the building was renovated from a neglected and dilapidated state after three years of vacancy by the current main floor tenants: a locally owned coffee house/restaurant called Hulbert's, which features locally produced items on its menu and supports local artists and performers with an extensive program of live music and art displays.

The middle building was built in the mid-1950s with a concrete foundation and cinder-block wall construction. It was originally home to Purpur's Groceries, which operated as a full grocery until the Bateman's IGA opened a few blocks down 76 Avenue in McKernan. The store was renamed to Sunlight Foodland and operated as a neighborhood convenience store until its closure in 2003. The back portion of the building has been home to the Beaver Flats Pottery studios, but the studio has now closed as a result of the recent sale of the property.

The front portion of this building is now the current home of the second hand bookstore and antiquariat Belgravia Books & Treasures. They specialize in hard to find and out of print volumes, as well as an array of antique and intriguing treasures. Their selection also includes a large collection of children's books.

Commencing in 2008, Belgravia will be one of two neighborhoods served by the new McKernan/Belgravia LRT Station currently under construction.

Three out of four residences in Belgravia are owner occupied, with roughly four out of five residences being built prior to 1961. The majority of residences (72%) are single family dwellings. The average household size is 2.4 people, with two out of three households having one or two people.