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 neighbourhood 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]
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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.
Belgravia shares the convenience of a small neighbourhood commercial area, located at the intersection of 76 Avenue and 115 Street, with the adjacent McKernan neighbourhood. 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, many of which have been vandalized.
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-1950s, the drug store took over the rest of the space and operated until 1976.
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 neighbourhood convenience store until being renamed "Mckernan food festival". The convenience store went out of business in 2009, and is now used as an education building. The front portion of this building is now the current home of the second hand bookstore and antiquariat Belgravia Books & Treasures. The south building houses the Gracious Goods Cafe.
Belgravia is one of two neighbourhoods served by the new McKernan/Belgravia LRT Station. The station was officially opened on April 25, 2009, with regular service commencing on April 26, 2009.