Today, The City of Calgary officially reopened Humpy Hollow Park (17 Avenue S.W. and Centre Street South), celebrating the redevelopment that has transformed the Beltline park into a vibrant, welcoming space for residents to gather and socialize, with and without their dogs. The park redevelopment is the result of a community-led initiative to maximize the potential of the previously underused space.
“The redevelopment of this unique park is thanks to the Beltline community and a really great collaboration with The City,” says Calgary City Councillor Courtney Walcott. “The community association, the Beltline Neighbourhoods Association (BNA), saw this park was unnoticed and under-utilized with a run-down playground and limited access from 17 Avenue. Now this space is home to a much-needed dog park and a covered stage and plaza, perfect for community events, like this one today.”
“We are so happy to see Humpy Hollow Park reopen,” says Ryan Tram, Festival and Events Manager for the Beltline Neighbourhoods Association. “Our neighbourhood came together to ask for these renovations because we knew it would improve our community, not only for the residents of the Beltline, but for everyone in our city.”
The cost of the park redevelopment was $3.25M. Most of the funding came from the Beltline Community Investment Fund.
The new park brings vibrancy and important outdoor space to the Beltline and Calgary’s downtown. “Parks and open spaces are essential to a neighbourhood, and even more importantly in the Beltline, where many people live in apartment or condo buildings, and parks become their backyard,” says Nico Bernard, Manager of Parks and Open Spaces for The City.
New Humpy Hollow Park features include:
– Improved safety through new lighting and enhanced access from 17 Avenue and Centre Street with improved pedestrian connections.
– New, enclosed off-leash dog park with secure fencing, artificial turf, and garbage bins.
– A covered performing stage, centralized plaza, moveable site furniture, and permanent wooden bench seating designed to host community events and social gatherings.
– Mural – ‘Thanks for Being There to Hold My Ears As They Burn,’ part of Beltline Urban Mural Project (BUMP).
Humpy Hollow Park is now open daily from 5 a.m. to 11 p.m.
Background
About the Name
The name for Humpy Hollow Park came from a naming contest for local school children run by the Calgary Activettes Club (a local women’s social and charitable group) in 1976. The name was chosen for the geographical humps and hollows of the park.
The 2020 City-led public engagement showed that Calgarians wanted to keep the name Humpy Hollow Park.
McHugh House
The McHugh House was built in 1896 and is one of the 10 oldest houses in Calgary and resides on the east end of Humpy Hollow Park. The early, rare and intact example of Queen Anne Revival-style architecture holds historical significance in Calgary and is important to preserve, while integrating into the modern-day Beltline community.
The house is not open as renovations are being planned for next year. The McHugh House will eventually re-open to tenants when renovations are completed in late 2025. Once the house’s exterior work is completed, the remainder of the park on the eastern side will be developed and integrated into the park.