History
Doherty Hall is a one-of-a-kind performance space that incorporates the unique historic design elements of the Westbourne Baptist Church. Westbourne is best known for its association with former Alberta Premier William Aberhart.
Westbourne Baptist Church
Westbourne was a gothic revival-style church built in 1904. In 1911, it was relocated from its original location (13th Avenue and 2nd Street SE) to Victoria Park (12th Avenue and 4th Street SE). Aberhart became the unofficial minister at Westbourne in 1915 and by 1923 was teaching evening theology courses. Aberhart also began his formative radio broadcasts in Westbourne, which would help propel him into the premier’s office in the 1930s. He left Westbourne in 1927 to open the Calgary Prophetic Bible Institute.
Legacy
In 1967, the Westbourne Baptist congregation relocated to north-west Calgary, leaving the building vacant until 1975 when it was purchased by a Pentecostal congregation. After being owned by the Religious-Divine Worship, the building served as the Victory Outreach Centre from 1992-2007, which ministered to Calgary’s homeless and working poor. Thanks to the generous support of the Doherty family and the Government of Canada, in 2018 historic elements from Westbourne Church were adapted into a world-class performance space called Doherty Hall.
Recreation
Westbourne Church was unable to be moved in its entirety, so in 2017 the Stampede salvaged important historical materials including the brick cladding, gothic style window frames and sashes and wainscoting from the nave. The materials were restored and incorporated into this replica building in its new location in Youth Campus.
