Calgary's Historic Grotesques Up for Auction

0:00Art collectors in Calgary got a shot at grabbing pieces of local history this week, with 16 stone grotesques from the old herald building hitting, the auction block at Levis Fine Art. These sculptures topped the 1912 Southam building, later called the Greyhound Spot, until its demolition in 1972. Originally, 380 came from Royal Dalton in London, designed by artist Mark Villars Marshall. Back in the day, some show newsroom caricatures like the editor, stenographer, typesetter and printers devil, plus animals and masks. When the herald shifted across the street in 1932 and buildings got remodeled or torn down, many got saved, sold to the city, or donated to spots like the Glimbo Museum. The city auctioned 240 in 1994, spreading them to places like the Tellus Convention Center and University of Calgary. Fults back then mourned these figures, with 1932 headlines calling them gloomy after the paper moved and 1971 pieces.

1:01Warning preservation would be tough, only 20 of 60 survived, a prior remodel. Auctioneer Andrea Lowe says they've popped up in private collections, corporate spots, or even got destroyed over time, but their prize for that. Old school gothic detail downtown lacks now. This batch includes big ones expected to fetch $2,000 to $5,000 based on size and shape, with smaller details like monkeys or fish going for mid to high hundreds before. They're all unreserved, starting at $1, but buyers handle the move, some tip the scales at 750 to 850 pounds. Auction wraps April 25th. Magging one means owning a slice of Calgary's vanishing architectural flair, straight from the era when buildings had real character. That's the story for today, Calgary News Today, driven by AI.