Inglewood has a long and prolific imprint in Calgary’s history.

Now, the southeast community is taking the stories of its neighbourhood and turning them into an online multimedia catalog called Inglewood Stories. 

“We wanted to sort of highlight the incredible history Inglewood has, but also bring in the current situation in Inglewood, which is that it is very diverse,” said Aaron Ellard, Founder of Monitor Creatives and co-lead for the project. 

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Inglewood’s place in history

Historically, Inglewood is one of Calgary’s oldest neighbourhoods. Established in 1875, the neighbourhood was originally known as East Calgary or Brewery Flats. Inglewood was not officially given its name until 1911, when it was named after a nearby homestead. 

Today, the neighbourhood is comprised of local shops, an arts district and multiple parks and pathway systems. It’s also home to multiple markets throughout the year. It also boasts iconic Calgary live music venues like Ironwood Stage and Grill, the Blues Can and Festival Hall.

Ellard said wherever you look in Inglewood, you can catch a glimpse of a part of the community’s past. But people generally don’t realize how much history there is.

“I think people are also just generally unaware of Inglewood’s presence in history in the city. They know that it’s a community, they’ve heard of it, but they might not know how much has happened there over the last century,” he said.

Inglewood’s connection to the Titanic

One of those historical stories is of the McGill Block on the corner of 9 Avenue and 9 Street and its connection to the Titanic.  

In 1911, an entrepreneur from Manitoba named Albert Dick built the building. Less than a year after its construction, Albert and his wife were two of just 711 people who survived the Titanic.

Ellard said uncovering stories like the Titanic connection is exactly what they want to hang onto as the community evolves. 

Engaging with Inglewood stories from today

According to the 2019 civic census, just over 4,000 people live in the Bow River-based community. Ellard said he wants to engage with Inglewood’s past, but also stories about the present.

“We want to sort of highlight that but also bring in the current situation in Inglewood which is that it is very diverse. There’s a lot of growth happening there, and really interesting mix of businesses and population,” said Ellard.

Calgarians interested in sharing a story about their Inglewood experience can head to InglewoodStories.com.