The Trend House Chronicles

Documenting a unique piece of Mid-Century Modern architecture in Calgary.

The Trend House program was created in Canada in 1953 inspired by the success of the Case Study Program in the United States. Eleven houses were built across Canada from Victoria to Halifax as a showcase to promote the use of West Coast lumber products, specifically Red Cedar, Pacific Coast Hemlock and Douglas Fir.  Completed in spring 1954, each of the houses were open to the public for 4 months, and it’s estimated over a million Canadians toured the Trend Houses. The Trend Houses were a celebration of the best in Canadian design and manufacturing, as well as a promotional tool, and the effect of these houses on Canadian residential architecture was felt for decades to come.

This web site documents the design and restoration of the Calgary Trend House undertaken since 2002, as well as documenting the Trend House program as a whole. Learn more about the history of the program, as well as some of the unique design features of the Calgary Trend House. We have some photo galleries showing the various aspects of the house as well as a page of press links to articles both recent and historic that talk about the Calgary Trend House as well as the other houses in the program. Finally check out the blog for the latest news and discussions on the Trend House and the program that sponsored it.

The Calgary Trend House was protected as a Municipal Historic Resource in January 2015, and is currently the only example of  Mid-Century Modern architecture in Calgary that has a historic designation. Finally in February 2018, the house was also designated a Provincial Historic Resource which, along with the Victoria Trend House, are currently the only two examples of homes from the program with Provincial protection.

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If you have any questions or information on the program and it’s houses, please contact Mike at mike@mkurtz.com