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Famous Hart House up for sale
By
JASON CLEVETT -- SLAM! Wrestling
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  The historic Hart Mansion.
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CALGARY -- With the passing of Stu Hart on
October 18, 2003, his 10 remaining children were left with the decision
of what to do with the historic Hart Mansion in Calgary\'s Patterson
Heights. Although not an easy decision, the house has been put on the
market with a price tag of $2 million, which includes a lot of its
contents as well.
\"Before my Grandfather died, it was never a question. As long as he was
alive, that was reason enough for us to keep it. He never would have
lived anywhere else. After he passed away, it was pretty much for
certain that we would have to sell it,\" said Nattie Niedhart, daughter
of Jim
\"The Anvil\" Niedhart and Ellie Hart. \"The house couldn\'t be left to
just one person; it has to be divided up. The only person in the family
who has the money to maintain the house is Bret, but with his stroke and
such I don\'t believe he wants that responsibility.\"
The 5,600 square foot home, which sits on 2.17 acres of land, was
purchased by Hart in 1951 for $25,000. Built in 1905 by businessman
Edward Crandell, it was converted into the Soldiers\' Children\'s Home for
Orphans in 1920. Judge Henry Stuart Patterson bought the home from the
Crandells and later sold it to the Harts. It is a Historical Site and
thus cannot be torn down, which is a relief to many fans and wrestlers
who respect the history of the three story brick mansion. From Sunday
dinners to the infamous Dungeon, the Hart House is one that has had the
biggest and the best in wrestling walk through its doors, as well as
various political and entertainment figures.
The house, which can be viewed at Remax\'s website www.mls.ca, is in need
of approximately $500,000 in restorations. The plumbing for example is
about as old as the house. In addition the regular upkeep costs and
property taxes run about $13,000 a month, all of which makes it too
steep for the remaining members of the family to keep. Family friend
Gordon Stewart is handling the sale.
Some are surprised that the price tag is low considering the value of
the land around it and the legend of the home.
\"Stu and Helen left it in their will that they never wanted the house
torn down, and it can\'t be because it is a historical site. It would be
great if a wrestling fan had the money, but the fact is that the only
people who have the money to invest are developers. They can\'t do what
they want with the land. They would want to tear it down, it would be
easier to do that than invest the money to restore it, and so that makes
it less appealing. To a developer, they don\'t care that it\'s the Hart
House,\" said Niedhart, who resides on the property herself. One of the
interested parties is a developer who wants to keep the house intact
with condos surrounding it.
\"The developer wants to do something really special with it. He wants to
do something he can put his name on and be proud of,\" Remax\'s Stewart
told the Calgary Herald.
Featuring 22 rooms, four fireplaces, five chandeliers from Edmonton\'s
historic McDonald Hotel, two porches, a view of downtown, and a Coach
House behind the main house, the property is not likely to be on the
market for long. There have already been two buyers expressing interest
in the property. The future of the house is up in the air, there was
talk of it being turned into a museum, while some fans and wrestlers
have expressed an interest in seeing it turned into a bed and breakfast,
something that would surely draw wrestling fans from around the world.
\"I would love that, but the difficulty in having a museum or a B&B is it
would have to be re-zoned and such. The house is in a residential area,
so issues such as high traffic and privacy have to be taken into
consideration,\" she said.
The other question that many wonder is what will become of the Hart
Brothers Training Camp that still runs three times a week in the
basement dungeon?
\"When we can\'t be in the house anymore, we will have to find a new
\"Dungeon. It is a monument to the people that have come out of it, being
in the basement. But the essence of the Dungeon is whoever is in it. As
far as I am concerned, the Dungeon will always be wherever my good
friends and I train. It\'s four walls, a floor and a mat. Putting our
heart into it is what makes it special,\" Niedhart, the first female
third generation pro wrestler concluded.
Jason Clevett is a Calgary-based writer who has been fortunate to have
been to the Hart House on numerous occasions. He can be emailed at mailto:j_clevett@hotmail.com.
