This Parkdale Heritage Home Was Lovingly Restored by a Calgary Design Company

Matthew and Melanie Kennedy had just returned from their honeymoon when a phone call sparked what would become a seven-year home renovation and preservation journey for their growing family.

A partner and principal at Calgary design company Studio North, Matthew and his team had previously restored two heritage homes in the Parkdale neighbourhood. So when the Jones family was looking to preserve their home — where they had lived for 46 years and raised eight children — Studio North came to mind. The 1,700-square-foot home was built in the early 1910s and was one of the first residences in Parkdale.

After seeing the house for themselves, Matthew and Melanie decided to buy it. The Jones’ agreed — on the condition that the home would be designated as a historic residence. After the house’s historic designation, which was about a six-month process, it became known as both the Grant (Jones) Residence and the Founder’s House.

“These walls have been here for the last 100 years,” says Matthew. “All the people who lived here, and all the great memories that would have happened here — including births and deaths — it’s the walls that hold it all in.” Indeed, two of Matthew’s three children were born in the home.

They began restoring the home, which Matthew says occurred in two phases: a two-year renovation that removed the home’s outdated sunshine ceilings and updated the kitchen and basement, followed by a “slow renovation” that finessed the house over the next five years.

Along with keeping the original plaster throughout the home, the original upstairs flooring and the original downstairs windows that fill the home with dreamy light, Matthew made intentional updates to the space that incorporated a contemporary aesthetic while maintaining the home’s integrity.

Notably, the upstairs windows are all single-hung heritage replicas. In the primary bedroom — Matthew’s favourite space in the house — the windows extend along the ensuite and feature a lower panel of reed glass for privacy.

“When you’re in the shower, or you’re brushing your teeth in the morning, you’re staring at the neighbours’ tree canopy and you still have privacy,” says Matthew. He adds that another highlight in the primary bedroom is the operable skylight, which provides airflow.

Downstairs, the kitchen leads into a garden room, which has large glass doors that open up the south-facing wall to the backyard, creating an indoor-outdoor flow. The detached garage complete with clerestory windows serves as Matthew’s workshop.

In the front yard, the covered veranda and picket fence are design details Matthew feels should be a bigger part of contemporary home design.

“It’s a magical space the way I reimagined it,” says Matthew, who added a swing to the veranda. “That front picket fence acts as a collector. We’ll be out there and have a collection of neighbours in the frontyard, with kids playing around us. It’s this really simple design move that they nailed 100 years ago.”

Now, as the Kennedys prepare for their next chapter, Matthew notes that a new family will be moving in soon — another story to be added to the history of the Grant (Jones) Residence.

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