GWEYN E. KING HOUSE
Firm: J. A. Cawston and Associates
Address: 2414 Hope Street SW
Date of final plans: November 1950
Status: demolished in 2013
Gweyn King's house at the top of Hope Street is unique among Cawston's works, in that it's the only house he designed for an unmarried client. While Cawston did design some homes for "empty nesters," most of his works were for families. King's house was a small, split-level with touches of art deco. It was designed at the same time as the Barron Building and shows that Cawston was still in a pre-War mindset at the time. The King House was demolished in early 2013.
Gweyn and her brother Fred built the Medical Arts Building on the site of the original King family house. Cawston designed this work also.
THE CLIENT
Gweyn Elizabeth King (1905–1988) was the daughter of Edward George "Ted" King (1873–1942) and Maria Sophia Scheuermann (1871–1935). The Kings were Calgary pioneers, having moved to Fort Calgary in 1875. Ted operated the King Clothing Co. in Calgary and served one term as an alderman. Gweyn graduted from the University of Alberta in 1929 with a licentiate in pharmacy. She and her younger brother Fred (1908–1990) owned and operated King's Drug Store.