MARSHALL M. PORTER HOUSE
Firm: Rule Wynn and Rule
Address: 60 Eagle Crest Place SW
Date of final plans: May 1950
Status: demolished in 2008
The Marshall M. Porter House was one of the two original estate properties in what later became the neighbourhood Eagle Ridge. The other, located to the south of Porter's house, was owned by Reginald F. Jennings (see here). Both houses were built in 1950, and both are in the ranch style. The floorplan of the Porter House is an open C shape with a garage at one end and an office at the other. The rear of the house faces west towards Glenmore Reservoir.
During her 1959 cross country tour, Queen Elizabeth spent 9 July in Calgary, arriving early in the morning at the airport and leaving for Banff that night by train. The Queen's final engagement in Calgary was an evening barbecue at the Porter house jointly hosted by the Porters and their neighbours the Jenningses. She and Philip arrived at the Porters' shortly after 8:30 and left at 10:15. It's unclear whether she visited the Jennings House as well, although it seems some guests were there. In the gallery below I've included the significant press coverage of the barbecue, as well as a few photos.
In September 2008 the Porter House was demolished.
THE CLIENT
Marshall Menzies Porter (1894-1985) was born on 12 October 1884 in Sarnia to James Archibald Porter (1866-1921) and Mary Elizabeth Menzies (1870-1931). The Porter family moved to Medicine Hat in 1913 where Marshall articled at the firm Laidlaw, Blanchard and Rand. He subsequently attended Dalhousie University where he graduated Bachelor of Laws in 1917. On 25 September 1917 he enlisted in the Canadian Army and served briefly. In 1919 Porter moved to Calgary and was called to the bar that year. Porter practised with John Brownlee, Andrew Naismith until 1954, when he was appointed a Justice of the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of Alberta. Porter served in this capacity until his retirement in 1969. He also served as an officer in companies including Home Oil, Alberta Salt Company, Western Printing and Lithographing, Farm and Ranch Review, Bank of Nova Scotia, Burns and Company and the Alberta Wheat Pool.
In 1919 Porter married Lillian Forbes (1894-1981), who was originally from Woodstock, Ontario. They had three daughters: Betty, Kathryn, and Lois. Porter died on 29 July 1985 at age 90.