ROSS M. JEFFERIES HOUSE
Firm: J. A. Cawston
Address: 64 Massey Place SW
Date of final plans: 1958
Status: standing as built
Without a doubt, the Jefferies house is one of the best works of post-war domestic architecture in Calgary. What's more, unlike so many other houses of the period, it remains intact and almost entirely original.
The house it situated in the northwest corner of Mayfair and was one of the earliest houses to be built in the neighbourhood. It is tucked away in a sloping corner lot and is built into the hillside. A long driveway leads to the garage and main entrance, and the second storey walks out to the top of the lot at the back of the house. The backyard looks out on the Glenmore Reservoir and Glenmore Dam. Above the garage there is a deck that is accessible from the master bedroom.
The Jefferies house has all the hallmarks of the Cawston style: low-pitched roof with beamed ceiling, glass façade, large fireplace, and basement at grade. It is clad in a mixture of wood siding, white brick, and diamond-patterened concrete block.
Ross's house is one block away from that of his brother, Valentine R. Jefferies.
THE CLIENT
Ross Montgomery Jefferies (1925–1975) was born in Calgary to James and Helen Jefferies. From 1944 to 1948 he attended the University of Alberta where he played in goal for the Golden Bears hockey team all four years. He was club president for the 1947 season. After university he returned to Calgary and started work with the family business, Jefferies and Sons Ltd. He later worked for Consolidated Concrete and Kelwood Corporation, and was heavily involved in the development of the Inn on Lake Bonavista and the Lake Bonavista Shopping Centre. Jefferies was a member of St Andrew's Presbyterian Church, the downtown Rotary Club, and was a director of the Calgary Golf and Country Club. He also served as the president of the National Concrete Products Association.
On 13 November 1948 Jefferies married Nora Margaret Serridge (1926–1987). They had four children: Diane, David, Paul and Janice. He died on 17 December 1975 at age 50.