“Not only is location important, you have to look at the stage of the market, the design and concept of the property, and ultimately, you have to like what you are buying.” Born in Kingston, Ontario, the engineer has twice called Alberta home.

“I worked in Ottawa, then as an urban planner involved with the Commonwealth Games up in Edmonton for two-and-a-half years before coming to Calgary in 1974. I went to Southeast Asia for a few years, where I took architectural training at Edinburgh’s University in Scotland and then came back to Calgary, where I started my own business, because I like Calgary.” 

Gordon, 61, has historical ties to Calgary. His grandfather, W. W. Grant, started CFCN Radio back in 1921. “Actually, it was started in High River. My grandfather was a self-taught engineer as were his father and mine. When I say he built the radio station, he actually designed, built and owned all the equipment. In 1921 radio was leading edge with no supporting industries. To have a radio station, he had to build the station (the transmitter), design and build the radios (receivers using tractor batteries) and provide local programming. Grandpa was a pilot in World War I. He built receivers to monitor transmitter signals when he wasn’t flying, and developed his radio talent during the war.  He built radios, too, now collector’s items, with the name ‘Voice of the Prairies,’ the name CFCN used back then. I wish I had one.”

Collectors’ items, albeit missing one of his grandfather’s famous radios, are found in abundance in Gordon’s 1,600-square-foot, two-bedroom ground-floor condo in the Eau Claire district, among them bronze sculptures, oil paintings, and antique furniture. “To do this, one has to have a plan. It has taken four years to put all the pieces together. I bought my unit, from plans in February 2004, with my first tenant moving in at the beginning of May this year. It is not 100 per cent perfect, but is getting there and it works reasonably well. I have a modern space with a turn of the 20th century feel to it.”

The furniture, finishing touches and art provide an opulent western style. And, having a turnkey situation allows him to hold on to the property before he’s ready to retire. “This space has a richness that just oozes warmth, stability and substance,” he says.

Many of the furnishings have gotten a second life in Gordon’s condo, a myriad from trips to auctions, his favourite being Galvin’s, as well as warehouse sales and even Direct Buy, “for the furnishings required to complete the look. I only buy if they match, and the pieces have. I have chosen red mahogany and cherry-styled furniture, some replicas, some made by Hooker or Stanley.”

In March, he and some friends added a few finishing touches, including a bamboo floor throughout the public areas, pendant lights over the granite kitchen island, crown mouldings over the dining area, and a 60-pound cast bronze Spanish light fixture over the dining table. The latter called for reinforcing the ceiling and a secondary support system, using concrete inserts. “It can now hold up to 3,000 pounds,” he says. Additional work was done in the master bedroom from adding crown moulding to installing a light fixture Gordon had stored for four years in his garage.

Gordon also had the kitchen moved six feet closer to the front entry. “I wanted to create a home office and make the space more efficient,” he notes.

He also plans on working on the storage capacity of the laundry room and the master bedroom’s walk-in closet. But the piece de resistance for Gordon is the fireplace, framed in the great room on either side by floor-to-ceiling windows. “The hand-carved marble is almost like alabaster. Whoever did it was a master carver of great talent.” The beautiful white marble fireplace has dark green granite surrounding the gas insert, adding warmth and depth to the space.

His artistic side shows through in the unique leaded stained glass windows. “I took a course at Rhonda’s Stained Glass to learn how to design and build the windows for the transoms because of the high windows and 11-foot vaulted ceiling. Light can still come through them and the stained glass offers privacy,” he says, adding a shirt from Venezuela was the inspiration.

Pleated roman blinds cover the bottom six-foot portion of each window. In the master suite, Van Gogh-inspired irises are the subject in stained glass panels. “Being new to stained glass work, I experimented with the colours and shapes of the leaves to get the balance I wanted.” 

Other projects for his condo include putting in a barbecue, an umbrella and patio furniture, plus large pots for roses and clematis, so he has a little bit of a garden in his brick patio. While his tenants are on holiday, he plans to install a seven-channel surround sound system, but does not want it to affect the ambiance of the place.

Whenever Gordon decides he is ready for retirement and maintaining his house in Marda Loop is becomes too much, he can slip down to Eau Claire and move into his made-for-him, maintenance-free address in the hub of the action.

“I bought this condo because it is downtown, the most exciting part of the city, but it is also quiet and close to the river. I have green space and the bike system just out my back door. I can walk three blocks to go shopping, too. Massive changes are taking place which will make downtown Calgary a very exciting place to be!”