Several Alberta towns, including Lethbridge, Strathcona, Bassano, and Coleman, established their first hospitals in cottages. These cottage hospitals were small, makeshift, and poor, lacking adequate disinfection and sanitation measures by our standards. Surgeries were often performed on the dining table.
Peter Dewar built this gingerbread-decorated house in 1907. It was briefly owned by Martin Pallesen, owner of the Calgary Central Creamery. The longtime home of Norah Main, the house was the site of the Calgary Temple School of Spiritual Learning. The house was donated to Heritage Park by Eau Claire Estates Ltd. in 1979, and many of the furnishings were donated by the Main family. Heritage Park restored the house as a cottage hospital in 1991 and built the replica garage the following year. Both Amoco Petroleum Company Ltd. and Imperial Oil Ltd. donated funds for the restoration.