East Calgary began in 1875 as a pasture reserve for the horses of the Northwest Mounted Police at Fort Calgary. When the railroad arrived in 1883, east Calgary thrived with residential, commercial, hospitality, industrial and manufacturing activity. The Simmons Building, a mattress factory built in 1912, is one of the few remaining historical buildings in East Village. The boom ended, and as the downtown and new development moved westward, the neglected area became known as Skid Row. It was renamed Churchill Park as part of an urban renewal movement in the 1960s where institutional buildings replaced houses. The farther eastern part continued to languish until 2007 when a massive redevelopment initiative was funded by a community revitalization levee. East Village, east of City Hall to Fort Calgary and from the Bow River to the railroad tracks, is an eclectic urban neighbourhood, home to both the Drop In Centre and expensive condos.

• Hooper, M.P. (Pat). 2012. Tales of Our Past: Historic East Village. Calgary: Pat Hooper. Accessible at Calgary Public Library.
• STORYHIVE. 2016. Secret Calgary: Return of the King Eddy. Online Resource.
• Loft 112. 2017. Stories from the Rivers’ Edge. Online Resource.
• Heritage Calgary. 2020. Heritage Calgary Walking Tours: Warehouse District East Village. Online Resource.
• East Village. Devoted Historians (De)tour. Online Resource.