Banff Mansion
A determined, high-profile woman revitalizes a historic mountain home.
By Stephen W. Smith

When LuAn Mitchell-Halter bought her Banff home, the roof was caving in at the middle, it had low ceilings, smelled like mold and had lime green carpets. Today, the home is the luxurious residence now known as the Banff Mansion.

The dwelling lies adjacent to the bustling retail heart of Banff. Its large back yard is only a stone's throw away from the edge of the bow river as it snakes its way majestically through the picturesque Alberta resort town.

Yes, the home has always had a dynamic location going for it but when the Mitchell-Halter's acquired the home more than five years ago it needed a lot of work. The former Miss Saskatoon beauty queen had big plans to expand and revitalize the home but she soon found those matters complicated by the residence's status as a heritage home.

Any significant alterations to the residence had to be approved by three levels of government. When LuAn Mitchell-Halter recalls past wrangling with government officials she often sighs or adopts a pained expression that lets you know that getting Banff mansion to its present state of splendour has been a long and arduous road.

Fortunately for her, weathering the storms of adversity is something she has become quite accustomed to. Mitchell-Halter's 2003 best selling autobiography, Paper Doll: Lessons Learned From a Life Lived in the Headlines, recounts a past filled challenges and trying times.

Before she married her first husband, Fred Mitchell, he was diagnosed with cystic fibrosis. With his wife's steadfast support Mitchell defied the odds by surviving a radical heart and lung transplant and started a family with his wife. Then came a prolonged family legal battle for control of the meat product empire he presided over prior to his illness.

The matter was finally resolved with the creation of Mitchell's Gourmet Foods, a new meat business entity under Fred's control. But only two years later the determined business mogul and devoted family man would die suddenly during a medical check leaving LuAn on her own with the children and a company to take care of. The new widow resisited significant pressure to sell her stake in Mitcehll Gourmet Foods choosing instead to lead the company to a new level of prosperity as Chairperson of the Board. Her tunure at the top of the firm was so successful she was named female entrepreneur of the year for three successive years by both Chatelaine and Profit magazines.

Today LuAn Mitchell-Halter spends much of her time as a motivational speaker and the driving force behind many self-help seminars. She also continues to write with a new book due soon and serves on the board of many charitable organizations. In 2003 she remarried to Dr. Reese Halter, an accomplished conservation biologist, research scientist, documentary film maker and children's book author.

LuAn, her husband and her three teenaged children, Freddie, Ryan and Jinjara (Jinji), now reside at the Banff Mansion, a property that LuAn Mitchell-Halter had her eyes on long ago. "I have loved this home for many years," she confesses. "I used to picnic down by the Bow River (in Banff) with my kids and late husband. We used to look at this house and think it was just crying for attention. The design was so beautiful and striking but nobody was loving it."

Much of the current aesthetic charm of the home is derived from the work of accomplished internional architect John Carl Warneke, who redesigned the Banff residence in 1946. He is also known for his design of the President John F. Kennedy memorial grave site, as well as many public architectural wonders in the U.S.

When LuAn Mitchell-Halter acquired the home she wanted to preserve its distinctive natural stone exterior flair. A new wing that was added to the residence matches the outward appearance of the original structure. The two sections are joined by an overpass lined with eye pleasing artwork because the Heritage Home status of the property would not allow the new portion to be built directly onto the old.

The interior of the original structure has been revamped dramatically; ceilings have been raised; some walls removed and beautiful hardwood floors have been installed. LuAn Mitchell-Halter's home features a diverse range of rare art pieces including many medicine paintings from Canadian aboriginal artist Norval Morriseau.

One will also find many butterflies rendered throughout the home and yard. For a woman who has proved so adept at dealing with all the sudden changes life can throw at her, LuAn Mitchell-Halter admits to a natural kinship with another creature so adept at metamorphosis.