Calgary Alberta - It was built more than a century ago and, thanks to the generosity of Calgarians Mike and Linda Shaikh, it'll hopefully last another.
 
More than two years ago, the Shaikhs decided the sandstone retaining wall around their Mount Royal home was too valuable to the history of Calgary to allow it to crumble.
 
Built in the 1890s by the Canadian Pacific Railway (CP) and stretching more than 120 metres, the wall had been eroding.
 
It might have been easier to tear it down, but the Shaikhs thought there was a better way.
 
"It's too beautiful to fall apart," Linda said.
 
For about $300,000, the couple commissioned a stonemason to restore the wall and preserve it for the future.
 
Having just recently been completed, it was unveiled along with a commemorative plaque during a Canada Day celebration at their home on Sunday, with the help of Mayor Naheed Nenshi.
 
"I know things come and go, but we thought it was beautiful," Linda said.
 
"There have been hundreds and hundreds of wedding pictures taken in front of the wall over the years. People love that spot."
 
The wall ranges from 1.2 to 3.6 metres in height, and is about 45 centimetres thick.
 
"Even though this wall, if you were to build it today, it would cost you millions of dollars, by a few hundred thousand dollars we have been able to restore this. It's going to last for another 100 years and many generations to come to enjoy it, so that's our purpose," Mike said.
 
"We want people to appreciate this beauty and we want to share it with our fellow Calgarians."
 
Mike Farnum of LMent Stone, who was commissioned for the restoration, said the erosion was so bad that some sections of the wall had to be torn down completely.
 
"We used very traditional soft lime mortars, removed all the old hard mortar," he said.
 
"I think we're back to how it looked originally. I think it's how it was before."
 
Nenshi said the wall's renewal represents a chance for Calgarians to rededicate themselves toward fighting for the values that make Canada what it is.
 
"It's not just a wall, it's a real symbol of the permanence of this place," he said.
 
"On Canada Day, what a great day to be able to unveil that."
 
Sammy Hudes.