{"id":100753,"date":"2014-09-23T10:00:00","date_gmt":"2014-09-23T14:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.livabl.com\/articles\/?p=100753"},"modified":"2014-09-23T18:11:13","modified_gmt":"2014-09-23T22:11:13","slug":"history-calgarys-tallest-building","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.livabl.com\/articles\/guides\/history-calgarys-tallest-building","title":{"rendered":"The history and future of Calgary’s tallest skyscrapers"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/h4>

Following up our\u00a0historic look back at Calgary’s skyline over the last 100 years<\/a>, we examine the 10 buildings that have stood out\u00a0the most through the years, namely those that\u00a0were, are, or will be,\u00a0the city’s tallest.<\/p>\n

Fairmont Palliser Hotel<\/h2>\n

\"Calgary<\/a>\"Palliser<\/a>Photo: Wikimedia<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

Years tallest:<\/strong> 1914 — 1958
\nHeight:<\/strong> 197 feet, 12 stories
\nCurrent ranking:<\/strong>\u00a0Unknown (well outside\u00a0the top 50)
\nInteresting facts:<\/strong>\u00a0While it was under construction, suggested names for the hotel included the Adanac, Golden West, Pride of the West, Crowfoot, Piedmont, Swastika and Royal Mary.\u00a0The name Palliser was eventually chosen\u00a0in honour\u00a0of Captain John Palliser, leader of the famed British expedition responsible for exploring Western Canada between 1857 and 1860. The hotel was so popular with some guests that a few took up permanent residence, most notably the 11th Prime Minister of Canada, Calgary-born\u00a0RB\u00a0Bennett, who lived in room 760.<\/p>\n

Elveden Centre<\/h2>\n

\"Elveden<\/a>\"Elveden<\/a>Photos: Calgary Public Library<\/a>,\u00a0Wikimedia<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

Years tallest:<\/strong> 1958 — 1968
\nHeight:<\/strong> 262 feet, 20 stories
\nCurrent ranking:<\/strong>\u00a0Unknown (like the Palliser, also well outside\u00a0the top 50)
\nInteresting facts:<\/strong>\u00a0Cost $5 million to build, which, adjusted for inflation, would be just over $41 million today.<\/p>\n

Calgary Place I<\/h2>\n

\"951884dd1dd74c2f9551d97f257fc64d\"<\/a>Photo: Avison Young<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

Years tallest:<\/strong> 1968 — 1973
\nHeight:<\/strong> 361 feet, 30 stories
\nCurrent ranking:<\/strong> 42nd
\nInteresting fact:<\/strong>\u00a0Calgary Place I is connected to the city’s Plus 15 pedestrian network, which links the tower\u00a0to all major office buildings in the Central Business District, a factoid that’s about as dull as the building’s design.<\/p>\n

Altius Centre<\/h2>\n

\"Calgary<\/a>Photo: dalmond\/Flickr<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

Years tallest:<\/strong>\u00a01973 — 1974
\nHeight:<\/strong> 415 feet, 32 stories
\nCurrent ranking:<\/strong> 33rd
\nInteresting fact:<\/strong> With an adjoining parkade comprised of 257 stalls, the Altius Centre has one of the highest\u00a0parking ratios\u00a0of any building in the downtown core. Something to consider the next time you’re driving around aimlessly looking for a space.<\/p>\n

Bow Valley Square 2<\/h2>\n

\"Bow<\/a>\"tallest<\/a> Photos:\u00a0<\/em>Oxford\u00a0<\/em>Properties<\/a>,\u00a0Dillan K\/Flickr<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

Years tallest:<\/strong> 1974 — 1976
\nHeight:<\/strong> 469 feet, 39 stories
\nCurrent ranking:<\/strong> 23rd
\nInteresting fact:<\/strong>\u00a0Like other buildings on this list, Bow Valley Square II\u00a0was the tallest building in Western Canada at the time of completion.<\/p>\n

Scotia Centre<\/h2>\n

\"calgary<\/a>\"rogers<\/a>Photos:\u00a0Doug Zwick\/Flickr<\/a>, Dave Smith\/Flickr<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

Years tallest:<\/strong> 1976 — 1982
\nHeight:<\/strong> 509 feet, 41 stories
\nCurrent ranking:<\/strong> 18th
\nInteresting fact:<\/strong> Was designed by\u00a0WZMH Architects, the same firm that imagined Toronto’s CN Tower, as well as Calgary’s\u00a0Suncor Energy Centre and Bow Valley developments.<\/p>\n

First Canadian Centre<\/h2>\n

\"Calgary<\/a>\"calgary<\/a>Photos:\u00a0Kevin Cappis\/Flickr<\/a>,\u00a0Paul\/Flickr<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

Years tallest:<\/strong> 1982 — 1984
\nHeight:<\/strong> 548 feet, 41 stories
\nCurrent ranking:<\/strong>\u00a013th
\nInteresting fact:<\/strong>\u00a0Original plans called for a two-tower complex, with the second being an impressive 64 stories. However, an economic downturn put an end to that proposal\u00a0and it wasn’t until 2013 that a second, scaled-back tower of only 28-stories was finally approved.<\/p>\n

Suncor Energy Centre I<\/h2>\n

\"SEC\"<\/a>\"A<\/a>Photo:\u00a0Ayrcan\/Flickr<\/a>,\u00a0Rich Moffitt\/Flickr<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

Years tallest:<\/strong> 1984 — 2011
\nHeight:<\/strong> 705 feet, 53 stories
\nCurrent ranking:<\/strong>\u00a02nd
\nInteresting fact:<\/strong>\u00a0The building was often referred to as\u00a0Red Square in its early years, a derisive reference<\/a> to its primary occupant Petro-Canada, which was a Crown corporation at the time.<\/p>\n

The Bow<\/h2>\n

\"SONY<\/a>Photo:\u00a0Dezene Huber\/Flickr<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

Years tallest:<\/strong> 2011 — present
\nHeight:<\/strong> 774 feet, 58 stories
\nCurrent ranking:<\/strong>\u00a01st
\nInteresting fact:<\/strong>\u00a0Is the tallest building in Canada outside of Toronto and will remain as such until 2018 when construction on Brookfield Place Tower One wraps up. (Will fall to number three on the list if the City of Edmonton approves the\u00a071-storey\u00a0Edmontonian proposal<\/a>.)<\/p>\n

Brookfield Place Calgary Tower One<\/h2>\n

\"Calgary's<\/a>Photo: Brookfield\u00a0Office Properties<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

Years tallest:<\/strong>\u00a02018 — ?
\nHeight:<\/strong>\u00a0810 feet, 56 stories
\nCurrent ranking:<\/strong>\u00a0Under construction
\nInteresting fact:<\/strong> As the National Post explains<\/a>, it’s no small irony that\u00a0Brookfield Place\u00a0will beat out the Bow for the title of Calgary’s tallest tower. Brookfield Place’s primary tenant,\u00a0energy giant Cenovus, split off from the Bow\u2019s lead tenant, EnCana Corporation, in 2009. EnCana now manages natural gas assets, while its onetime offspring oversees oil development.<\/p>\n

Notable exclusion: The Calgary Tower<\/h2>\n

\"Calgary<\/a>Photo: Calgary Public Library<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

Years tallest:<\/strong> 1968 — 1983
\nHeight:<\/strong>\u00a0626 feet
\nCurrent ranking:<\/strong> 6th
\nInteresting fact:<\/strong>\u00a0We didn’t include the Calgary Tower in our ranking because, as a\u00a0free-standing tower with no relevant floor count, it stands outside the skyscraper category. It was, however, the world’s tallest free-standing tower when it first opened. A title it was able to hold onto for a time because the\u00a0developers\u00a0lied about its height during construction,\u00a0claiming it\u00a0would be only 614 feet tall and thus preventing competing projects from surpassing it.\u00a0More interesting facts and photos on Calgary’s most iconic building\u00a0this way<\/a>.<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

We go back 100 years and looking a few more into the future.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":49,"featured_media":102328,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"content-type":"","apple_news_api_created_at":"","apple_news_api_id":"","apple_news_api_modified_at":"","apple_news_api_revision":"","apple_news_api_share_url":"","apple_news_coverimage":0,"apple_news_coverimage_caption":"","apple_news_is_hidden":false,"apple_news_is_paid":false,"apple_news_is_preview":false,"apple_news_is_sponsored":false,"apple_news_maturity_rating":"","apple_news_metadata":"\"\"","apple_news_pullquote":"","apple_news_pullquote_position":"","apple_news_slug":"","apple_news_sections":[],"apple_news_suppress_video_url":false,"apple_news_use_image_component":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[11118],"tags":[11117,11126,11116],"coauthors":[10332],"apple_news_notices":[],"yoast_head":"\nThe history and future of Calgary's tallest skyscrapers | 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