There have been three buildings that have had the distinction of being the tallest in the city since the Calgary Tower was surpassed in 1983. They can all be seen from an urban art installation called Wonderland (2012) by artist Jaume Plensa.

This great urban lookout is in the plaza in front of The Bow on Centre Street and 6th Avenue SW.

THE TALLEST BUILDINGS

The Petro-Canada Centre, now Suncor Energy Centre topped out at 705 ft (215 m) surpassing the Calgary Tower at 626 ft (190.8 m). The granite-clad building was completed in 1984 for $200 million.

Across Centre Street is The Bow, the tallest building when it topped out in 2010 at 774 ft (236 m). Completed in 2012 at the cost of $1.4 billion it is currently the second tallest office tower in Calgary since the construction of Brookfield Place 810 ft (247 m) in 2017.

ECONOMICS AND HISTORY

The city council approved the Petro-Canada Centre project after an unprecedented arrangement was made to resolve density concerns. The “air rights” above the former Oddfellows’ Temple, built in 1913 for $89,000, were sold to Petro-Canada for $2,491,995.

The Calgary Chamber of Commerce bought the Temple in the spring of 1978 for $750,000. They spent $1.6 million restoring the historic building which had only ever seen one major renovation, an upgrade of the manually operated elevator. The Chamber of Commerce building was declared a Provincial Historic Resource in 1987. (Credit: Calgary Public Library).

The Bow has become an iconic addition to the Calgary skyline, but the awkward, gated-off open space across the street gives the impression that something is missing. The historic York Hotel, built 1929–1930 in the Edwardian  Commercial Architectural style, was demolished to accommodate The Bow project.

The original plan was to remove the brick and friezes and incorporate them into a new structure with the York Hotel facade retained. Unfortunately, a downturn in the economy led to challenges in financing the completion of the project and it was put on hold. The cast-in-concrete friezes and bricks have been numbered and graphed to show the original location and sit in a warehouse waiting to be installed in a new building. (Credit: Calgary.skyrisecities)

URBAN HIKING: WHERE TO GO FROM HERE

Across the street to the north sits a preserved Baroque cupola in Harmony Park.

Two blocks to the south is another urban lookout.