Unbuilt Projects

[GoVertical]

1965: Western Union Insurance (the now Ramada hotel was built instead)

Interesting because 640 8 Ave WAS built across from the Ramada lol:

 

[darwink]

Interesting because 640 8 Ave WAS built across from the Ramada lol:
View attachment 273915

Ha - the paper had the wrong address and corner.

 

[October]

I put of my studying this afternoon and threw myself down a pretty interesting rabbit hole of unbuilt projects in the city, here's a few that I found

CPR station plaza would've involved a face lift to the now demolished rail station as well as 2 new hotel adjacent to the station made from sandstone, the main purpose of the planning of the plaza was to discourage the demolition of it to build the Calgary Tower on the site since before the station was 3 storeys and surrounded by wooden buildings. I imagine if we saw the station kept it would've become the central hub for the LRT in the city and charged the layout of the tracks downtown, as well as been used a terminus for trains like the Rocky Mountaineer. This could've been a fitting use for it considering that not long after the planning the passenger rail service was rerouted to Edmonton and bypassed Calgary. But maybe one day if we built rail service to Banff and Edmonton a central transit hub Downtown will return.

However according to the source I was reading the folks who were incharge of the planning wanted a more modern, New York looking transit hub and came up with the scheme.

And since they were planning on keeping the station and giving it a face lift, the decided they still also wanted the Calgary Tower to be built, but moved the location to an empty lot near the Knox United Church

 

[UrbanWarrior]

Oh my lanta... that station refurb/expansion combined with the Calgary Tower relocation would have been incredible. That makes me legit sad.

 

[darwink]

Here is the Herald from October 1963 on the project:

 

[darwink]

Calgary Transportation Centre, Calgary Convention Centre, 1963

This project required the CPR tracks to realign, as part of the using the river side as the transportation corridor plan, which was defeated.

Another picture from 1963:

 

[darwink]

Mount Royal College in the East Village 'Churchill Park', from 1968

 

[darwink]

Heliport (unbuilt I think!) and Office Building (the MEC and now Temple, but not built to the proposed height of 8 stories) 1957 - 4th Ave and 9th St SW

 

[darwink]

Would be cool to get a higher resolution scan of this from 1979 - someone with a better eye than me can mark the ones that ended up unbuilt!:

 

[Surrealplaces]

I love that curved building

Calgary Transportation Centre, Calgary Convention Centre, 1963
View attachment 281975

This project required the CPR tracks to realign, as part of the using the river side as the transportation corridor plan, which was defeated.

Another picture from 1963:
View attachment 281976

 

[FCC1982]

Would be cool to get a higher resolution scan of this from 1979 - someone with a better eye than me can mark the ones that ended up unbuilt!:
View attachment 281980

OMG - I remember seeing this in the Herald as a kid. There was a poster sized color version that hung in my jr. high school as well. Would love to get my hands on it now.

 

[CT (Chinese_T)]

Calgary Municipal Building Design Competition Entries 1981

Gerald J. Gongos, MRAIC (Finalist)

The design would have put the council chambers in the historical city hall building.

Eugene N. Dub Architect LTD. (Finalist)

R.L. Wilkin Architect LTD. (Finalist)

This design would have taken +15s to the next level (literally)

Anthony K. Eng (Recognition)

This design has the best atrium in my opinion.

Douglas McConnell / Shore Tilbe Henschel Irwin Peters (Recognition)

Christopher Ballyn / The Webb Zerafa Menkes Housden Partnership (Winner)
(Not Unbuilt but fun to include)

 

[MichaelS]

Awesome post! thanks for finding those. I think I prefer the R.L. Wilkin Architect Ltd. one. Not only the more dramatic height and multiple sky bridges, but the plaza out front looks like a way better civic plaza than what we have now, and it allowed Stephen Avenue to connect through to East Village.

 

[MissingMiddle]

Super cool. The Dub submission that has street-level access to the East Village would be pretty handy now considering the redevelopment, they're also still a rather respected firm in Edmonton.

 

[Surrealplaces]

Yeah, that's a great find @Chinese_T . I love that the Dub proposal goes straight through to EV.

I'm not sure why, but I like the Gongos design. It kind of goes against what I usually like, but I do like the way the the old city hall is reflected in the glass, and the way the plaza is large and open.