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Like many tourist-luring observation towers, the Calgary Tower was conceived with a vision to renew the downtown core. Providing the public with the opportunity to explore never-before-seen views, what became Calgary's tallest structure instilled a new sense of pride, appreciation, and fondness for the city. But while the tower has remained a recognizable landmark through the years, its once dominating influence on the city skyline is gradually fading away. Calgary's latest crop of skyscrapers are continually changing the face of the city and obstructing the iconic tower. With new civic centrepieces like Studio Bell and New Central Library becoming major centres for cultural congregation, the Calgary Tower's aging shell reflects a bygone era. How can the Calgary Tower remain relevant in the 21st century? A thread in our Forum created by Oddball poses this question.
The idea of building a tower to honour Canada's centennial year of 1967 was floated by Marathon Realty — the real estate division of the Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR) — and Husky Oil, who had both built their new head offices in the city. They appointed W.G. Milne & A. Dale and Associates to design the tower, which ultimately took the form of a slender concrete shaft topped by a bucket-shaped steel-panelled observation pod. The CPR station on the site was demolished to make way for the structure and the Palliser Square project. Construction of the $3.5 million project officially began on February 19, 1967.
Among the major feats undertaken by the construction crews was an unprecedented 24-day continual pour of concrete. Despite not being located in an earthquake-active area, the building was the first in Western Canada designed to withstand major seismic events. When it opened on June 30, 1968, as the Husky Tower, it became the tallest self-supporting structure in the Western Hemisphere. The exact height of 191 metres was kept under wraps to fend off potential competing towers — only when San Antonio announced the completion of their 190-metre Tower of the Americas earlier in the year, thinking they'd surpassed Husky's publicized 187-metre mark, was the true height revealed.
A formal name change on November 1, 1971, done as a tribute to Calgarians, sparked the natural evolution of cosmetic enhancements and upgrades that every tourist attraction experiences. In a bid to add even more height, a 1982 study proposed building an 85-metre vertical extension to the top of the tower that would house a second observation deck. Though the idea was never seriously considered, it was emblematic of the early desire to constantly reinvent the tower's image. After Petro-Canada Centre's west building became the tallest structure in the city in 1983, the Calgary Tower underwent a substantial three-year renovation. The $2.4 million refurbishment modernized the structure's upper levels while adding a souvenir shop and revolving restaurant in the pod and a glass rotunda at the base that would serve as the new entrance. The renovations necessitated the removal of carillon bells bestowed to the tower ten years prior by the Dutch Canadian Centennial Committee, but the sound was restored following public outcry, with a digital chime now reverberating throughout the downtown core. 1987 saw the acceptance of another gift that would change the tower's appearance. Canadian Western Natural Gas donated a gas-fired cauldron to celebrate the 1988 Winter Olympics, a public art feature that is occasionally reignited today to celebrate special events.
Other changes in recent years have focused primarily on the visitor experience, with more interior renovations in 2002, a glass floor extension opening in 2005, and a multicolour LED lighting system installed in 2014, giving the landmark a new identity at night. But the external appearance, like its concrete counterparts in Toronto and Niagara Falls, has generally stayed the same. While some appreciate the raw mid-century concrete aesthetic, there's no shortage of people hoping that the tall column will one day be clad in something a little more visually pleasing.
The question then becomes whether the architectural integrity of the structure, a classic blend of Modernist, Futurist, and Brutalist elements that then typified observation towers around the world, should be sacrificed in the name of progress. Slapping a metal shell on the exterior would certainly give the tower a fresh look, but it would hide a robust material that has become intertwined with this era of architecture.
The proposed Palliser Square proposal, which would flank the Calgary Tower with highrises on either side, would rejuvenate the streetscape, but exacerbate its growing invisibility in a densifying downtown. Already disguised by some of its taller neighbours, the addition of two abutting buildings would dampen the hope of returning the tower to its former visual prominence.
Calgary's preeminent landmark was built by Alberta's two driving economic forces: rail and energy. As such, it's rooted in the social and cultural fabric of the city. Demolishing the tower in favour of a new icon has been suggested by some online commentators, but given its long history of firsts and instantly recognizable profile, the thought seems too cruel. So how can the Calgary Tower be updated to better integrate itself within its increasingly modern urban context? Or does the Calgary Tower need to be updated at all? Should it remain a cornerstone of the age of the concrete observation tower or take on a brand new appearance that would shed its dated image? Let us know in the Forum thread or by leaving a comment below.
