The 2007 closure and subsequent razing of Penny Lane Mall for Hines' Eighth Avenue Place set the tone for Calgary's building boom, which would go on to cement the city as a cosmopolitan metropolis with major projects like The Bow and Studio Bell. Though the strip had preserved the facades of historical brick buildings upon its opening in 1973 — including one of Calgary's first hospitals — the low-rise nature of the block and its prime positioning in the downtown core attracted considerable attention from developers, who saw invaluable potential for intensification. The question of which possible heritage assets are deemed "good enough" to preserve, and exactly how their most significant attributes can be retained in a rapidly changing city, is an important matter Calgarians continue to wrestle with. But it's hard to argue against the social and economic benefits that large developments have on the collective conscience of the city. 

The view from 6th Avenue and 5th Street in July 2009, image retrieved from Google Street View

Co-owned by Ivanhoe Cambridge, AIMCo, and MATCo Investments, the premier twin-tower office complex was designed by Pickard Chilton in collaboration with Gibbs Gage Architects and Kendall Heaton Associates. Finished construction in 2011, the 49-storey east tower was joined by its 40-storey sibling in 2014, marking the completion of a complex that has become a landmark on the skyline.

The view from 6th Avenue and 5th Street in August 2016, image by Flickr user daniel0685 via Creative Commons

The building program includes a number of landscaped plazas and terraces, green roofs, and an atrium winter garden, while the towers themselves are sloped in opposite directions to maximize separation and views. The design's unitized curtain wall, peaked roofline, and angled surfaces echo the backdrop of the Rocky Mountains.

The concrete core of the east tower is visible from 8th and 5th in July 2009, image retrieved from Google Street View

The concrete and steel construction of the east tower, captured in a July 2009 Google Street View image, has given way to a podium comprised of natural stones, stainless steel and glass. From the intersection of 6th Avenue and 5th Street, the impact of the 212- and 177-metre-tall skyscrapers is monumental. Upon completion, the east Eighth Avenue Place tower was the third tallest building in Calgary just behind The Bow and Suncor Energy Centre West. It has since slipped to fourth place with the rise of Brookfield Place, which is now the city's tallest building.

The view from 8th Avenue and 5th Street in May 2016, image retrieved from Google Street View

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