Long before downtown Calgary's recent resurgence, decades prior to the construction of Brookfield Place, The Bow, and Telus Sky, there was one major piece of the downtown skyline (save of course, for the Calgary Tower) that was able to set the city apart from the rest: the Olympic Saddledome havs been a key component of the cityscape for a generation. 

Saddledome under construction in 1982, image via calgarystampede.com

Begun in 1981, there has yet to be a structure built in Calgary that better captures the heart and soul of the city than the Saddledome. Its iconic shape and its history with the Calgary Stampede, Calgary Flames, and the 1988 Olympic Games from whence it got its original name, place the stadium at the centre of three of the most important events and franchises to grace the city in recent memory.

Saddledome and skyline as they appear today, image by Flickr user Daniel via Creative Commons

Compared to the archival image, the above view of the since renamed Scotiabank Saddledome reveals a skyline much evolved since the first image was captured 35 years ago. For while certain tell-tale landmarks such as the Calgary Tower remain in view, there are numerous others, such as The Bow (far right) and Brookfield Place (under construction as of 2016 to the right of the Calgary Tower), along with The Guardian (directly in front of The Bow), Bankers Hall (centre), Eighth Avenue Place (left of Bankers Hall), and Nuera (left), which have since added their distinctive silhouettes to the skyline. 

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