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Soaring 21 storeys above the Calgary Chinese Cultural Centre and Daqing Square is the two-tower Livingston Place complex, which revitalized a downtown block with a non-orthogonal design by Gibbs Gage Architects. The Eau Claire office towers were aesthetically inspired by the nearby Bow River, and their orientation ensures northward views are maximized.
The complex was given its name after Sam Livingston (1831-1897), "Calgary's First Citizen." After toiling in the California gold rush of 1849, he opened a trading post in central Alberta before heading south to Fort Calgary, where he became one of the area's first farmers. A colourful figure, he is credited with introducing mechanized farm equipment to the Calgary area, and is widely regarded as a revered pioneer.
The glass and granite towers that bear his name also come with a 500-stall parkade and retail spaces. In the early months of 2006, two tower cranes simultaneously propelled the buildings above grade and into the skyline. By June, about ten floors of the south tower had been erected, with its opaque cladding making its first appearance.
By the next month, multiple more rows of glazing had been installed. The following year, the 80-metre-tall pair of towers were complete.
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