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Hidden between the monoliths that call the downtown core home, the Ramada Hotel at 708 8th Avenue SW is a significant example of Calgary's Modernist history. Built as the Holiday Inn in 1964, the nine-storey structure is characterized by its long facade and rectangular form, anchored to the streetscape by a two-storey podium. Distinguished by brick cladding and a neat arrangement of balconies and large windows, the building's unadulterated design was analogous to the hotel brand's corporate design style.
The hotel was built at an auspicious time in Calgary's history. Growth related to natural resource development boosted the population and fortunes of the city during the 1950s. Widely seen as a marker of Calgary's success and prosperity, the hotel capitalized on Calgary's fledgling role as a tourist destination, supported by the Calgary Stampede and access to the Rocky Mountains.
The 202-room hotel was the first Holiday Inn built in Western Canada and at the time of completion, represented the franchise's most expensive property. It became the Glenbow Inn of downtown Calgary in 1987 and was again renamed to the Hotel Calgary Plaza in 1990. The next year, the property changed hands one more time, undertaking renovations under the Ramada banner.
The Holiday Inn's podium and tower massing, along with its slab form, was relatively new to the city at the time. By setting the tower back from the podium, a rooftop deck was created. This is where the hotel has placed a patio and swimming pool, said to be a design first for Calgary.
The northern elevation is obscured by Elveden Centre, leaving the long southern frontage the main architectural focal point. Balcony dividers and concrete panel screens affixed to the balustrades give the tower a patterned, clean and geometric aesthetic common to Modernist design principles.
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