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In February 2007, one of Calgary's most significant recent additions to the downtown cityscape broke ground. Bentall Capital, developing the project on behalf of British Columbia Investment Management Corporation, tasked Gibbs Gage Architects to design the 38-storey Jamieson Place at the corner of 2nd Street and 4th Avenue SW. Over ten years later, the tinted glazing and spired crown of the 890,000-square-foot office tower remains a highly visible beacon in the central business district.
The $300 million development proposed an extensive five-level underground parkade inclusive of 500 stalls. A three-storey-high indoor winter garden would serve as a public amenity with connections to the Plus 15 network. The shimmering glass tower that was promised represented major intensification for the site, which was formerly occupied by a string of businesses, including the first Hy's Steakhouse, a Calgary institution that now operates across the country.
A press release announcing the 2007 construction start makes reference to the architectural vocabulary of the building: "We have been working with Gibbs Gage Architects and the City of Calgary to create a distinctive design," said Randy Magnussen of Bentall Capital. "In addition to providing a high quality environment for tenants, the tower's twin illuminated vertical spires and the Frank Lloyd Wright inspired horizontal elements will be a striking addition to the downtown Calgary skyline."
The complex was completed and opened in late 2009. Its namesake, Alice Jamieson, became the first female appointed to a judiciary in the British Empire. After being assigned to a juvenile court in 1913, Jamieson became just the second female magistrate of the Empire in 1916.
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