Evolution of the Calgary Tower

July 23, 2013
By Cody Battershill

Evolution of the Calgary Tower

Construction starts February 19th, 1967

An unprecedented 24 hour continuous pour of concrete

Column is finished 24 days later

At 190.8 metres (626 ft) tall it becomes the tallest of its kind in North America

The ‘Husky Tower’ officially opens on June 28th, 1968

The cauldron is lit to celebrate the 1988 Calgary Winter Olympic Games

Calgary's Iconic Building

Every city has one of those iconic buildings on their skyline used to identify it on postcards, calendars and other sorts of media publishing’s by people around the world.

A good example of this would be the fact that I have never been to Moscow, Russia, but know immediately when I see this city on TV because of the Red Square and Saint Basil’s Cathedral in the background with its colorful round tops and historically sound architecture.

Well, the Calgary Tower is our Red Square. Do a search for images on Google and look up Calgary, Alberta. You will see several pictures of the Calgary Tower on the first page alone.

Even with all the new towering skyscrapers that outmatch the Calgary Tower in height, girth and sophistication, it still remains the most recognizable Calgary landmarks there is!

From the Start to Present…

In the beginning the Calgary Tower began as a joint venture between Husky Oil and Marathon Realty to honour Canada’s 100th birthday and was also part of a new urban renewal program for Calgary’s downtown area.

The tower was completed in June of 1968 with a price tag of $3.5 million and officially opened its doors to the general public later in the month.

A few years later in 1971, the Husky Tower had its name changed to the Calgary Tower as a gift to local Calgarians.

In 1985, a $2.4 million dollar renovation to the upper section of the Calgary Tower was completed, adding a souvenir store and a restaurant.

During the 1988 Olympic Winter Games, a huge natural gas run cauldron was installed at the top of the tower symbolic of the Olympic torch.

From 1993 to 2007 several renovations at the Calgary Tower added an observation deck, telescopes, touch-screen guides, increased the lobby size, added a new gift shop and more.

*Sourced from CalgaryTower.com

Also be sure to check out our Calgary Skyline History!

From the Present to Future….

Since the beginning the Calgary Tower has been the most closely associated to our city out of all the buildings on our downtown skyline. If the past is any indicator of what’s to come in the future, it will likely stay that way for many years to come regardless of how tall and how high new downtown skyscrapers get.