Calgary City Hall
| Calgary City Hall | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| General information | |
| Type | Town hall |
| Architectural style | Romanesque Revival |
| Location | Calgary, Alberta |
| Address | 800 Macleod Trail SE, Calgary, AB T2G 5E6 |
| Construction started | 1 Jan 1907 |
| Completed | 1 Jan 1911 |
| Client | City of Calgary |
| Owner | City of Calgary |
| Technical details | |
| Floor count | 4 |
| Design and construction | |
| Architect | William M. Dodd |
The historic Calgary City Hall is currently the office of the Mayor and city councillors for the Calgary City Council. The building was completed in 1911. In 1962, a four-storey brick addition was added to the rear of the building. In 1985, the Calgary Municipal Building was built adjacent to the City Hall to house the offices of 2,000 civic administrators.
The Calgary City Hall was designated a national historic site in 1984. The reasons cited by Heritage Canada include that it is the only surviving regional example of the monumental civic halls erected in several Prairie cities before 1930 and its lofty clock tower, prominent round-arched entry and extensive decoration in the Romanesque Revival style made it an imposing visual symbol of community progress.
A plaque at the entrance is dedicated to the memory of Lieutenant-Colonel Russell Lambert Boyle and the 10th Battalion, CEF. Boyle was a Calgary area rancher who was killed during the 2nd Battle of Ypres while commanding the 10th Battalion, which was recruited from Calgary and Winnipeg.
The plaque reads:
IN MEMORY OF
Lt COL R.L. BOYLE
OFFICERS N.C.O.s
& MEN OF THE
TENTH BATTn
WHO FELL AT THE SECOND BATTLE OF
YPRES
APRIL 22nd
1915
ERECTED BY SURVIVING
MEMBERS OF THE BATTALION
After the Second World War the plaque was amended to honour The Calgary Highlanders by adding the following text underneath:
TO THE HONOUR AND GLORY OF GOD
IN MEMORY OF THE OFFICERS N.C.O.s
AND MEN OF THE CALGARY
HIGHLANDERS WHO GAVE THEIR
LIVES IN THE WAR 1939 - 1945
PERPETUATING UNIT OF 10th Bn C.E.F.
GOD SAVE OUR KING
The building is still used as an active office space for members of City Council, though most work, including council meetings, occurs at the adjacent Calgary Municipal Building. The sandstone structure has been granted historic status by all three levels of government (municipal, provincial and federal).
Protective scaffolding was installed outside the building in 2014, as pieces of the original Paskapoo sandstone began falling from the building. An estimate in October 2015 placed the cost of repairs at 34 million dollars. According to one source: "The work is so extensive that it would force city council and staff to leave the premises for up to four years."
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Wikipedia