Calgary Tower
| Calgary Tower | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| General information | |
| Status | Complete |
| Type | Observation tower, Attraction |
| Location | 101 9th Avenue SW Calgary, Alberta T2P 1J9 |
| Coordinates | 51°02′40″N 114°03′49″W / 51.04444°N 114.06361°WCoordinates: 51°02′40″N 114°03′49″W / 51.04444°N 114.06361°W |
| Construction started | February 19, 1967 |
| Completed | 1968 |
| Opening | June 30, 1968 |
| Cost | $3,500,000 (1967) |
| Owner | Aspen Properties |
| Height | |
| Antenna spire | 190.8 m (626 ft) |
| Technical details | |
| Lifts/elevators | 2 |
| Design and construction | |
| Architect | W.G. Milne & A. Dale and Associates |
The Calgary Tower is a 191-meter (627 ft) free standing observation tower in Downtown Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Originally called the Husky Tower, it was conceived as a joint venture between Marathon Realty Company Limited and Husky Oil as part of an urban renewal plan and to celebrate Canada's centennial of 1967. The tower was built at a cost of $3,500,000 and weighs approximately 10,900 tonnes, of which 60% is below ground. It opened to the public on June 30, 1968 as the tallest structure in Calgary, and the tallest in Canada outside of Toronto. It was renamed the Calgary Tower in 1971.
The building was a founding member of the World Federation of Great Towers.
When Marathon Realty and Husky Oil built their new head offices in Calgary, they proposed building the tower both to honour Canada's centennial year of 1967 and to encourage urban renewal and growth of the downtown core. The structure was designed by W.G. Milne & A. Dale and Associates, and was designed to withstand earthquakes and winds of up to 161 km/h (100 mph). Construction began on February 19, 1967, and completed in 15 months at a cost of C$3.5 million. The column of the tower was built from an unprecedented continual pour of concrete. Pouring began May 15, 1967 and was completed 24 days later at an average growth of 7.6 m (25 ft) per day, a rate that was praised by industry officials as an "amazing feat of technical and physical workmanship".
Upon completion, the Husky Tower stood 190.8 m (626 ft) tall and was the tallest structure of its type in North America. It dominated the Calgary skyline, standing well over twice the height of the previous tallest structure in the city, Elveden House. Developers deliberately misled the public, claiming the tower would stand 187 m (614 ft), in the hopes of preventing competing developers from surpassing the Husky Tower's height record. Shortly after officials in San Antonio, Texas attempted to claim the record in announcing the completion of the 190 m (620 ft) Tower of the Americas, developers revealed the Husky Tower's true height.
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Wikipedia