Made in the 70s - the growth of downtown Calgary

As part of Downtown Calgary’s Downtown through the Decades stage programming, we will be sharing blogs about the history of downtown. After reading these blogs, make sure you put Saturday afternoon’s stage performance - Rondel Roberts Band - in your calendar to live through the music of the era!

During the 1970s, Alberta’s oil industry exploded. Prices per barrel were driven sky high as a result of the oil embargo in the Middle East. The province flooded with people seeking their share of oil wealth and, according to CBC, four thousand people a month moved into the province, increasing the population by a third. More construction permits were issued in Calgary than in Chicago or New York!

Calgary’s downtown core experienced rapid growth throughout the 70s. Here’s a look at just a few of the projects completed during the decade:

1970 – On January 21^st, the first piece of the +15 was completed. The network of indoor walking paths, now consisting of 62 bridges and more than 18km of walkways, began with a connection from Calgary Place to the Calgary Inn (what is now the Westin Hotel)

1974 – A new metal sculpture was added to the front of Calgary’s Central Library at 616 Macleod Trail SE. The piece was created by Robert Oldrich and is simply known as “Library Frieze.”

1975 – Located at 715 5 Ave SW, the Hewlett Packard Tower was completed. This tower stands 407 feet and 33 stories.

1976 – Scotia Center was completed at 700 2 Street SW. At 509 feet tall, it was one of the tallest buildings in the city at the time.

1977 – The Home Oil Tower was completed. Straddling the Devonian Gardens and TD Square, this highrise is located at 324 8 Avenue SW. The building’s twin, the Dome Tower, was also completed this year.

1977 – The Shell Centre Skyscraper, located on 4^th Ave SW, was completed.

1979 – Calgary’s Stock Exchange Tower was completed at 300 5^th Ave SW.

Tagged as: #IAMDOWNTOWN, downtown through the decades