I was just happened upon this thread now (a little slow I know). I want to laugh and cry at the same time. Sorry these tall tawers didn't get built but glad for the opportunity we have now to do it even better. I lived through the announcement and subsequent cancellation of many of these projects and I can tell you it scarred me.
I too own a copy of "The Boom Years" book and "Opportunity Calgary" - both are prized possessions and highly recommended. I also kept an assortment of clippings from the 80's - let me know if I can provide any info on these past projects. A couple I noticed were not in here but are in the Boom years book are: "Park Gallery" (lots of 'Park' names back then), this would have been a 49 storey tower on the site west of Nexen Tower. Also "Stephen Square" a 50 storey tower by architect Harold Hanen - best known for giving Calgary its plus 15 system.
A couple of other tidbits: In the rendering of "McIntyre Plaza" you can see the original FCC2 to the right (east). With McIntyre, FCC2, and Bay Park Plaza there would have been towers of 66, 64, and 63(x2) on 3 consecutive blocks between 6th and 7th Aves - imagine the shadow Nazi's.
Sorry for rambling - thanks for giving me the chance to reminisce
Heres a quick sketch placed into Google Earth along with the rest of the current downtown models:
Nowadays the shadow nazi's would have scrapped that instantly... the shadow probably reaches almost clear to the north end of crescent heights.
WOW - that is just ridiculously enormous. It would make one hell of a movie screen though, they could show the Flames games on it for the whole city to watch.
wow. I'd love to see how that would deal with wind loadings.
My thoughts as well. The wind loads on that thing would be massive. Especially in Calgary. Plus a moderate wond would probobly vibrate the tower like a tuning fork.
Interesting sketch mersar. Certainly gives you an idea of the total hugeness of this project. The observation deck at the top would have given you one killer view!
Here is another long forgotten complex from 1978. It is listed as the Calgary Commercial Complex in the book Calgary Architecture The Boom Years 1972 - 1982.
It would have been built directly north of where the Calgary Drop-In Centre now stands.
It was to be 2.1 million square feet, including a 450 room hotel, 200,000 square feet of multi-level retail space. The construction was to be cast-in-place concrete with a gold reflective mirror curtain wall on the office tower and precast cladding for the hotel tower.
This would have been a far cry better use of the land than that ugly low rise green and pink building currently on the site. Too much shadow on the river pathway perhaps???
This would have been a far cry better use of the land than that ugly low rise green and pink building currently on the site. Too much shadow on the river pathway perhaps???
I don't think I'd be the shadow, the lower picture seems to cancel that idea. The developers might have finally seen the risks needed to be taken in a city like Calgary back in that day.
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