Unbuilt Calgary

[5seconds]

I didn't see a thread about some of the proposals for Calgary that was never realized, so I thought I would start one (if there is one, let me know!)

With the talk about the new development plans for Eau Claire, I thought I would post this proposal to locate the City Hall,and other institutional buildings like the School Boards and the Police etc., on a site around Eau Claire, from 1957. (Note the parking, road and bridge on Prince's Island!)

[DizzyEdge]

In some respect that's like a revised Mawson plan but with 1950's architecture instead of the "Vienna style" that was originally envisioned.

[Chadillaccc]

My favorite unbuilt Calgary project.




Would have been my favorite tower in Canada, had it been built.

[Govertical]

^^ I tend to feel a little sad when I see a pic of Alta. 75; I wonder if we'll see that parade on 3rd and ninth go sometime soon. Definitely would have looked great especially way back when it was proposed!

[s211]

Originally Posted by Chadillaccc

My favorite unbuilt Calgary project.




Would have been my favorite tower in Canada, had it been built.

IIRC, that was proposed by Northland/Gaglardi. The other product they built in that era was wildly subgrade, so in a sense I'm glad it didn't get built, unless the site had been sold to someone who could have done higher quality product back then.

[Tropics]

Really regret we will never see this one.

from 260erickson.wordpress.com

[ByeByeBaby]

Unbuilt, and thank god - the South Downtown Bypass, a freeway system that would have had serious effects in the Beltline and Inglewood. This is the 1979 Inner City plan, by which time the bypass was on the way out of the orthodoxy:



An interesting side note from the same document is the inner city transit plan:


Note that the south LRT was approved; the northwest LRT was approved with no construction date (there were serious community blowback from Hillhurst/Sunnyside especially). But look at the other three corridors; along Memorial drive east (i.e. the NE LRT), west along Bow Trail / 17th Ave (i.e. the current West LRT) - and the fifth leg is north along Edmonton Trail / Centre Street. Interesting, that the SE communities who claim they were "promised" the LRT don't actually have the older priority claim, and the NC LRT was promised earlier.

[jsbertram]

Originally Posted by ByeByeBaby

Unbuilt, and thank god - the South Downtown Bypass, a freeway system that would have had serious effects in the Beltline and Inglewood. This is the 1979 Inner City plan, by which time the bypass was on the way out of the orthodoxy:
...

An interesting side note from the same document is the inner city transit plan:

...
Note that the south LRT was approved; the northwest LRT was approved with no construction date (there were serious community blowback from Hillhurst/Sunnyside especially). But look at the other three corridors; along Memorial drive east (i.e. the NE LRT), west along Bow Trail / 17th Ave (i.e. the current West LRT) - and the fifth leg is north along Edmonton Trail / Centre Street. Interesting, that the SE communities who claim they were "promised" the LRT don't actually have the older priority claim, and the NC LRT was promised earlier.

I don't think you can equate a "Recommendation" in a planning report with a "Promise", nor would I use either of them alone to assign priority to a project. At the time (ca. 1979), the far SE area of Calgary was still quite industrial (the CIL plant had blown up a few years earlier) or vacant, so the LRT down MacLeod Trail to Anderson was deemed to be adequate for the time.

Over time recommendations get changed, land use changes, and peoples' needs change.
Sometimes even political promises are kept (or not).

[jsbertram]

Originally Posted by Govertical

^^ I tend to feel a little sad when I see a pic of Alta. 75; I wonder if we'll see that parade on 3rd and ninth go sometime soon. Definitely would have looked great especially way back when it was proposed!

parade == parkade?

I hate F*N auto-correct.

[Design-mind]

Originally Posted by Tropics

Really regret we will never see this one.

from 260erickson.wordpress.com

I too liked this project. It was just different enough to stick out from all the other condos around Eau Claire. Instead we are getting something that will blend in.

[H.E.Pennypacker]

The original design of The Bow ... Although the second phase is still possible I suppose

[Stang]

Whatever happened to the plan to re-build the York Hotel? I have heard that it currently a bunch of warehoused bricks somewhere. Is this on hold indefinitely or is there an actual plan for something on that corner that would incorporate it?

[5seconds]

Originally Posted by ByeByeBaby

An interesting side note from the same document is the inner city transit plan:

Note that the south LRT was approved; the northwest LRT was approved with no construction date (there were serious community blowback from Hillhurst/Sunnyside especially). But look at the other three corridors; along Memorial drive east (i.e. the NE LRT), west along Bow Trail / 17th Ave (i.e. the current West LRT) - and the fifth leg is north along Edmonton Trail / Centre Street. Interesting, that the SE communities who claim they were "promised" the LRT don't actually have the older priority claim, and the NC LRT was promised earlier.

A version of the North Central line was part of the City's first ever rapid transit plan in 1967.

[Deepstar]

Originally Posted by Chadillaccc

My favorite unbuilt Calgary project.




Would have been my favorite tower in Canada, had it been built.

I like the general =design if this tower. Even today it would still stand out as a nice tower.

[Calgarian]

I'm glad the Bow ended up with a flat roof, those other ones look ridiculous! though the main floor plaza level looks amazing in those!

[Calgarian]

Originally Posted by Deepstar

I like the general =design if this tower. Even today it would still stand out as a nice tower.

I think you could still build that today and it wouldn't look dated (provided the materials are modern).

[Deepstar]

Originally Posted by Calgarian

I think you could still build that today and it wouldn't look dated (provided the materials are modern).

What I like about it, is the massing is pretty basic, but it's not a box by any means. Agree, with good materials it would be a standout tower even today.

[H.E.Pennypacker]

Originally Posted by 5seconds

A version of the North Central line was part of the City's first ever rapid transit plan in 1967.

Amazing to see how undeveloped the NE was...

I wish that leg of the WLRT had that route instead ... Would be better for some congestion concerns in those inner city SW neighbourhoods

Originally Posted by Calgarian

I'm glad the Bow ended up with a flat roof, those other ones look ridiculous! though the main floor plaza level looks amazing in those!

I'm indifferent on the roof - on one hand it would look pretty crazy at the top (very unique), would make it that much taller, and the skygarden at the top would be nuts

But it looks so masculine, almost like it has "devil horns" or something to it ... Not such a nice imagine for the Oil and Gas industries marking Calgary...

Originally Posted by Calgarian

I think you could still build that today and it wouldn't look dated (provided the materials are modern).

I agree!! That would be a sweet proposal to see today .. And would look great as one of our tallest

[5seconds]

Originally Posted by H.E.Pennypacker

Amazing to see how undeveloped the NE was...

I wish that leg of the WLRT had that route instead ... Would be better for some congestion concerns in those inner city SW neighbourhoods

It was meant to run south on 14th street SW, then west along 26th avenue SW and terminate at 37th street SW. I can only imagine what a Killarney with an LRT would look like today.

[jsbertram]

Originally Posted by 5seconds

A version of the North Central line was part of the City's first ever rapid transit plan in 1967.

....

such fun to see a map of Calgary from 50 years go.

Airport runway outside city limits.

no Rundle

no Cedarbrae

no Silver Springs or Varsity Estates

no Foothills Hospital ??

No U of C ??

old Midnapore townsite

no man-made Lake Bonavista

no Deerfoot trail - just Nose Creek dawdling along to the Bow

Bowness and Forest Lawn were really 'in the boonies'

Lincoln Park airfield - now Mt. Royal U

Laughed that they drew the lines for express and basic bus service - without any roads.