Downtown Calgary: "Looking Up" Tour!
One of the things I like to do when flaneuring downtown Calgary is to “look up” at how the buildings meet Calgary’s bold blue sky. While much of the discussion around our downtown is negative these days, I found looking at these photos to be quite uplifting. I like to see the glass as being three quarters full, rather than a quarter empty when I am downtown.
In selecting what photo to choose for this tour, I was reminded that Calgary’s downtown has some pretty amazing architecture and urban design.
Hope you enjoy this fun “Looking Up!” tour of downtown Calgary. Be sure to scroll to the end as I think I saved the best for last!
Old City Hall reflected in the Municipal Building.
Chinese Cultural Centre ceiling.
Calgary Tower
New Central Library staircase
New Central Library reading room ceiling.
Chinatown and The Bow
Brookfield Place
Doug Driediger mural “Giving Wings To The Dream.”
The Public Building, now home to the Jack Singer Concert Hall.
The back of the Grain Exchange Building
Windows: Old vs new.
Oil rig workers on the back of the Petroleum Club. Doug Driediger mural.
Church vs Capitalism?
Urban surrealism
“Swarm” by Stuart Keeler is a swarm of leaf seeds commonly called “keys” integrated into the glass canopy of the 6th Street LRT Station on 7th Ave SW
The outside roof of the Chinese Cultural centre
The 300 block of Stephen Avenue aka The Trees / The Pooper Scoopers
Old City Hall Clock Tower
Luminous Crossing by Cliff Garten Studios is a multi-component artwork the includes 20 sculptures, two large scale towers and three hanging works at four LRT Stations on 7th Ave.
Historic Hudson’s Bay department store.
The Princeton & The Shaw
Nation Music Center facade creates a rich, colour field painting in the bright winter sun.
8th Street SW Underpass.
Old School
Chinatown Ornamentation
The Edison & The Tower
Stephen Avenue National Historic District has many hidden gems.
TRIO at the new Central Library, by Christian Moeller
Hollinsworth Building & Bankers Hall
Burns Building: Ornamentation
East Village Christmas fun.
Urban densification?
The Beltline Lookout
Light Bubbles
Between The Earth & The Sky- Measuring The Immeasurable by Jacqueline Metz and Nancy Chew at Bankers Hall southwest plaza.
Day’s end…
Centrium: The Jewel
Olympic Plaza
Lightening Bolt at The Bow
The Ghost
The Skyscraper
Chinook Arc by Joe O’Connell and Blessing Hancock.
Skyscraper 2
Burns Building
Twilight 1
Twilight 2
Blue Hour
Grain Exchange
Old vs New: Art Deco
Historic
Framed
Porte Cochere de Lumiere by Michael Hayden
“Wander” by Derek Besant, Centre Street LRT station canopy.
Ripple
Brutalism
Cubism
Juxtaposition
Skywalkers aka “Weather Vanes: by Colette Whiten and Paul Kipps, Bankers Hall southeast plaza
Cantilever
Prehistoric 1
Prehistoric 2
Urban Geometry
Rectangles
Triangles
Twist
Looking Up!
Floating ideas….(this was not photoshopped)
A good year?
Old, Middle Age, New
70s & 80s
Big, Bold & Blue
Something’s missing….
Luminous Crossing Towers
Radiant
Strange but real…
The Shadow
Old vs New
Golden hour
Crown
Twilight 3
Skylight
The Edge
Old vs New
Hidden history
John Ewen’s “Weaving Fence and Horn” frames of Calgary’s downtown skyline.
Looking up the horn…
Fun with Sadko
Looking Up 2
I Heart Downtown (FYI: This photo was not photoshopped.)
Last Word
So next time you are downtown, be it Calgary or any other city make sure you look up. You will be surprised at what you discover. Personally, I love the juxtaposition of the old and new, the patterns and reflections and the surrealist light you find in downtowns.
If you like this blog, you will like these links:
Calgary Tower Playing Peek-a-boo!
Downtown: From Concrete Jungle to Glass Gallery