List of tallest buildings in Calgary facts for kids

Calgary skyline

Calgary's skyline seen from the Max Bell Centre

Calgary is the biggest city in the Canadian province of Alberta. As of April 1, 2018, about 1,267,344 people lived in the city itself. If you include the wider area, the population was around 1,469,300 as of July 1, 2016.

The tallest building in Calgary is Brookfield Place. It has 56 floors and stands 247 meters (810 feet) tall. The second tallest is The Bow, which has 58 floors and is 236 meters (774 feet) tall. The third tallest is Telus Sky, finished in 2020. It has 60 floors and is 222 meters (728 feet) tall. The Calgary Tower is also very tall, but it's not a regular building where people live or work, so it's not ranked with the others.

Calgary started building tall towers a long time ago with buildings like the Grain Exchange Building (1910) and the Fairmont Palliser Hotel (1914). Not many tall buildings were built until the early 1970s. From 1970 to 1990, Calgary saw many new skyscrapers and high-rise buildings go up. After a quiet period, another big building boom started in the late 1990s and is still happening today.

There are some rules about building height in Calgary. New buildings cannot cast a shadow over the Bow River or the city hall, especially during most of the year. But there are no other height limits in other parts of the city, which means some really tall buildings could be built! For example, The Bow tower was originally planned to be much taller, but its height was reduced to follow these rules.

As of 2018, Calgary has 373 buildings that are taller than 35 meters (115 feet). Out of these, 82 are 100 meters (328 feet) or taller, and most of them are in the downtown area. This makes Calgary the city with the second-highest number of skyscrapers in Canada, right after Downtown Toronto.

By March 2019, there were 10 skyscrapers over 100 meters (328 feet) being built. Another 34 skyscrapers over 100 meters (328 feet) were approved or planned. Plus, 56 more high-rise buildings over 35 meters (115 feet) were either being built, approved, or planned. All these new buildings will change Calgary's skyline a lot!

Calgary's Tallest Buildings
- Other Tall Structures
- Buildings from the Past
Future Skyscrapers
Who Was Tallest When?
More Cool Buildings
See also

Calgary's Tallest Buildings

Brookfield Place, the tallest building in Calgary.

The Bow

Telus Sky under construction in May 2019

This list shows buildings in Calgary that are at least 400 feet (122 meters) tall. The height is measured by experts and includes pointy tops and other architectural parts, but not antennas. Towers for looking out or sending signals, like the Calgary Tower, are included for comparison but are not ranked because they are not regular buildings.

**Buildings finished by February 2017**
Rank	Building	Address	Height	Floors	Finished
1	Brookfield Place East	210 7 Avenue SW	247 m (810 ft)	56	2017
2	The Bow	500 Centre Street S	236 m (774 ft)	58	2012
3	Telus Sky	619 Centre Street S	222 m (728 ft)	60	2020
4	Suncor Energy Centre - West	150 6 Avenue SW	215 m (705 ft)	53	1984
5	Eighth Avenue Place I	525 8 Avenue SW	212 m (696 ft)	51	2011
6	Bankers Hall - West	888 3 Street SW	197 m (646 ft)	52	2000
7	Bankers Hall - East	855 2 Street SW	197 m (646 ft)	52	1989
8	Calgary Tower	101 9th Avenue SW	191 m (627 ft)		1968
9	Centennial Place - East	520 - 3rd Avenue SW	182 m (597 ft)	41	2010
10	Eighth Avenue Place II	585 8 Avenue SW	177 m (581 ft)	41	2014
11	Canterra Tower	400 3 Avenue SW	177 m (581 ft)	45	1988
12	TransCanada Tower	450 1 Street SW	177 m (581 ft)	38	2001
13	Jamieson Place	308 4 Avenue SW	172 m (564 ft)	38	2009
14	First Canadian Centre	350 7 Avenue SW	167 m (548 ft)	41	1982
15	Western Canadian Place - North	707 8 Avenue SW	164 m (538 ft)	41	1983
16	TD Canada Trust Tower	421 7 Avenue SW	162 m (531 ft)	40	1991
17	City Centre I	215 2 Street SW	162 m (531 ft)	37	2016
18	Stephen Avenue Place	700 2 Street SW	155 m (509 ft)	41	1976
19	801 Seventh Building	801 7 Avenue SW	153 m (502 ft)	37	1982
20	West Village Towers I	850 11 St SW	150 m (490 ft)	41	2022
21	West Village Towers II	850 11 St SW	150 m (490 ft)	41	2022
22	The Guardian North	1122 3 St SE	147 m (482 ft)	44	2016
23	The Guardian South	1188 11 Ave SE	147 m (482 ft)	44	2016
24	Bow Valley Square 2	205 5 Avenue SW	143 m (469 ft)	39	1975
25	Dome Tower	333 7 Avenue SW	141 m (463 ft)	35	1977
26	Fifth and Fifth Building	505 5 Avenue SW	140 m (460 ft)	34	1980
27	Shell Centre	4 Avenue SW	140 m (460 ft)	33	1977
28	Eleven	1055 11 St SW	138 m (453 ft)	44	2021
29	Home Oil Tower	324 8 Avenue SW	137 m (449 ft)	34	1977
30	Bow Valley Square 4	205 5 Avenue SW	134 m (440 ft)	37	1981
31	Fifth Avenue Place East	425 1 Street SW	133 m (436 ft)	35	1981
32	Fifth Avenue Place West	237 4 Avenue SW	133 m (436 ft)	35	1981
33	Suncor Energy Centre - East	111 5 Avenue SW	130 m (430 ft)	33	1984
34	Calgary Courts Centre	601 5th Street SW	129 m (423 ft)	26	2007
35	Western Canadian Place - South	707 8 Avenue SW	128 m (420 ft)	32	1983
36	Arriva 34	1111 Olympic Way SE	128 m (420 ft)	34	2007
37	Altius Centre	500 4 Avenue SW	126 m (413 ft)	32	1973
38	The Edison	150 9 Ave SW	125 m (410 ft)	31	1982
39	Vogue	930 6th Avenue SW	125 m (410 ft)	36	2017
40	Stock Exchange Tower	300 5 Ave SW	124 m (407 ft)	31	1979
41	Hewlett Packard Tower	715 5 Ave SW	124 m (407 ft)	33	1975
42	707 Fifth	707 5 Ave SW	124 m (407 ft)	27	2017
43	Five West East Tower	910 5th Avenue SW	123 m (404 ft)	28	2008

Downtown Calgary in 2010, with The Bow building under construction at left

Other Tall Structures

This list includes observation and communication towers. These are not buildings where people live or work, but they are still very tall structures in Calgary.

**Observation and Communication Towers (as of October 2006)**
Rank	Building	Address	Height	Finished	Image
=1	CFCN-DT Tower 1*	Old Banff Coach Road SW	250 m (820 ft)	1954
=1	CFCN-DT Tower 2*	Old Banff Coach Road SW	250 m (820 ft)	1954

(*) Calgary's two tallest structures are actually the twin communication towers for CFCN-TV. They are held up by strong cables, unlike most other tall buildings.

Buildings from the Past

This table shows important historical towers in Calgary. They were once very tall or special for their time.

**Important Historical Towers**
Building	Address	Height	Floors	Finished	Notes
Ski Jump (Canada Olympic Park)	88 Canada Olympic Park Road SW	90 m	n/a	1987	This was the taller of three ski jump towers built for the 1988 Winter Olympics. The 90 meters is the distance a ski jumper travels, not the height of the tower itself.
Elveden House (part of Elveden Centre)	727 7th Avenue SW	80 m	20	1960	This was Calgary's first skyscraper!
Fairmont Palliser Hotel	133 9th Avenue SW	60 m	12	1914	This hotel was Calgary's tallest building from 1914 to 1958.
Grain Exchange Building	815 1st Street SW		6	1910	This was the first building in Calgary to have an elevator.

Future Skyscrapers

This section lists buildings that are either being built now, have been approved, or are planned for Calgary. They are all expected to be at least 100 meters (328 feet) tall as of January 2021.

Buildings Being Built Now

These buildings are currently under construction.

Building	Height	Floors	Use
Arris West	142 m (466 ft)	41	Homes
Park Central North	133 m (436 ft)	39	Homes
Oliver West	121 m (397 ft)	35	Homes

Buildings Approved to Be Built

These buildings have been approved and are ready to start construction.

Building	Height	Floors	Use
Elbow River I	178 m (584 ft)	56	Homes
Elbow River II	162 m (531 ft)	50	Homes
Elbow River III	146 m (479 ft)	40	Homes
Place 10 West	121 m (397 ft)	35	Homes
101 - 11 Avenue SE	120 m (394 ft)	37	Homes
Brentwood Common	120 m (394 ft)	40	Homes
Curtis Block III	119 m (390 ft)	36	Homes
West Village Towers III	100 m (328 ft)	?	Homes

Buildings Planned for the Future

These buildings are still in the planning stages or on hold.

Building	Height	Floors	Use
Stephen Avenue Quarter	287 m (942 ft)	66	Mixed-use (homes and offices)
Oxford Place	262 m (860 ft)	62	Office
Plaza 54	187 m (614 ft)	54	Homes
Brookfield Place West	178 m (584 ft)	40	Office
633 Third	167 m (548 ft)	46	Mixed-use (homes and offices)
Portfolio IV	147 m (482 ft)	44	Homes
Eau Claire Market I	135 m (443 ft)	35	Office
City Centre II	132 m (433 ft)	47	Mixed-use (homes and offices)
1520 East	123 m (404 ft)	37	Homes
526- 4th Ave	112 m (367 ft)	32	Homes
Portfolio III	~100 m (328 ft)	29	Homes

Who Was Tallest When?

This list shows which buildings were the tallest in Calgary over the years. The Calgary Tower was the city's tallest free-standing structure from 1968 until 1983, when the Suncor Energy Centre's West tower became taller.

Name	Street address	Years as tallest	Height m / ft	Floors
Fairmont Palliser Hotel	133 9th Avenue SW	1914–1958	60 / 197	12
Elveden House	727 7th Avenue SW	1960-1968	80 / 262	20
One Calgary Place	330 5 Avenue SW	1968-1973	110 / 361	30
Altius Centre	500 4 Avenue SW	1973-1974	126 / 413	32
Bow Valley Square 2	205 5 Avenue SW	1974-1976	143 / 469	39
Stephen Avenue Place	700 2 Street SW	1976-1982	155 / 509	41
First Canadian Centre	350 7 Avenue SW	1982-1984	167 / 548	41
Suncor Energy Centre - West	150 6 Avenue SW	1984-2011	215 / 705	53
The Bow	500 Centre Street SE	2011–2017	236 / 774	58
Brookfield Place East	210 - 7 Avenue SW	2017–present	247 / 810	56