List of tallest buildings in Yellowknife facts for kids
This article is about the tallest buildings in Yellowknife, a city in Canada's Northwest Territories. Yellowknife is the capital and largest city in this territory. It's also the second-largest city in all of Northern Canada.
As of 2011, Yellowknife has three buildings that are 50 meters (about 164 feet) tall or more. It also has seven other tall buildings that are over 30 meters (about 98 feet) high. The tallest building in Yellowknife, and in the entire Northwest Territories, is the 17-storey Centre Square – Northern Heights. It stands 60 meters (about 197 feet) tall. This building was designed in a modern style to make the city's skyline look more interesting. The second-tallest building is the Watermark Tower, also known as Polar Apartments. It is 50 meters (about 164 feet) tall and has 15 storeys.
Yellowknife has a population of almost 20,000 people. Even though it's not a huge city, it has many tall buildings. This is because Yellowknife is in a very rich area of Northern Canada. This region is full of natural resources like diamonds and iron. Yellowknife is the main city in the Northwest Territories. Many big companies that mine diamonds and iron have their main offices or bases here. The city helps to send these resources to other places. Yellowknife is connected to Edmonton, a city in southern Canada, by the Yellowknife Highway and Mackenzie Highway.
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Yellowknife's Tallest Buildings
This list shows buildings in Yellowknife that are at least 30 meters (about 98 feet) tall. We measure their height based on standards from the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH). This includes spires and other parts of the building's design. It does not include things like antenna masts.
| Rank | Name | Picture | Height | Floors | Built | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Centre Square – Northern Heights (shops and offices) |
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60 m | 17 | 1996 |
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| 2 | Watermark Tower (Polar Apartments) (homes) |
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50 m | 15 | 2003 | |
| 2 | Northwest Tower (offices) |
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50 m | 12 | 1991 | |
| 4 | Scotia Centre (offices) |
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45 m | 11 | 1979 | |
| 5 | Coast Fraser Tower (hotel) |
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42 m | 14 | 1970 | |
| 6 | Precambrian Building (offices) |
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41 m | 11 | 1976 | |
| 7 | Anderson – Thomson Tower (homes) |
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38 m | 11 | 1986 | |
| 8 | Bellanca Building (offices) |
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36 m | 10 | 1973 | |
| 9 | Northern United Place |  |
34.5 m | 10 | 1976 |
Other Important Buildings
Con Mine Headframe
The Robertson headframe at Con Mine was once the tallest structure in Yellowknife. It was 76 meters (about 249 feet) tall. This headframe was built in 1977 and stood over a mine shaft that went 1,859 meters (about 6,099 feet) deep. The headframe was taken down on October 29, 2016.
Explorer Hotel
The Explorer Hotel is located on 49th Avenue in Yellowknife. It is an eight-storey building made of concrete, built in 1974. The hotel sits on a hill overlooking downtown Yellowknife. This makes it one of the most noticeable buildings in the city. It says it is the largest hotel in Northern Canada. Many people also say it is the city's best and grandest hotel. The hotel was made bigger in 2008 and again in 2019.
Greenstone Building
The Greenstone Building is in downtown Yellowknife on Franklin Avenue. It holds offices for 16 different parts of the Government of Canada. Before this building was finished in 2005, these offices were spread out in many different places. In 2007, the Greenstone Building received a special award called "LEED Gold" from the Canadian Green Building Council. This award means the building was designed to be very good for the environment. For example, it makes some of its own electricity using solar panels. It was the first building in Northern Canada to get any level of LEED certification.
Mackenzie Place
Mackenzie Place is a 17-storey building in Hay River, Northwest Territories. People in Hay River often call it "the High Rise." Even though its exact height isn't known, some say it's the tallest building in the Northwest Territories. It is estimated to be about 57.64 meters (about 189 feet) tall. It was finished in 1975. For 40 years, until Centre Square – Northern Heights was built in 1996, it was the tallest building. Unlike Yellowknife, Hay River doesn't have many other tall buildings. So, Mackenzie Place stands out and can be seen from as far as 75 kilometers (about 47 miles) away.
Northwest Territories Legislative Building
The Northwest Territories Legislative Building is where the Government of the Northwest Territories meets. The current building was built in 1993 and started being used in 1994. The Legislative Assembly of the Northwest Territories (the group of people who make laws) has used many different places to meet over the years.
The building we see today has two floors and two round rooms called the Great Hall and the Caucus Room. It is in Yellowknife and looks out over Frame Lake. It was designed by architects from Yellowknife and Vancouver, along with a landscape architect named Cornelia Oberlander.
Timeline of Yellowknife's Tallest Buildings
This table shows which building was the tallest in Yellowknife during different time periods.
| Period | Name | Height | Floors | Built |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970 – 1979 | Coast Fraser Tower | 41 m | 11 | 1970 |
| 1979 – 1991 | Scotia Centre | 45 m | 11 | 1979 |
| 1991 – 1996 | Northwest Tower | 50 m | 12 | 1991 |
| 1996 – present | Centre Square – Northern Heights | 60 m | 17 | 1996 |
Canada has three northern territories: the Northwest Territories, Nunavut, and Yukon. Out of these three, only the Northwest Territories has buildings taller than 30 meters (about 98 feet), which is about 8 storeys high.
The tallest building in Nunavut is the Tukturjuk Tower in Iqaluit. It is 29 meters (about 95 feet) tall.
The tallest building in Yukon is the Mah's Point condos in Whitehorse. It is 20 meters (about 66 feet) tall. For many years, Whitehorse had a rule that buildings could not be taller than 20 meters. This rule was changed in 2012. Now, buildings can be up to 8 storeys tall, or about 25 meters (about 82 feet).
See also
- Architecture of Canada
- List of tallest buildings in Canada
Maps
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